And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.

                                                                                                     Ephesians 4:11-13 

Within a local Christian church congregation, you will find leaders. These leaders are called and gifted by God to fill these influential positions for the growth and betterment of the church as a whole. Among these positions, Paul identifies five: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. But it’s the purpose for these leaders that we want to focus on in today’s passage.

(1) Church Leadership Should Equip Believers

God does His work through the life of every believer, however, some Christians seem to miss out on their opportunity to serve and be a productive member of the church. One reason for this is that they may not be equipped as to how to use their gifts and talents. A church leader should be about the work of equipping the individual members to fulfill their God-given purpose and mission. It is true that some people are what we call “self-starters” meaning that they need little encouragement when it comes to serving God. These people are self-aware of their individual gifts and are more than eager to find places in the church and society in which to exercise those gifts. But not all people are self-starters. Some individuals need a bit more instruction and encouragement in order to pursue their place in the church. Leadership should always be ready to lend a hand to these people so that they can fully participate in the mission of the church and the sharing of the gospel. Good church leadership is always pouring into others so that they will be successful in their spiritual endeavors.

(2) Church Leadership Should Become Church Builders

It is true that everything we think and do and speak, acts to either assist others around or us or to discourage and tear them down. The idea of “building up” the church is often translated “edifying” but simply means that the interaction between individuals is always measured in terms of how it positively affects the other. To be a church builder does not mean that the leadership sees to it that the numerical value of the church increases (although that can be positive for the efforts of any church) rather the leadership is doing their best to promote the spiritual growth of every believer. Equipping to serve and spiritual growth go hand in hand. It would be irrational to expect someone who is not personally growing spiritually to become effective in his/her pursuits in contributing to the church. Only those who are consistently growing in their relationship with Christ are capable of moving out to the community in an effective way. That is why, in addition to equipping, the leadership needs to be building up the individual believer’s personal, spiritual life. Good church leadership produces people who are growing in their faith and operating in the power of the Spirit of God.

(3) Church Leadership Should Promote Unity

As we have seen previously, there is only one body of Christ and our biblical instruction is to seek to promote unity within the church. This is done by yielding to the working of the Holy Spirit in the life of every believer as well as considering each other as more important as oneself. There is a distinction between unity and uniformity. Uniformity commands that everyone be the same, much like the mass production of goods. This type of philosophy is often referred to as “the cookie cutter” mentality. But the Bible doesn’t call us to uniformity in fact it celebrates our diversity. Paul uses the illustration of a human body to make the point that all of us serve as a part of a whole yet every one of us is unique (1 Corinthians 12:14-18). A thriving church is not one that demands that everyone look, think, act, and speak alike rather a healthy church recognizes the diversity within the whole and celebrates and utilizes that diversity for a common purpose. So we are called to live in unity, which means that we are like-minded, that we have the same outcome in mind. When you get a group of Christians (or any other group for that matter) together that are committed to a common cause and have a laser-like focus on achieving that goal, you will see a church that is truly making a mark on the world in the face of seeming complacency. Unity isn’t just settling arguments (although that might be a part of it) rather unity is organizing the individual believers in such a way that optimum effectiveness is achieved. Good church leadership promotes unity among the members.

(4) Church Leadership Should Teach Biblical Truth

One of the staples of a healthy and effective church is the teaching of scripture. As much as it pains me to say, when we substitute someone else’s thoughts in place of biblical truth we can undermined the very opportunity for the Spirit to speak to us. God communicates through His word and there is no substitution for the daily, study of the Bible. Church leadership should be diligent to make sure that man-made doctrines don’t creep into the fabric of the teaching ministry of the church. Tragically, this is commonplace in many congregations today. Again, there is no substitute for the study and examination of the truth of scripture. Outside resources are great for supporting biblical truth and undergirding scripture but are highly ineffective in replacing the clear, teaching of scripture. The knowledge that Paul refers to in today’s passage is knowledge of the Son of God. In other words, the teaching ministry of the church is to promote a greater relationship with Christ through His word. Cognitive knowledge is beneficial but does not replace the relational aspect of daily walking in the power of the Spirit. In short, biblical teaching should promote a believer’s personal walk with the Savior. Good church leadership will always promote the clear teaching and instruction of the Bible.

(5) Church Leadership Should Encourage Spiritual Growth

Finally, Paul brings this five-fold purpose for leadership to a crescendo as he states the ultimate goal for all believers, to become mature in our faith. To be mature means to be brought to completion or perfection. Spiritual maturity doesn’t just happen over time; it is acquired through a diligent and constant pursuit of the Savior. Chronological age should point to maturity and wisdom, but that is not always the case. Just because we grow older doesn’t mean we are getting closer to maturity. Maturity comes only through growth. Sometimes that growth means failing again and again. Mature Christians are willing to reconsider, rethink, and restart as many times as needed to accomplish this growth. Growth means change. Mature believers understand that they do not have to relinquish the tenants of the faith in order to meet the needs of an ever-changing world. Mature believers are flexible, moldable, and teachable. Paul says that achieving a place of spiritual maturity will ensure that we are not tossed around like the waves when it comes to doctrine and philosophy (Ephesians 4:14). Our relationship and daily walk with our Savior brings us to spiritual maturity, allowing us to stand in the face of complacency and ineffectiveness. Good church leadership will always promote growth and maturity for the individual believer.

If you’re a believer, find ways to encourage your church leadership today. If you’re a church leader, I want to encourage you to center all of your efforts on these biblical purposes!