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.
John14:12NIV
"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.
Mark10:42NIV
"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 ministeretc.). 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.