Pastoral Leadership and the Powers
In 1987 R.E.M. sang a punchy and danceable apocalyptic song warning of the world’s end. “It’s the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine,” they sang in the oft-repeated chorus interspersed with lyrics that are a stream of consciousness containing apparent evidence of the apocalypse.
The sentiment in the song, also covered by the Christian rock group DC Talk, is often shared by Christians. This sentiment seems to lead to a laissez-faire attitude about the state of the world and therefore a lack of engagement in the world’s affairs. In Jesus and The Powers: Christian Political Witness in an Age of Totalitarian Terror and Dysfunctional Democracies, NT Wright and Michael Bird argue that the church should be engaged in every level of society. They write, “Our working hypothesis is that the kingdom of God is not from this world, but it is emphatically for this world. The Church’s kingdom-vocation is not only what it says to the world, but is also what the Church does within and for the sake of the world.[1]
The authors provide a broad historical perspective, examining the relationship between Christianity and political power from the early church to modern times. They discuss how the Church has interacted with empires, political systems, and other world-shaping forces throughout history. The book explores how Christians should navigate political power and its spiritual components. It emphasizes that Jesus is King and that His kingdom should be the focus of the Church’s witness and work, especially during political turmoil. How should the church engage with the political system?
Wright and Bird note that historically, “The Church and its message is either exiled to the attic of heavenly-mindedness, or else it is made a servant of the State to be bossed around at the will and whim of a leader.”[2] The call is neither for asceticism nor activism but rather they write, “We are to live faithfully within the symbols, story and message of King Jesus that bid us to clasp our hands in prayer as much as to put them to the trowel of earthly labour in his name.”[3]
Their solution to these two extremes is not middle or neutral ground but a different way of being. Central to this book is an intriguing phrase, “build for the kingdom”. They describe this as, “Applied to the mission of the Church, this means that we must erect in the present the signs of that kingdom, providing a preview of what everything will look like when God is ‘all in all’, when his kingdom has come and his will is done ‘on earth as in heaven’.”[4] This idea of “building for the Kingdom” means that Christians will proclaim the gospel in word and deed in every sector of society in such a way that the powers of the world are challenged and the magnificence of God’s Kingdom is unveiled to a world broken by sin. It demonstrates to those who are not yet part of God’s Kingdom that sin has been defeated and that new life is available to all.[5] The idea is profound, but I want more practical insight from Wright and Bird on this matter. I want to explore how the average church pastor might form their people spiritually to do what Wright and Bird are advocating.
From a pastoral leadership perspective, I found Faithful Presence: Seven Disciplines That Shape the Church For Mission by David Fitch. The author uses the term “Faithful Presence” similarly to “build for the Kingdom”. He explains, “Faithful presence names the reality that God is present in the world and that he uses people faithful to his presence to make himself concrete and real amid the world’s struggles and pains. When the church is God’s presence, God’s Kingdom becomes visible, and the world’s invited to join in.”[6] Fitch deals less with powers that shape the world and more with the practical disciplines that form the church and that create a visible sign that makes the presence of Christ real for the world. The seven disciplines are the Lord’s table, reconciliation, proclaiming the gospel, being with “the least of these”, being with children, the fivefold gifting, and Kingdom prayer. One could argue that certain practices are missing, such as practicing the Sabbath, but these are a great foundation to build on. These practices are meant to both shape the church and provide the world with a foretaste of the future in Christ.
These two books are great companions. Wright and Bird offer a compelling rationale for “building for the Kingdom” under the nose of the worldly powers to display God’s Kingdom for the world. They focus more on the relationship between church and state and how we might navigate the relationship between these. On the other hand, Fitch provides the reader with practical ways to make God’s presence visible to a world that needs Him. Both are similar in that they do not call the church to change or fix the world but rather to make the Kingdom real to the world while pointing forward to its ultimate consummation at the return of Christ.
As the church is continually pushed to the margins of our secularized Western world, it would be helpful for church leaders to engage the ideas of “building for the Kingdom” and the missional practices of “faithful presence”. The temptation will be to withdraw from the world or use worldly power to impose the Kingdom on people. Neither displays the beauty of the Kingdom that has already come in Jesus. Neither creates a foretaste of the future of the world.
If I had more time, I would like to explore some of the other central ideas in the book such what it means to submit to the governing authorities and when to resist the governing authorities. Another issue that would be worth exploring would be the types of government that Christians should avoid such as totalitarianism, Christian nationalism, and civic totalism (soft authoritarianism).
As I close, I would offer prayer for those who lead the church in these challenging times. May we lead so that we equip the church to make God’s Kingdom presence visible to the world around us so that people are drawn into a relationship with our King.
[1] N. T. Wright and Michael F. Bird, Jesus and the Powers: Christian Political Witness in an Age of Totalitarian Terror and Dysfunctional Democracies (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Reflective, 2024). Kindle. P.7.
[2] Wright and Bird. Kindle. 76.
[3] Wright and Bird. Kindle.78.
[4] Wright and Bird. Kindle. 87-88.
[5] Wright and Bird. Kindle. 99.
[6] David E. Fitch, Faithful Presence: Seven Disciplines That Shape the Church for Mission (Downers Grove, Illinois: IVP Books, an imprint of InterVarsity Press, 2016), 10.
About the Author
Graham English
I was born in Cape Town, South Africa 30 minutes from Table Mountain, the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean. My family immigrated to Vancouver, Canada where I spent my teen years, met Wendy, and got married. We now live on the Canadian prairies in northern Alberta. I think God has a sense of humour. I'm a follower of Jesus, work in leadership and church development, love my family and walk a lot.12 responses to “Pastoral Leadership and the Powers”
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Graham
Thanks for your insight as a pastor. You said that Fitch mentions the Lord’s Table as being one of the practical disciplines that helps form the church. I’ve heard it said that we (many churches) have become too sermon focused and the Lord’s Table has been pushed into the background. Do you agree (in general) and has this practice impacted the church’s focus and how it interacts with the world today?
Jeff, A former president of the Alliance said (my paraphrase), “When we take communion we also remember those who are not yet here.” So, communion not only reminds of of Christ’s provision for ourselves, but also for our friends, family members, co-workers, neighbours and ultimately nations.
At our General Assembly this year we took communion three times in a service. First, to recognize our own need. Secondly, to reconcile with another as needed and bless one another. Thirdly, to recognize the need of the world and to pray for those not yet at the table. It was a powerful service that helped shaped me as I went on a pilgrimage this summer.
In short, I would say, that a rote practice of the Lord’s table will not shape us in this way. However, an intentional practice that recognizes both our own needs and the needs of those who are not yet at the table reminds us of our need to be people of invitation.
Graham,
Man you sure dated yourself with the REM song and DC Talk! I sure do love that song (that is if you really ignore the apocalyptic wording.)
Since you are one of the few Canadians in this group I wonder how things are in Canada regarding the rise of Christian Nationalism in our churches and our nation. In general, Canada is a bit more liberal of a country than ours but I wonder how much movement there is with Christian Nationalism? Was Canada founded on Christian principles? As a “Christian nation”? I don’t know much about Canadian history beyond the broader welcoming of immigrants and ice hockey.
Adam, I don’t think it was the music reference that dates me. There are more obvious clues than that. Ha ha.
Regarding Canada, I will only speak anecdotally as I do not have data readily available. Arguably, I live in the most conservative part of Canada. However, I have not sensed an increase in Christian Nationalism. In fact, I think the opposite has happened. Many people simply don’t care.
In my opinion, I don’t think Canada was founded as a Christian nation as much as it was informed by some sort of nominal Christian worldview. We have definitely benefited from Christian principles but in the last many decades have drifted away from these.
Stats Canada tells me that 23 % of Canadians attend a religious service once a month. That represents a multi-faith community, not just Christian.
If you’re interested, this research by Cardus paints an interesting portrait of spirituality in Canada. https://www.cardus.ca/research/faith-communities/reports/the-shifting-landscape-of-faith-in-canada/
Graham, I have heard you mention involvement in activities that could be considered “activist” in nature. Based on some of your more progressive community and/or church endeavors, are there any that were brought to mind as a result of the reading this week? Perhaps something in hindsight you wish you could have leaned in a bit more when you had the chance (either as a teacher or as a student).
Jennifer, thanks for the question. by “activistic” I would say that I mean an “engagement” with our world much like “salt and light” rather than withdrawing into a Christian ghetto.
We tried to equip our people with a more missional mindset in the community. Our vision statement was “Fullness of life for all” and our mission was “apprenticing in the way of Jesus together”. So we tried to align our priorities around both experiencing fullness of life in Christ and helping our people become a source of flourishing in our community.
For example, during COVID, we equipped our people to seize the opportunity to “neighbour” in their neighbourhoods rather than lament the loss of gathering. Another example was simplifying church involvment so that people would have time to engage with their neighbours.
Our district mission is “serving leaders who offer fullness of life to others” We are working to align all we do with our mission so that our efforts become outwardly focused toward the larger mission of Jesus in our world rather than simply maintaining the status quo.
Recently, I have been challenged in my own life to “partner with the work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of people outside of the church”. My prayer this summer has been “Holy Spirit show me what you’re doing and how I can be part of that.” I continue to pray that daily.
So, by activistic, I’m thinking about missional engagement and the idea of “building for the Kingdom”
Graham, I always appreciate your pastoral and shepherding perspective. What are ways you hope to use some of the principles in this book in your current leadership position?
Good question, Kari.
One of the things we wrestle with in my current role is staying connected to one local church. I’m in a different church about 1/2 the Sundays and we’re dealing with some pretty heavy family care stuff right now.
With regards to role, it’s encouraging leaders and churches toward mission rather than simply church growth. We often use numbers as the sole sign of success but it’s just one metric and typically a lag measure. I’m not opposed to growth but much more interested in developing leaders who are thinking, living and working missionally.
Graham you referenced,“The Church and its message is either exiled to the attic of heavenly-mindedness, or else it is made a servant of the State to be bossed around at the will and whim of a leader.” I love this quote.
Historically, I see many pastors fall flat when they only make political references during election season. From a pastoral lens, when do you deem it the right time to speak about/on a political issue?
That’s a great question. Some of my own thoughts …
I would say before we speak up about political issues we should be doing something about it ourselves. For example, when the church speaks up about abortion but doesn’t care for single parents we seem hypocritical. Or we speak up about euthanasia, this is currently a thing in Canada, but don’t care for or pray for the sick, it doesn’t lend us credibility. So, I would say, we have to earn the right to speak before we do so.
There is also precedent for the church to speak up on behalf of those who have no voice rather than simply protect our Christian values. I have a friend who works to help free those who are caught in human trafficking. He always speaks politically about this. This is an unselfish way to speak truth to those in power.
Graham, I found myself humming while reading your post; thank you for the R.E.M. tune reference. You mentioned wanting more practical application from Wright and Bird on how the average church pastor might form their people spiritually and then introduced the work of David Fitch. In what primary ways does Fitch address the the application with his seven disciplines that perhaps Wright and Bird do not?
Chad, I appreciated Wright and Bird for their historical overview and also for their theological perspective. The question I had while reading the book was, “How do we help our people live in this world of “totalitarian terror and dysfunctional democracies”? The main part of Fitch’s book outlines 7 disciplines that help the church attend to the presence of Christ so that we in turn become his faithful presence to the world. I believe his book offers a practical pastoral approach, in the sense that he addresses how we might form people spiritually so that they can “build for the kingdom” in the world.