I'm in the seat of leadership at our church and one thing that has become amazingly clear is that I have followers. Honestly, we all do. They are those people who enjoy us, will defend us to till the end, and are sometimes blind to our faults and failures. You have them. You might not want to admit it or recognize it, but if you think really hard, there are people in your life who will stand by you and defend you because of their loyalty.
I have people that enjoy my teaching and preaching, enjoy my sense of humor, my methodology of ministry and theological leanings. They brag on me, promote me, defend me and are an encouragement to me. And the longer I am in the ministry the bigger the following gets. It's true of all leaders, within and outside of the church. When you are a leader, you get plenty of opportunities to build this community of people who admire you. It's part of what draws people to want to be leaders in the first place. We like the admiration, the attention, the crowds that gather when we speak, and in many ways it is the unhealthy longing that keeps us wanting the crowds to continue to grow.
And sadly, what could be a positive part of a leader's life becomes the very thing that brings him shame.
However, there is a negative side to this as well. Sometimes these followers are more loyal to their leader than they are to the church or in the saddest state, more loyal to their leader than they are Jesus.
Let me clarify what I mean by this. I'll use me as an example These students and adults sometimes forget who I am representing as a leader. While I enjoy the support and attention, ultimately I am here as a leader in the church who is here to spotlight Jesus. Bible studies spotlight the gospel, which spotlights Jesus. The things I say and do are to spotlight Jesus. If Chris is ultimately doing his job, Chris will be lost in the limelight of Christ. I am one who serves and longs for Jesus to be the focus of our worship, not me. I should be totally eclipsed by the God who I serve. If I am truly doing my job as Christ's ambassador, I will make much of Him and not me.
Sadly, despite my best efforts, my decade long ministry as produced too many fans of Chris instead producing disciples of Jesus.
The same can be said of Christian celebrities. They have massive platforms in mega-churches, conference speaking tours, big book deals, websites that draw thousands by the day, and the uncanny ability to somehow persuade us (and I don't think in most cases it is intentional) that everything they say and do is right.
So we defend them against anyone who speaks ill of or questions their teaching. We take their side against another crowd defending their preacher or author. And we divide and conquer the kingdom, making mini-kingdoms based on our denomination, theological leanings or whatever other excuse we need.
So, instead of joining hands under the banner of Jesus Christ, we chalk our lines up to our favorite pastor or author, and then dig in our heels and tear each other apart.
It's endlessly happening online, and I think it has become more prevalent and more forceful in its presence due to the way communication has changed. The internet has given everyone an opinion, and low and behold, you better watch out if you decide to challenge something said by one of the big name preachers or authors online, where their followers can find it. There is a whole slew of people that will hunt your blog down and take over. The sad part is, it is just as easy to gather a slew of people who agree with you and fling the comments right back to those who disagree. And so the comment wars begin.
It's easy to find someone who will agree with you and then begin building your following. And it's easy for them to begin doing the dirty work of defending you.
I was reading a blog this morning that tackled an issue raised by a prominent pastor, and the author was completely disagreeing with his stance. There were already 800 comments within an hour of its posting, and as you can probably guess, most were on her side, but the word had spread that she was taking on a Christian celebrity and his comment commandos were waging war on the blog right back. I assume this will go on until the author or the blog host has to shutdown the comment sections.
I think it's great to have debates and sharpen our understanding of difficult topics on the Christian world. I think it's okay to say that you agree with so and so more than so and so without having to be spiteful. But I would caution us as believers against becoming followers of said pastors, instead of seeing past them to our true leader, Jesus. He's the unifying factor in all of this messed up world.
The problem with followers is that their human leaders, regardless of how big the platform, can become infallible, when in honesty, that's impossible. Human leaders make mistakes, a lot, and we have to be like the Bereans who tested Paul's teaching. They held scripture as the highest authority, and God as the ultimate leader. The Apostle Paul couldn't skirt their scrutiny, and in fact, he encouraged it and argued against the consumption of human leaders.
There is an instance in 1 Corinthians 3 where Paul is having to put such followers in their place. There was jealousy and quarreling (sound familiar) among the believers as to who was the better leader...Paul or Apollos.
Paul writes, "You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men? For when one says, "I follow Paul," and another, "I follow Apollos," are you not mere men? What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe- as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to to his own labor. For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building."
(vs. 3-9)
Paul goes on to make much of Christ as the foundation upon which everything is built. It's all about Jesus.
I know I enjoy the attention and know there is a tiny crowd that follows me, but I try to make much of Jesus because I know how dangerous it is when my pride becomes centered in my followers and not my God.
I know these pastors and authors are godly men, but even then, they tread on dangerous waters. Rarely have I seen any of them persuade their followers to reevaluate their loyalties, but rather spur them on in these debates and gloat when their side makes a point. It's harmful and dangerous.
I'm not garnering any attention in the world for my work in youth ministry, but there is still the danger of finding my identity in the hands of my followers instead of the nail scarred hands of my Savior. In my own little world of Portales, New Mexico, my little band of brothers can wreak havoc on me if I give them much thought. So, I try really hard to remind them that I'm a sinner saved by grace, and as one who still sins, I'm not much of a role model to follow. However, I do talk a whole lot about Jesus and why he is worthy of our attention and praise.
I've also tried to be careful as a follower because I too can be sucked into the camps of my favorite preachers and authors, and without questioning them against the Holy Scriptures, I put on my fan boy t-shirt and battle gear and hit the world of blogs to slay the dragons of different perspectives. The Apostle Paul would be getting after me as much as he was the church in Corinth.
It's not about us. It's not about our followers. It's about Jesus, and until we get that foundation back, our little debates and mud slinging online will not draw anyone closer to Christ.
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