Rumblings of Discontent

I was drawn to Acts 6 today and read over a passage that I really love because it deals with effective leadership -- in this instance spiritual leadership. Many times in churches we are told to "follow the leadership." I think that submission is completely necessary. But, the Bible does not say that we are to not have opinions and perspectives and that they shouldn't be shared. In these passages we see that effective leadership doesn't squash opinions it listens and is influenced by them. Let me share a caveat to this. Many of these thoughts are not original as I have heard a great sermon on this from a former pastor a long time ago. So, some of the thoughts are his. Some are mine.

The Setting: The first point to note is that the church is growing! This is a great "problem" to have. So, if we are in churches that are being effective in reaching those that do not know Christ, this will be a great passage to learn from. The second thing to note is that there was "rumbling" or murmuring about an issue. The next point is that there were two distinct cultures (Hebrew and Greek) inside the community -- so different contexts for doing life.

The Response: Effective leaders have their ear to the ground. They have a pulse beat of where their followers are. They want constant feedback and are not defensive because they realize that many times innovation occurs as a result of an outsider, not an insider (see information on paradigm shift in the business world for data on that if you would like). And, they understand the paralyzing and detrimental effect that groupthink can have on an organization (google groupthink for information on that term, if desired). The apostles knew there was an issue and were open to finding a way to solve the issue -- they were servants. They also knew that (a) their highest use was not serving food and (b) for commitment you need involvement. So, the apostles called together a meeting of all the believers (please note that this could have been well over 20,000 people) asking them to select seven men with certain qualities to serve (on a side note, I would bet the apostles had veto power if the people's perception about the seven wasn't accurate with what the apostles knew about qualities needed).

The Result: The people agreed and selected seven GREEK men to serve. Remember, it was the Greek believers that were "rumbling." And, God's word spread and the number of believers greatly increased.

Thoughts: We are all leaders and followers. As a leader, do you foster an environment in your home, office, or church where people can raise their concerns? Are you open to a paradigm shift? Do you watch our for groupthink?

As a follower, do you respectfully tell your parent, spouse, boss, or pastor what your perspectives are? Do you allow your leaders to lead? Do you show submission to their decisions when made as if your own?