The tall poppy syndrome is a perjorative term used to describe a social phenomenon in which people of genuine merit are resented, attacked, cut down, or criticised because their talents or achievements elevate them above or distinguish them from their peers. Why do I mention all this? Because the 4th and final value of Christ City Church is Leadership. And being a leader will inevitably mean sticking your head above the parapet, which is never comfortable because it means people can take a pop at you, form opinions about you, mock you and try and cut you down to size (i.e. chop the head off the tall poppies that are growing above the rest of them!).
Now please don’t misunderstand me; Christian leadership ultimately means servanthood. Jesus himself famously said “whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:43-45) So I am not implying that leaders are better than those they lead. However, to be a leader will require a strength of character to cope with people not liking you or disagreeing with you. Leadership is not for those with big egos but it is also not for the faint-hearted!
So why do we place such a high value on leadership in Christ City Church? Ultimately, we never want to become stagnant, we want to take risks and keep moving forward. Our dream is to scatter city groups all over Dublin that will be communities of light, serving those around them. To do this we need leaders.
So how do we develop leaders in Christ City Church? There are three things we emphasise:
- Character. As I already hinted at, the most important aspect of a leader is their character. This is not only conventionally true, it is what the Bible prescribes. A Christian leader will have to develop a character that his humble yet bold, generous yet confident, kind yet firm. This balance of characteristics comes from truly understanding your value to God and therefore being freed from needing to earn that value through your leadership.
Theology. Christian leadership has two main categories, one is Bible teaching and preaching and the other is practical jobs. We see this distinction clearly in Acts 6 but also in the division of elders and deacons in the New Testament. However, whichever category you fit into as a leader, you will still be leading people spiritually. You will still need to apply the truths of the Bible into people’s lives and into the situation in which you are leading. So part of growing as a leader is growing in your understanding of the Bible and how to apply it to everyday life.- Gifting. Ultimately it is God who gifts and calls people into leadership. Typically, the best way to find out if and how and where God wants you to lead is to start serving and then, if your heart is in the right place, you’ll find people are starting to look to you. Ultimately, you can’t manufacture leaders. Leaders are appointed by God and it becomes obvious to others who they are… because they start to be followed.
So at Christ City Church we want to raise up men and women who can take on responsibility, disciple others and lead activities and events that fulfil our vision of making a positive impact in the city of Dublin, spiritually, culturally and socially.
For more information on the kind of leaders we want to raise up, please read this blog post on the leadership of Nehemiah.
**This is part 5 of a series of 6 looking at our vision and values. The vision of Christ City Church Dublin is to make a difference to the city spiritually, culturally and socially. Our four values are mission, discipleship, community and leadership. Check out more on our vision and values page.