Colossians 1:18
“And He is head of the body, the church.”
Wondering if that is a missing factor in our hectic, success driven world? Sure, we who are trained in scripture would affirm that truth, but how do we live it? What are the key factors, patterns, etc., that assure Christ is the head of the body you lead?
For us, the foundational pattern is unhurried prayer/ reflection/ thinking in the presence of the Lord. This unhurried time allows the Lord to slow our minds and hearts so that we can hear His calling over the shouts of “Hurry up! Raise more money! Grow faster!” Reflection and listening to the Lord is how we choose to keep focused on our calling in the face of opportunities. Sitting before the Lord, we bring challenges like who are the next leaders for groups (our key place of discipleship, meaning the leaders are very significant to our church’s future)?
Time with the Lord as leader(s) is how we hear His voice in direction, including what we heard 24 months ago, to wait and do nothing while He was shaping our hearts for the next calling.
Another pattern might be listening to scripture “for the body.” Most of us are trained to listen for our own souls and that is the first step. But leaders must give extra thought to how the word of the Lord is to shape the community they lead. How does the scripture I am reading today inform my leadership, our church strategy, our patterns as a community? Those questions are beginning points for us to live “Christ as head of the body!”
What would it be like if every leader would give focused time to sit with the Lord and quieten the cries of the culture to hear the culture of the King speaking through? If we could find ways to live out in real time “Christ as head of the body” would our leadership change? How about our churches?