The Ministry’s Gordian Knot
Alexander the Great slashed through his Gordian knot; pastors don't have that option. To lead, the pastor must serv. How does he confront this paradox?
David L. McKenna
January 1, 1980
During the French Revolution, a general looked over his balcony at a river of people rushing through the streets toward the Bastille. Spinning on his heel he shouted to his aide, "Quick. My tunic and my sword. I am their leader and I must follow them." A pastor is often in a similar situation as he confronts the question, "When do I lead and when do I follow?" If the church were organized as a disciplined army marching in lockstep toward a single objective, there would be no conflict. Decisions about mission, goals, strategies, and tactics would be made in the pastor-general's staff room. Every recruit would learn the two rules of military decision-making: The pastor-general is always right. And, if in doubt, obey the first rule. Despite the vigor with which we sing "Onward, Christian Soldiers," a congregation is not an army. It can better be compared to a university faculty or a hospital staff. They are "organized anarchies." Some semblance of corporate structure is necessary to help them do their job, but professors and physicians retain a stubborn independence that sometimes borders on anarchy. Because they are experts in their fields, and colleagues with their leaders, professors and physicians refuse to be put into the square boxes or obey the black lines of authority on organizational charts. Parishioners are also equally independent, but not for the same reasons. They do not claim to be theological experts or professional colleagues with their pastor. Rather, they are independent because they are volunteers who can leave at any timeﾗand they often do. More than that, parishioners are peers in Christ with their pastor. Before God, all persons are equal, and in the Body of Christ, all persons are brothers and sisters. ...
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