If you are a member of Trinity and you have nominated any officer candidates, I want to thank you. If you are still mulling it over, I want to encourage you that time is running out. You have until Sunday to submit your nominations. You can place your completed form in one of the offering boxes as you enter or exit the sanctuary.

What is the overarching goal of developing new leaders? It is to provide better care for our church, and hopefully, future churches that may not yet exist.

The good news is that every quality, attitude, or motive in a biblical leader traces straight back to Jesus. We do not believe (as the Roman Catholic Church does) that leaders literally rule as Jesus on earth. But we do believe that the degree to which they align with Jesus in how they lead, their influence is good and fruitful.

Biblical leaders are, like Jesus, called to live, work, think, and love like servants. It’s the first upside-down move in the Church that is NOT like our world. In our culture and generation, leaders are climbers. They’re at the top. They look down from high places, and typically, they view their position competitively and in terms of rank. But Jesus said that as He had not come to be served, but to serve, that His disciples would be the best when they were serving Him and His people. That’s where real, eternal greatness is. Jesus said, “I am among you as one who serves.”

As this is ministry leadership, a biblical leader functions to help people. And the greatest, most enduring help anyone can receive is to be led to Jesus. It implies that everyone needs help (no one enters the church of Jesus whole or competent), and that as leaders have been helped by Jesus, they would offer that same helpfulness to others.

Like everything we have in Christ, this is a gift. Therefore, leading is not a possessive right, but rather a sacred trust to be wielded for the benefit of others, especially God’s people. Even the most talented leader in the church is a reclaimed, forgiven rebel, adopted as a son only through trusting Christ as God and Savior. No one can fruitfully influence the church without utter reliance upon Jesus’ Holy Spirit for a loving heart and strength. From 2 Corinthians 4:7, we see that everything we have has been given to us, and it is foolishness to act otherwise. Humility is living out this reality – an elder’s abilities are gifts, a gracious work of God and not the work of our hands.

Serving, helping people, and offering your gifts are all moving toward a goal. It jumps out to me that this implies that the church is not something static, sitting still, and lifeless. Trinity, like any other true church, is a living body that is growing to maturity. We are part of a centuries-long movement that has an end goal and destiny at the feet of Jesus. The task and holy responsibility of church leaders (existing ones, and new ones yet to be deployed) is to discern where their body is in relation to where they need to go, and then lead them there.

We want to see our city reached for Christ. Who do you believe can help to lead us there? Please pray for every person in our church who helps to lead in some ministry, no matter how obscure that is. Please pray for our community group leaders. And please pray for our existing elders and deacons, as well as for our Lord to raise up more leaders to match our growth as a congregation.