'n Pastoraal-teologiese studie oor effektiewe en verantwoordelike leierskap van die Afrikaanssprekende predikant in die gemeente se roeping

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine what the role of effective and responsible leadership of the minister is in the congregation’s call, specifically that of the Afrikaans-speaking minister in congregations with a Reformed tradition. The investigation took place according to the model devised by Osmer (2008) for practical theology. The model consists of four tasks, namely the normative task, the interpretive task, the descriptive task and the pragmatic task. • Beforehand, a blanket analysis was made of the concept “leader” according to the Old and New Testament. Six leadership qualities were identified, namely humble trust, status with responsibility, authority with love, pastoral guidance, truth-based righteousness and spiritual discernment. • The normative task in the basic structure of Osmer (2008:par. 92) was performed to determine what the view of Scripture is of leadership. This task was an effort to answer Osmer’s question, “What ought to be going on?” Two leaders in the Old Testament, viz. Moses and Saul, and two leaders in the New Testament, viz. Jesus and Paul, were studied. A number of leadership principles were derived for each of the leadership qualities by exegesis and it was indicated how the minister could be an effective and responsible leader in the congregation’s call by applying these principles in such a way that their effect would be observed in the congregation’s response to their call. Humble trust The leader has to subject him in humbleness to the will of God because he can trust God with his life, thus creating humble trust in others. Status with responsibility The status as child of God, which the leader receives from God, requires the leader to show responsibility by being obedient to God and by maintaining a responsible attitude of humility and humbleness, and to encourage this attitude in others. Authority with love The leader as the manager of God must manage with love the authority that he receives from God to influence the people whom he is leading positively in such a way that their lives would show (more) probing love. Pastoral guidance A leader as a pastor must provide guidance through his example, which comprises that he will pass on to them, and ignite in them the peace, joy, love and grace that he has received from God. Truth-based righteousness In following Christ, the leader must strive after the truth at all costs to be able to act righteously and be able to influence others to follow his example. Spiritual discernment A leader’s relationship with the wise God must enable him to apply the discernment the Spirit gives so that he will be able to discern between right and wrong, important and less important in all circumstances, and so that he will inspire others to develop this capability. • The interpretive task of Osmer (2008:par. 92) was executed by means of a literature study in two helpful subject fields, namely industrial sociology and communication science. The objective was to find answers to the question, “Why is it going on?” The most important results were the following: Humble trust The leader must master the transformational leadership style as it promotes proactive behaviour in which the followers are given space to implement their own ideas. Status with responsibility. The transformational leadership style must be mastered because the leader strives in this style to be a role model to his followers in order to have a positive influence on the lives of others; he must also commit himself to serve others. Authority with love Servant leadership is necessary so that the leader will not abuse his God-given authority to promote his own interests, but that he would rather use his authority with love to convince others of the gospel. Pastoral leadership The leader must have the necessary emotional balance to develop good relationships with people and he must commit himself to the development of others. Truth-based righteousness. The leader must be credible and honest so that the truth of the gospel, which he proclaims, will also be confirmed by a life of integrity, and that it will inspire others to show the same integrity. Spiritual discernment The leader must search in prayer for the Lord’s call for the congregation where he serves. He must pursue the will of the Lord using modelling, inspiration and encouragement so that the call of the congregation can be addressed with singleness of purpose. • Regarding the descriptive-empirical task of Osmer (2008:par. 92), an effort was made to find an answer to the question, “What is going on?” Qualitative and quantitative empirical studies were performed to determine the opinion of ministers and elders of the current leadership of Afrikaans-speaking ministers in the RCSA (Reformed Churches of South Africa). In this task the shortcomings in the leadership of ministers were identified and it was indicated how these shortcomings could have a detrimental effect on the call of the congregation. The most important results were the following: Humble trust Ministers find it difficult to subject themselves to the authority of others and they frequently impose their personal convictions on others, in this way restricting space for diversity. Status with responsibility Status is measured according to the wrong criteria and therefore the responsibility that goes hand in hand with status is neglected. Consequently, status is determined by the size of the congregation or the qualifications of the leaders in the congregation instead of the responsibility of making disciples for Christ. Authority with love A desire for comfort and convenience can become more important that the will of God. When leaders become so obsessed with themselves, conflict is avoided and admonishment is relinquished for the sake of keeping the peace. Pastoral guidance Leaders themselves fail before the idols of the time (e.g. selfcentredness and personal comfort); consequently, they cannot take up the idols with their followers. Truth-based righteousness Understanding the truth becomes more important that the Truth (Christ); therefore, the truth is searched in the wrong places (e.g. in a tradition). Spiritual discernment Leaders do not concentrate on the commandments that are part of their call, e.g. the expansion of the kingdom and a life dedicated to Christ. The result is that leaders indulge in matters that are not important to the congregation’s call. • Finally, the pragmatic task of Osmer (2008:par. 92) was executed. The objective of this task was to suggest practical guidelines for ministers to strengthen their leadership qualities. The most important results of the task were the following: Humble trust The leader must strive after a close relationship with Christ, which is characterised by a humble focus on Christ and an intimate prayer life, in this way creating humble trust in others. Status with responsibility Leaders must be educated in the transformational leadership style, in which the emphasis falls on the fact that the leader must have a positive influence on the lives of others. Authority with love The leader must strive after a close relationship with Christ, in which his comfort and convenience are subject to the will of God so that he will live in commitment to God by applying his authority with love in order to convince others of the gospel. Pastoral guidance Leaders must take a firm stand against the idols of our time (e.g. self-centredness and personal comfort) by following Christ as the only King and making disciples for Him and by committing themselves to the development of others. Truth-based righteousness The leader has to anchor his identity firmly in Christ (the Truth) by seeking diligently for the will of God for his life so that Christ will become more and he will become less. The Truth, which he proclaims, will be confirmed by a life of integrity and inspire others to show the same integrity. Spiritual discernment The spiritual leader must dedicate him anew to the things that form part of his call by defining his vision very clearly, by setting objectives and by doing thorough planning. In this way, the leader will be able to distinguish between important and less important matters and inspire others to develop this capability.