Leaders, jealousy, and authority

I do some part time work at the Pennsylvania Famshow Complex as a security guard. (No, I don't carry a gun!) As part of the responsibilities, sometimes I interact with three specific groups of law enforcement personnel each with different levels of authority - the Pennsylvania State Police, the Harrisburg City Police, and the Capitol Police. The State Police jurisdiction is the state of Pennsylvania, the Harrisburg Police patrol the city of Harrisburg, and the Capitol Police take care of the Capital Complex as well as a few other facilities.

In my interaction with these three groups, I have made an interesting discovery. The less an officer's sphere of authority, the more jealously he/she tends to protect that sphere. (I am speaking generally here). As a whole, I have discovered the Capitol Police more likely to flaunt their authority than do the Harrisburg Police force and the Harrisburg Police more likely to flaunt their authority than do the State Police.

As I pondered this, it occurred to me that the same thing often happens in the church world. It seems to me that far too many leaders jealously protect their small sphere of influence. I have been to Ministerium meetings and Pastor's gatherings and I have seen the posturing that takes place. If it wasn't so tragic, it would be amusing.

In the church, the guarded territory is not a geographic location but rather it is people. Leaders will release people to follow their God-given dreams AS LONG AS they do it according to the standards of acceptability set by the leaders. If people do not fit into the accepted mold, they are immediately labeled as rebellious.

I recently spoke with a husband and wife whose church leaders encouraged them to launch out and minister to to people in their home. As this couple began to do so, the leadership of the church began to tell them how to minister, when to minister, and to whom they could minister. Put quite simply, the church leaders were flaunting their authority. (Which incidentally, tells me that their real authority is quite limited indeed)

It seems to me that people with real authority have a confidence that does not require them to flaunt what authority they have. Far too many leaders in the church today are living small, jealously guarding their turf. Their actions tell me a great deal about their sphere of authority.