Power That Flourishes - Part 2
Reorienting Power, Status, and Privilege for the Sake of Redemptive Ecclesial Life
The last time I wrote an article for this blog, I hoped to offer an invitation to local churches to examine power and how it operates in our churches, in the hopes of encouraging a reorientation of power in the local church.1 Most of us don’t think or talk about power or how it operates in us and in our churches unless of course, we find ourselves up against an unhealthy power structure. Yet, what if we did talk about power in our churches?
In this article, I hope to spark our imagination regarding the possibilities of a kenotic use of power in the local church. Kenotic love. Kenosis. This is the kind of love that Jesus demonstrated is necessary for the reordering and healing of the world. It is self-giving or self-emptying love. The kind of love and power that Paul talks about in his letter to the Philippians, which demonstrates a sharp contrast between the “Lord(s) of Rome,” and Jesus.
In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!2
In light of this text, and what is surely an admonition to emulate Christ, especially for those with power and privilege, here are some practical communal discernment questions worth asking:
What does power mean to us in the context of the local church, and how does it influence the dynamics within your congregation?
Can you recall a situation in our church where power was exercised in a positive or negative way?
What are some common misconceptions associated with power in the church, and how do those misconceptions impact our living testimony and flourishing as a community of faith?
So then, what might it look like to reorient power in more Christlike and healthy ways? Here are three short stories from the church I am part of that I hope will help to paint such a picture. I love sharing stories. Especially stories that reinforce the kind of community we believe God is calling us to be, which is a community that cares deeply about God’s mission for human flourishing. And, power is for flourishing.
Story One: Surprise! Sharing Power Really Isn’t That Hard
Not long after I started in the role of lead pastor at New Heritage Fellowship (NHF), I was tasked with meeting with the leadership team (all men) of another Christian group we partnered with. Two of our male leaders agreed to join me since I had never met any of the other team leaders before. I wondered how this would go having had experiences in the past of being totally overlooked or ignored in church meetings like this. Indeed, the brothers from the other group overlooked me and started out directing every question to my male counterparts.
I wondered how the two brothers I was with would respond. Would they look over me too? My answer came swiftly. To my surprise, the two male leaders from NHF redirected every one of those questions to me. It was a new and refreshing experience.
"Pastor, what do you think?”
"Pastor, in the past we did this, what do you suggest?"
By the end of the meeting, our brothers from the other group were doing the same. It was powerful to witness. It was healing. Simple. Consistent. It laid the foundation for a healthy mutual partnership going forward.
You might say, well the other men didn't know you. You might say, well the other men probably didn't mean anything by it. You might be right. Although my experience has shown me that this power dynamic is part of the culture in many church communities, that is not the point of this story.
The point is that regardless of why it was happening, the two men I was with were doing something different. They were affirming me as a leader. They were reorienting power and sharing it with me. They were shifting the culture and dynamics in the room. They were building me up and showing that they believed in me as a leader.
After the meeting, I got in my car. Drove a few miles. Pulled over. And cried. I texted the two leaders from NHF to say thank you and reiterate what they had done and how it made me feel. The confidence it gave me. The trust it built. They both texted back a simple, "Of course, anytime."
I will never forget that. All new ministers should have leaders who move to support them in this way.
If we are intentional about recognizing the power that we hold, what then should we do with it, and how should we use it?
Story Two: Reorienting Power in the Local Church, and Excitedly, Not Reluctantly, Turning It Over to the Next Generations
Our church has decided to be serious about nurturing, and empowering, future participants in the church and mission of God. It’s a lesson in sharing power that we all need. We have Kids Takeover services in which the children get to plan and execute the whole service. The kids are centered. Jesus is centered.
Hand the keys over.
It’s going to be alright.
At NHF today our kids took over!
Our kids led the worship gathering.
They set up and ran the technology.
They even got the video and audio right, which if you are a tech person, you know, is a big deal.
They greeted us at the door.
It was a fine day to have a few visitors, and they seemed no worse for wear by the end. Maybe even delighted.
The kids shared announcements.
They planned what Bible story we would engage.
They asked us to share what we are afraid of.
They told us that Jesus is with us in the storm.
They prayed over us and led us in song.
They invited us to speak and listen.
They set The Table for us.
It had gluten-free crackers for those that needed them, and goldfish crackers for everyone else, and, as far as we know, no one was harmed.
They sent us out the door with the commission to Love God and Go, Love our neighbors.
The kids were the hosts.
The adults were hosted.
It was a bit different.
It was meaningful.
It was beautiful and life-giving.
Sometimes it is glaringly obvious why Jesus told us to be like little children. Those who typically have the least amount of power. In their hands, The Gospel is indeed Good News.
Story Three: When Your Church Leaders Are Wonderfully Weird
In most churches from the Christian tradition that I am most familiar with, the speaking spaces are "reserved" for a select few. Mainly men. Mostly trained in seminary. We don't often talk about the power associated with those spaces with a microphone but there is power associated with them.
Hermeneutical power.
Decision-making power.
The power to cultivate culture.
There is also influence and status.
Whether this is healthy or unhealthy depends a lot on personal experiences and beliefs. At this point, you probably know my view. Anyway, very often, that power is protected, and so are the people that hold that power – sometimes (all too often) to the detriment of the community.
At NHF I have experienced an unusual disbursement of this particular kind of power among leaders and members alike. I believe that this reorientation of power comes not only from a desire to emulate Jesus, but from years of communal reflection on hard lessons. So, by God’s mercy, among our leaders, there is a consistent effort to share power and to pass the microphone. To those unfamiliar with hierarchical church culture, this might not seem like a big deal, it might even seem ridiculous, but to those who are, it is quite weird and unusual.
We practice shared preaching at NHF. A few months ago, we started a new Sunday morning series. Our leaders usually wait to sign up to preach so that any members that want to can have the opportunity first.
They’re weird like that.
One Sunday, one of our shepherds came to me and said that he had signed up for one of the messages. He had one caveat, he said he would love for someone else, especially one of the women to have the opportunity if they wanted it.
I told him the slot was his since no one else had signed up for it, and that I would remember what he said in case someone asked about it.
That same morning, a woman came to me and said she had been thinking about it and she would like to take that Sunday. I told her about the conversation I had just had with that shepherd and asked her to connect with him. They talked. She signed up for that Sunday.
The speaking slot was on equality in the first century church - because of course it was.
She shared the sermon that Sunday. Her first sermon. It was powerful and heartfelt. The shepherd that passed the mic to her didn't feel like he had missed out on the opportunity to speak, he felt thankful for the opportunity to listen to her testimony.
I hope we never become desensitized to this kind of wonderful liberating weirdness around power. Christ was always trying to liberate us from power.
I hope we never become numb to this kind of sharing and self-giving love.
It feels like much more than merely passing the mic.
It feels like much more than just sharing power.
It feels like the way the church (that God loves) will be made whole.
It feels like the way the world (that God loves) will be made whole.
In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus.
In his book, Playing God, Andy Crouch says, “Why is power a gift? Because power is for flourishing. When power is used well, people and the whole cosmos come more alive to what they were meant to be. And flourishing is the test of power.”3
What are the implications for Christians, churches, and leaders today? If we are intentional about recognizing the power that we hold, what then should we do with it, and how should we use it? Crouch’s answer is succinct: “Jesus simply never had a thought except to restore, redeem and create a new community among whom power would be used always and only for flourishing.”4
May it be so with your church, O Lord.
Cheryl Russell and her spouse and favorite ministry partner, Tim Russell, have three adult children. Cheryl is the lead pastor at New Heritage Fellowship in Fairview, Texas and she has graduate degrees in ministry and missional theology and leadership from Pepperdine and Rochester University, and she recently completed her Doctorate in Missional and Spiritual Formation from Hazelip School of Theology. Cheryl is passionate about missional community, healthy church culture, and small church ministry.
Philippians 2:5-8; scripture quotation is taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Andy Crouch, Playing God: Redeeming the Gift of Power (Downers Grove: IVP Books, 2013), 35. Crouch defines power as the “ability to make something of the world” (17). Crouch defines privilege as “the ongoing benefits of past successful exercises of power. Privilege is the name for all the good things we do not need to try to acquire, because they simply flow to us as a result of past exercises of power” (150). He also says that power and flourishing are connected from the first page of the Bible: “Power is for flourishing, teeming, fruitful, multiplying abundance. Power creates and shapes an environment where creatures can flourish, making room for variety, diversity and unpredictability of coral reefs and tropical rainforests, but also the surprising biological richness of high deserts and ocean depths. And image bearing is for power-for it is the Creator’s desire to fill the earth with representatives who will have the same kind of delighted dominion over the teeming creatures of their Maker. Which means image bearing is for flourishing. The image bearers do not exist for their own flourishing alone, but to bring the whole creation to its fulfillment.”
Ibid, 166.