Leadership

 November 1, 2022

Who is qualified for leadership? Don’t you wish there were some sort of gauge that could tell us whether a leader is able or trustworthy? Too often today, what we call leadership is little more than selfish ambition dressed up in fake altruism. It sounds good, but is rotten at the core. 

Numbers 17 tells a curious story. Israel’s leadership has been under continual attack from within and without. In chapter 12, Moses’ siblings Aaron and Miriam challenged his leadership. This was an assault from within, at the very top of the system. In chapter 13, ten of the 12 spies sent to reconnoiter the land declared it too difficult, again challenging Moses’ position. In 14, the entire nation listened to the majority report, refusing to move forward. This was not merely insubordination; it was outright rebellion. In chapter 16, Korah and Dathan, along with their supporters, again challenged Moses and Aaron’s oversight. This wasn’t quite as serious as Aaron and Miriam’s offense, but it appears that their earlier rift paved the way for this defection. So for five chapters, the leadership of Israel has been repeatedly challenged by pretenders who saw themselves as heirs-apparent to Moses whom they would as soon displace as succeed.

So a test was devised, this curious matter of each of the leaders of the twelve tribes placing in the tabernacle their rods, symbols of their authority. The rod that budded would then reveal the leadership God had chosen. Aaron’s was the budded rod. The story seems made of superstitious stuff, things that could never really happen, but there we have it in the Bible in black and white.

I’m not a particularly gifted Biblical scholar, and haven’t researched the various commentaries on the subject, but it seems to me that at the very least, this teaches us that the test of leadership is in fruitfulness. We often get it backwards, especially in the church. We send candidates to school, then to seminary, subject them to batteries of psychological tests, then put them in small churches, only to advance them through the system irrespective of the results they do or do not produce.

In some parts of the world, they’ve understood that an academic approach to spiritual leadership is fundamentally unsound. It’s not that there is anything wrong with education in itself. Once, John Wesley, who was highly educated, was chastised by a woman who said, “God doesn’t need your education.” He replied, “He doesn’t need your ignorance, either.”

Education is good, but instead of the endless pursuit of degrees as a measure of ministerial office, why not do what is done elsewhere? In Cuba, a pastor isn’t given a church. The candidate is told to go start a church. Only after doing so and overseeing its growth is the candidate approved for ministerial service. Fruitfulness counts more than an academic degree. I think this fits quite well with Jesus’ words, “By their fruits you shall know them.” 

The trick is in understanding what Jesus considers worthy fruit. We all know that anyone with enough talent can attract large crowds. It’s the changed lives that count. I’ve long ago left the notion behind that a large church is a good sign. It may be, but more telling are the testimonies of those who can say, “You made a difference in my life.”