Leadership - Corinthian or Christian?

Been reading through Don Carson's book 'The Cross and Christian Ministry - Leadership Lessons in 1 Corinthians' (Baker, 2003). Below is a summary of my notes on Ch.4 'The Cross and Christian Leadership'.

THE CORINTHIAN DANGER
Why does being a ‘leader’ appeal to us?
- being the best
- being successful
- being well-known
- being respected
- being important

The Corinthians misunderstood the true nature of Christian Leadership
- they created a Celebrity Culture (1 Cor 1:12; 2:4)
- they were obsessed with power & glamour (1 Cor 1:26ff; 4:8)
- they were preoccupied with superficial spirituality (1 Cor 14)
- they were easily seduced by performance & oratory (2 Cor 10:10; 11:6).

In 1 Cor 4 – Paul needs to remind them what true Christian Leadership is….
V1 Christian Leaders are people
- who are ‘servants of Christ’
- and ‘entrusted with the secret things of God’

That is, they are people under authority and their privilege is to make known the Gospel.
- things that are true of all Christians but are especially to be modelled and understood by church leaders.
- so Christian leadership is not about being in some elite category but exemplifying what should be true of all Christians

ENTRUSTED WITH SECRET THINGS OF GOD (v1)
Key characteristic of Christian Leadership – is being a keeper of the Gospel
- making it known & living it out.
- everything else is ultimately secondary: e.g. management, strategy, planning skills

Those who have been given a Trust must prove faithful (v2-4)
- Christian Leaders primary responsibility is towards God
- Paul is not interested in the opinion of human courts: only God’s verdict matters

Even our feelings – need to take second place in Leadership (v3)
- important: big temptation to use Leadership to get personal satisfication / reward
- Christian Leadership must always be about serving God and others.

LIVING IN THE LIGHT OF THE CROSS
- the Corinthians were proud, self satisfied and triumphalist (v8)

In contrast – Paul sees his leadership (apostleship) as one of humility (v9)
- those at the back of the prisoners parade – destined for the arena (v9)
- people whose calling is hunger, thirst, rags, brutal treatment, hard work… (v11)

Christian Leadership follows in the footsteps of Jesus
- Suffering, cross bearing, death to self-interest.
- Leaders are those called to suffer the most.

The extent to which we find this alien to our thoughts of leadership is the extent to which we are more Corinthian than Christian in our thinking.