The essential quality of leadership
Paul’s message to the Corinthians contains a surprising directive
In the New Testament book of 1 Corinthians, Stephanus, a member of the church at Corinth whom the apostle Paul baptized, has come to visit Paul in the city of Ephesus. He brings a letter from the Corinthians as well as information about the current condition of the church. Sadly, the letter’s contents reveal the deep divisions within the church. The church is divided along partisan lines, with some members saying: “I belong to Paul,” and other members saying, “I belong to Apollos,” or “I belong to Peter,” and still others saying, “I belong to Christ” (1 Cor 1:12). Additionally, the church is struggling with issues of sexual integrity, a believer’s relationship to pagan culture, problems in communal life and worship, and theological questions regarding the resurrection. At the root of these problems is an attitude of arrogance and boasting, a spiritual elitism on the part of the Corinthians — particularly an overenthusiasm with the powers of the Spirit.
In response to their letter, Paul writes back and addresses these perplexing problems by focusing on the centrality of the cross: “I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified” (1 Cor 2:2). The apostle believes the message of the cross must reframe and reformulate the Corinthians’ communal life, remedying their factionalism and spiritual elitism. The cross offered them a paradigm of self-giving love; it called upon them to surrender their own interests for the sake of others.
As he draws his letter to close, Paul considers an important question: “What really needs to be emphasized? What do I want to be the takeaway from this letter?” After some reflection, he decides to direct the church to the chief Christian virtue: “Let everything that you do be done in love” (1 Cor 16:14). The quality of self-giving love — sketched in the magnificent “hymn to love” of 1 Corinthians 13, underscores anew the centrality of the message of the cross. But acting in love must take place within the structures and practices of the church.
Paul further contemplates another set of important questions: “how will leadership and authority be recognized and used within this deeply divided church?” “What are the indispensable qualities of a church leader?” “Do leaders need impressive graduate training in Israel’s Scriptures or in the Greek philosophy of Aristotle and Plato? Should they exhibit remarkable spiritual gifts, such as speaking in tongues or prophecy, which the Corinthians were quite enamored with?” Surely, a leader ought to demonstrate extraordinary personal qualities of leadership!
On the contrary, Paul highlights only one essential quality for leadership to remedy the partisanship and church disunity, a quality possessed by Stephanus and his associates: “they have devoted themselves to the service of the saints” (1 Cor 16:15). That’s it. Nothing more and nothing less than a resolute commitment of service out of love: “servanthood is not motivated by manipulation or self-promotion. It is fueled by love. In the end, the extent of your influence depends on the depth of your concern for others. That’s why it’s so important for leaders to be willing to serve” (John Maxwell, The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader).
And so, as leaders in our various capacities at LLUH, may each of us embrace this fundamental truth of leadership — we serve out of love, faithfully and obediently following Jesus’ life of service toward others which culminated on the cross: “For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).
—Leo Ranzolin, ThD, is dean of the School of Religion.
