I heard a disturbing
comment in a meeting last week, which was that the elected leadership of The
Episcopal Church does not "represent" the membership of The Episcopal
Church. That comment has caused me to reflect on the entire concept of
leadership and elected leadership, especially as it relates to our beloved
church.
Upon reflection, I
reject the idea that our elected leadership does not reflect our membership.
After all, our leadership, including our bishops, are elected each step of the
way, from the parish church electing its vestry members and diocesan delegates
and calling its rector, to the diocesan delegates electing its Standing
Committee, General Convention deputies and its diocesan bishop, to the General
Convention deputies electing the presiding officers and Executive Council.
The very concept of
leadership requires leaders to lead, which means to step out in front of the
body and bring the body forward through existing difficulties and to new
horizons and new and newly reconciled relationships. Leadership is not about
pandering to the anxieties of the members or maintaining the status quo no
matter how good the status quo is perceived to be. The path is always
forward and always new, even when we revisit older ways of doing things,
because it will be a new thing, not precisely the same as the old thing, since
time and change have come to pass.
It is our
responsibility as members of the body to elect leaders who possess the intellect,
skills and commitment to do the hard work of leading and the courage to boldly
lead even in the midst of different opinions about the way forward. And, I
think, it should be our expectation that our leaders will challenge us in new
and unexpected ways to be open to and to listen to ideas that are unfamiliar
and even uncomfortable to us.
I believe that our
charge as both leaders and followers, indeed, as Christians who live in love in
community, is to live into the teaching of Romans 12:1-8 (Today's New
International Version), which reads:
"Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters,
in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and
pleasing to God—this is true worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this
world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able
to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. For
by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more
highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in
accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. For just as each
of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the
same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member
belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace
given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance
with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach;
if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give
generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it
cheerfully."