LifeWay Explore the Bible Series for June 13: Three ideas for encouraging church leaders

In his book Christ Plays in 10,000 Places, Eugene Peterson tells a story about how he tried to “turn the other cheek” as a child.

Peterson grew up in a Christian home in Montana. He went to church regularly and knew all the Scriptures about Jesus. All was going well with his faith until he went to school and met the school bully, Garrison Johns. Everyday Johns would corner Peterson and call him a “Jesus-sissy.” Peterson tried to avoid these encounters by finding alternate routes home, but Johns stalked him wherever he went. 

“I arrived home every afternoon, bruised and humiliated. My mother told me that this had always been the way of Christians in the world and that I had better get used to it,” Peterson recounted.

For awhile, Peterson’s tried to avoid fighting by hiding or just taking the abuse, but then one day, it all came to a head. Peterson was on his way home with some friends when Johns caught him. Encouraged by the prospect of an audience, Johns began taunting him, trying to humiliate him. Something snapped in Peterson; all the Bible verses he had learned in Sunday school went out the window. He grabbed the bully and began to hit him. Peterson recalled it felt good to finally get some revenge.

Egged on by the cheers of his friends, Peterson bloodied Johns’ nose and continued pounding on him as the blood pooled in the snow. Peterson was on top of his tormentor and had his arms pinned, but instead of making him say “uncle,” he held him down until he agreed to say, “I believe in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior.” Garrison Johns was the future pastor’s first Christian convert.

When Peterson first met Johns, he tried to turn the other cheek. But living out Jesus’ instructions turned out to be difficult. It is much easier to memorize passages of Scripture then to put them into practice. Particularly when the message we receive from the world is that we are supposed to be tough and stand up for ourselves. And by all means, whatever you do, never let them see you cry. 

It is no wonder that Christianity’s countercultural lifestyle is seen as weakness. As 1 Corinthians 4 reveals, the church at Corinth was having a difficult time implementing Christ’s example of servant leadership. Rivalry and hostility had emerged between the different teachers in the church, with each faction claiming their version of Christianity was the most complete.   

This vying for power made the Apostle Paul’s style of sacrifice and service look weak. Paul was doing his best to imitate Christ’s life of servant leadership, and the Corinthians were not impressed. He was not living up to their standard for a leader and they were judging him. But Paul had thick skin. Instead of defending his position or reminding them of all the churches he had planted, he recounted the struggles of ministry.

“We are fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are honored, we are dishonored! To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it” (vv. 10-12). 

The point Paul was trying to make is that we follow a crucified savior. Our leader was beaten, mocked, spit on and taunted by the world. He died a painful, humiliating death. No one had ever seen a leader like this before. But following Christ’s example means authority in the church will look different than in the world.     

Paul was reminding the warring factions in the Corinthian church that their leaders were to follow Christ’s example. Paul uses his own ministry as the model, but he is not just describing his work, he is talking about the role of all ministers. The point of being a church leader is not to be in charge, or to be in the limelight. The point is to be “servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the secret things of God” (v. 1).

Ministers are to be servants first. The word translated servant in the NIV is not typically used of slaves. This person is free to serve and willingly learns his task from another who is above him. This language draws attention to the fact that ministers work at the bidding of their master, Jesus Christ. They are stewards of the gospel message. They do not own it, but they have been entrusted with sharing it with the world. This is no small task.  

Ministers today may not face many of the hardships Paul faced. Yet, if an emergency happens with someone in their congregation, they are expected to be on call 24 hours a day. Often, they work for little pay. Increasingly they are bivocational and must figure out how to earn during the day, while spending their nights doing hospital visits and working on their sermon. Pastors particularly are judged every seven days based on just 20 minutes of their work week. They are expected to be gifted financial managers, chaplains, counselors and public speakers.

This lesson reminds us how difficult the call to ministry can be. Too often, the churches respond to their ministers with criticism, just as the Corinthians did Paul. This week, instead of critiquing your church leaders take time to encourage them.