Jesus is the head of the church.
15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. (Colossians 1:15-20)
As leaders, we carry the weight of ministry, responsibility for good decisions, stewardship of resources, and shepherding people, but Jesus carries more than we do. In fact, it’s His Church, and He holds it all together.
The more we all humbly recognize, remember, and embrace this powerful truth, the better the church and the better we all do.
Jesus even helps us carry our leadership frustrations.
Yes…I truly do know how lofty and impractical that sounds, but it’s still true.
Here’s why I included it.
Jesus makes the church’s purpose, priorities, and parameters very clear. The better we (leaders and congregation) follow them, the more progress we make because we focus on the right things.
When we lean into that perspective, the number of complaints and criticisms lowers substantially, and we can focus on the real issues that truly need leadership to bring change.
It is both weighty and a privilege that Jesus has transferred His authority to those in leadership, yet that authority doesn’t belong to us, it’s on loan, and we are to be good stewards of that spiritual authority.
It’s also important to acknowledge that this authority is not equated with power; it’s connected to responsibility.
The more authority we carry, the greater the responsibility we carry.
One of the best practical ways to connect with the truth of Jesus being the head of the church is summed up well by our Founding Senior Pastor, Kevin Myers. He calls it:
“MVS” — Mutual Voluntary Submission.
It’s powerful when it’s practiced from a heart level.
And it begins with submission to the head of the church. Jesus. His example of submitting to the Father in all things sets the standard for us all.
This article originally appeared here and is used by permission.
