In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. At the climax of His creation He created Adam and Eve. He created them in His own image. He gave them dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air and all the living creatures. Here is the hierarchy according to God’s plan. God at the top, then human beings (His image) and then all the living creatures. It was never God’s plan for man to rule over his fellow man. Man’s dominion was over the living creatures, and all men were directly responsible to God. The subjection of man to his fellow man is the results of sin. Even after the fall God still desired to be the leader of His people. We see early in the history of the Israelites God’s true form of government or leadership. When they left Egypt, even though God used Moses as his representative, the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night reassured the people of God’s constant presence and leadership. As the pillar moved they also moved, and when it stopped they also stopped, God was their leader.

In this system of government, God used a representative, not necessarily a leader in our current definition. God Himself was the leader and He used Moses as a messenger or a spokesman. Let's remember that Moses' s job was not to liberate the Israelites, but he was only required just tell Pharaoh "to let my people go!" This system of government continued from the time of Moses until the time of the judges.

This theocratic government is the best form of government this world has ever seen. However, because of the hardness of men’s heart they rejected this form of government. They told Samuel that they would like to have a king like other nations. These kings, as Samuel predicted, led them further and further away from God.

So here we find two kinds of leadership models, the Moses type, this is where God leads through a representative. The other type is where a king leads and he might choose fear God like David or he might choose not to fear God like Saul.

What kind of leadership style do we have in the church today? The Moses Type or the Saul Type?

I would like to believe that it was meant to be the Moses type but more often it resembles the Saul type.

What were the characteristics of Moses type of leadership? What can we learn from Moses as a leader/representative? What are the results of Saul type of leadership? Why do many aspire or strive for leadership positions in the church today. Let us now consider the above questions.

The Bible says he was most humble man on earth (Numbers 12:3). This means that the poorest of the poor in Israel was not as humble as Moses was. In our day humbleness and leadership doesn't seem to coexist. However, a man or a woman who is a representative of God to man must be humble. He must be a man who the poor, the uneducated, the outcast and down trodden of society can approach without fear of prejudice.

Despite their habitual disobedience, Moses loved the children of Israel. He was even prepared to die for them. When God wanted to destroy them and to start a new nation from his offspring, he offered to die in their behalf. This is the love that Jesus taught when he was this earth, when he spoke about the shepherd who risked his life to save a lot sheep. Jesus not only taught about this love, he also demonstrated it by dying for us on the cross. How many of our leaders are prepared to die for the people that they lead?

In this age that we live in there is an emphasis on people psychology, the idea of understanding the needs and feelings of the people. Moses knew very little of that, "even before they crossed the Red Sea, the people already had a vote of no confidence on him" (JE Netshifulane).

He had a close relationship with God. He spent quality time with the Lord; sometimes he spent up to forty days with the Lord. "He even seem to give advice to God, when God wanted to destroy all the Israelites, Moses pleads with God not do so." (JE Netshifulane) He talked with God as to a friend. He did not try to gain the favor of the people, or try to please some of the influential members. He knew that he was only accountable to God not to the people.

When his father-in-law advised him on a new style of management he was prepared to listen. He not only listened but he practiced what we was advised to do. A leader must understand and accept the limitation of his intellect and realize God can use other people to advice him. A man who doesn’t listen is doomed to failure.

He was reluctant to go Egypt; God had to persuade him before he could accept. He realized his limitations. It was only after God assured him of His constant presence that he agreed to go. He understood that to be a true spokesman for God is not a very popular thing. When a spokesman brings good news, people give praise to God. When he brings rebuke and correction they reject or kill the spokesman.

God, not the people appointed Moses to lead the children of Israel. Man looks outwardly, but God looks at the heart. Who chooses our leaders? Is it God or the people? We often go to the nomination committee with our own list of leaders and then ask God to endorse it. How can we be sure that it is God who appoints our leaders? We need to start praying and stop caucusing.

Moses neither guessed nor speculated on what God has said; he knew exactly what God said. A leader need to know what God has been. He/she must be a student of the word. He must be on constant improvement of himself/herself. A leader who does not know the word of God is not only a danger to himself but to the flock that he leads.

Moses was called from one service to another. God does not call lazy people into His service; He calls man/woman who are industrious. He might need to change their profession but they need to be hardworking men. Today we have armchair Christians who do nothing but criticize those who are trying to do something, and their song is ‘If only I can be in that position I will…" What these hypocrites do not realize is that God wants them to do their best where they are. If they are faithful in the little, them God will give them more responsibility. Lazy people have no place in God’s service. We need to also realize that only the people who do something will make mistakes and those who do nothing will never make a mistake. So lets stop been too critical of others.

What are the results of Saul type of leadership? It is important to note that even though the people demanded to have a king in rejecting of God, He chose their first leader. If only they had followed what God said He would have used even this imperfect system in His plan of Salvation. However, this system of the monarchy failed in its inception, proving the danger of not following the divine plan. These leaders that the people wanted just moved from bad to worse. The striving for power and position took the place for humility and service. Man killed their fellowman in order to fulfill their ambitions of power and positions.

Today we call ourselves the spiritual Israel, could it be that we didn’t just inherit the name, but we also inherited the monarchy system?

Jesus said, let the greatest among be the servant. And He later demonstrated this when he washed the feet of the disciples, so leadership is all about service. We are all servants of the Lord, yet among us there are those servants that God chooses to serve other servants, so they are the least among the servants. Unfortunately we have removed servanthood from leadership. If we were more aware of the demands and the responsibility of leadership many of us were not going to aspire for leadership position. As we have said about Moses, a leader needs to be humble. The servant can not afford to look down upon those he is supposed to be serving.

To serve people mean to allow them to spit on your face, and instead of showing them who you are, you show them who Christ is. Instead of losing you temper, you find the strength from Christ to hold your temper.

I am a communication secretary for the church. I am the best communication secretary this church has ever had. What can this church do without me?

The folly of this statement is the failure to realize the obvious, that the church has been alive and well long before I was born and, if Christ does not come soon, it will continue when my body is in the company of worms. God does not need me to do his work; I need Him to do my work. If I sit and do nothing or I leave the church and be a drunkard, the church will continue to move on. The church is much bigger than I am.

Sometimes we try to justify our hunger for power by saying that there no one else in the church who can lead, so we try to save God’s work from the ignorant. However we need to realize that God is able to protect His work. Our God who created the heaven and earth out of nothing is able to use even the least among us to do His work. Let us remember that it is not by education or by experience but by the Spirit. It seems to me that sometimes the more educated we are, the more difficult it is for the Spirit to use us, for the Sprit have to undo what we think we know and teach us anew.

Why are we in the church? This seems to be a simple question, but it seems to be very difficult to find a satisfactory answer from those who are fund in the church every week. I believe that we have been in the church for so long that we have forgotten what we came here for in the first place. The failure to answer this question adequately stands at the core of the problem of power and position in the church. A person who doesn’t know what he has been called to do will do everything but what they are supposed to do. The church has become like a political movement, a place where we can fulfill our ambitions of power and positions. Even though politics might be found in the church, the church is not a political movement. The church is the assembly of "the chosen race, the holy priesthood, chosen to proclaim the wonderful acts of God who called us from the darkness to His marvelous light" (1 Peter 2:9). So we are called to proclaim the good news. The church is the congregation of those who are called and are in the business of calling others. This is the only reason why we are in the church.

Our calling has nothing to do with positions. We will do well to remember that the work of saving souls is not done in the church on Sabbath morning. The Sabbath is the day of rest, not of working. The work that we are called for should be done everyday of our life. However many of us think that we need to have a position in the church so that we can work. This is the reason why many of us aspire to power and position in the church. Let me make this very clear, the majority of those who aspire and fight for position in the church do it from a sincere heart. They really want to work for the Lord. If they are not elected for an office, they think that they have been denied the privilege to do something for the Lord. When they are removed from and office they feel like they have been removed from the book of life. However, let us realize that been sincere in the wrong does not turn wrong into right. Have you ever wondered why the Bible says that many will come in that day and say " We did this… in your name" and He will say, "Depart from me I never knew you"? This means that we can work ourselves to death and yet loose the kingdom, for salvation is not by works but by faith. We are not going to be saved according to our church positions. There will be no section for elders and church officers in heaven; there will only be one section, the section of the redeemed from all nations.

We are called to proclaim not to hold positions. If we can understand this and practice it, we will solve 99% percent of the problems related to power and position in the church.

The church is a powerful social body, the lives of many of us revolves around the church and its programs. We have, as it were, invested a lot of money, time and talents towards its development and maintenance. Often they are others who didn’t invest as much as we did, or even if they did, they just do not care about it as much as we do. This people are a threat to this institution that we so much love. How can we protect our institution from the threat of those who do not care? Those of us who really care find ourselves without an option but to group ourselves as force to protect and preserve our common interest. Those who don’t seem to care also group themselves into a group with the intention to change the status quo. The result of this is sectarianism, which divide the church into smaller fragments. Each group will try to place their people in the nomination committee so that they can be able to elect their members to positions of power. These elected individuals will them farther the interest of the respective groups. Lord has mercy on us!

In many of our churches you will find people who have held the same positions for many years. Even when the election period comes, they have nothing to fear they know that their positions are secure. Why replace something that is not broken? Why remove a person from position when he/she is good job?

It is true; there is no need to replace something that is not broken because such a replacement might do more harm than good. This also applies also to church officers. There is a risk associated to change, and I thing that’s why many of us fear change. For change can bring good fruits or can bring disaster. However there is a problem with institutionalization of church offices. Farming teaches us that a field after years of continuos ploughing there is a need for a year when a field is given a rest. After this rest a field then produces more harvest than the previous years. Sometimes by keeping people in certain positions year after year we confine their talents and gifts that God has given them. Not to be elected for an office can also be a blessing. I know of a true story of someone who over the years was elected to at least two positions in the church. One year they decided not to elect him for any positions. That was the year he worked more than any other years. He together with the group that he led, they brought more that 40 souls. The only thing he could say at the end of it all "Thank God for not holding a position" For if he held a position for that year he would have been so involved in politics that he would not do the work of evangelism.

If you are not elected for a position in the church, you must know that God might have something better for you to do.

Whenever we are tempted to think that we own positions, let us remember that God knows what is best for us. Sometimes positions might be the only thing that will stand on our way to heaven.

I have said much about positions and power in the church. However, I would like to make this very clear, I am not against people taking leadership positions in the church. I believe that as God has in time past chosen men/women to lead in His vineyard, He still do that even today. What I am against is the striving and yearning for positions as if it has a bearing in our salvation. The church is the body of Christ. Some are the head, the neck, the hands, the legs and the toes.

Even though the head is above the toes, in the eyes of the Creator they are all equal important. The head needs the toes as much as the hand needs the ear. We all need each other. The head must not forget that tomorrow it can be asked to serve as a toe, and the toe must not say I can do my work because I am not the head. Let us all do our best in the responsibility that we have been given. Whether my job is to clean the flows and your responsibility is to preach on Sabbath mornings before God we are all equal.