CRUSHING THE POWER CHASM
I was born into a middle class family, my dad was a government employee,
and we fared better than most in the rural town where I grew up the first ten
years of my life. Then my dad went into business as a building contractor.
He made me a director of the company and this influenced my choosing to
study engineering in college. However, things went bad for the business and
our family went through a period of financial hardship. After experiencing
deprivation, I was hungry for success (well, to be comfortable). I began to
read as much as I could on how to succeed. In the process, I realized God
didn't want me to be a contractor. He wanted me in the ministry.
I carried my desire to succeed over into the ministry. I wanted to be a
successful pastor, with a large church, a beautiful house, nice cars and some
money. Unfortunately for me, our church grew so slowly the first few years I
was frustrated.
One day, I prayed and asked The Lord why He wasn't bringing people to our
church since the Bible says that "The Lord added to the church daily such as
were being saved." Then I heard Him say in my heart; "Why do you want
the church to grow? You want the church to grow because you want to be
more comfortable, but that is not why I set up this church. You will not find
the definition of success for your ministry until you help the people I
sent to you to succeed."
It was a life-changing, paradigm-shifting moment for me as a pastor and as a
leader. It made me realize how much the object of leadership for many
leaders is their own success, but the object of Christ's leadership was
the success of His followers.
John 14:12 NIV
"Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been
doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to
the Father."
Following you should hold the promise of life change for those who
follow you.
I was leading in a culture where being a leader makes you superior to the
people you are leading. Christ lived in such a culture also.
Mark 10:42 NIV
"Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are
regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials
exercise authority over them."
Power distance and hierarchical structures reflect the fact that power and
responsibility are not shared equally in an organization, which is the reality.
Geert Hofstede conducted the GLOBE research in 1980 and considered how
power distance and three other factors affect leadership in different cultures.
The downside to power distance is that it can leave followers with low
self-esteem and afraid to challenge a leader's views. They hardly give
negative feedback that can be useful to leaders. They tend to have to wait for
approval from above to do everything. There is also the tendency for leaders
to be less accountable, which can be a set up for moral failure and scandals.
Jesus crushed the power gap between men and women, adults and
children, leaders and their followers (religious leaders and sinners). He
gave His disciples power and told them they could do what He did and even
more (Matthew 10:4). He gave some of them new names describing their
potential. I often wonder what I would do if I were Jesus walking on water
and Peter asked to walk on water also!
There is something about church leaders and talented people that
makes us think others cannot do what we do, may be because unlike us
they have not heard God's voice from the burning bush. Moses thought that
way, until he suffered burnout and God told him to select 70 elders to assist
him. When the 70 elders prophesied just like him, he got a paradigm shift
and wished everyone would prophesy!
We crushed the artifacts of the power gap in our church (announced that
protocol officers are not permitted to push people, put pastors and members
on the same seats, tied titles only to functions, emphasized that by New
Testament church structure, every member is a minister etc.). We have
become brokers of resources, unleashing the potentials in our members.
We have seen a lot of turmoil in places (and organizations) as people
become less tolerant of autocratic leadership. Rehoboam instigated a
rebellion when he tried to widen the power gap in spite of people's pleas.
The French Revolution happened when people decided to crush the power
gaps themselves, so they could realize their potentials. England also reduced
the powers of the monarchy. The result was the industrial revolution. The
United States was founded on an ideology that closed the power gap,
asserting that God created all men equal. It resulted in the unleashing of
human potential.
King Saul made a mistake. His insecurity made him to lose the chance of
raising a world-class successor. We must not allow our insecurity to tempt
us to hoard power. The best way to keep power is to give it away. David
started with a band of poor and rebellious followers. However, he trained
and empowered them and they became "the mighty men of David."
If you are in an under-resourced part of the world, see it as an unusual
opportunity for empowering leadership. There is no point trying to lord it
over people who are down already. Rather, be innovative. Recognize their
needs and their potentials. Empower them and unleash them on the world for
God's glory. We have provided financial and leadership education on a mass
scale seeing that the political elite are not interested in empowering most
citizens through education.
My pastor said you couldn’t be a star football player forever. If you don't
want to pay to watch others play some day, become a coach. That is the key
to your continued relevance.
Jesus did not only crush the power gap, He overturned it.
Luke 22:27 NIV
“For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it
not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.”
If you seek for a vision that will benefit only you, your vision will be small.
If you seek for a vision that will benefit a city, a nation, or a generation,
you will receive a grander vision!
Note:
The emboldened punch lines can be used for PowerPoint. The scriptures that
are quoted can also go on the slides.
Thank you.