Reflecting on the story of Moses in Exodus, Hugo’s previous article on leadership is a tremendously challenging issue, and yet it is rooted in some core ethics of Christian leadership because our call to leaders is simultaneously a call to service.  The topic deserves more attention.  It really isn’t about us.  It’s not about my personal fame nor is it about my self-esteem as a leader.  It is not even about my own organization or local church.  I am a servant of God’s Kingdom and of the Missio Dei (the Mission of God).

Re-framing our servant call as leaders into a focus on self is a simple mistake.  First, it is inherent in the human condition.  We exist as the centers of our own little universe.  It is difficult to see ourselves as players in a larger drama when we come to believe we have the lead role.  Second, many of our activities as leaders actually do play a part in serving God’s bigger mission.  As leaders of faith communities, missions organizations, youth programs, and the like, we are doing good works.  But here’s the test:  What do we do when the best choice for serving the larger mission of God undermines the institutional strength of our own organization?  For example, the church in Antioch understood the importance of God’s mission over the needs of their own community when the Spirit set aside Paul and Barnabas to be sent out on mission.  Antioch was faced with the choice of sending away two of their best leaders for the sake of God’s mission.  How much church growth took place in Antioch because of their leadership, and now the Antioch church was called to release them.  They faced giving away Paul’s scholarship and Barnabas’ encouragement for the sake of others.  Furthermore, it would be a sacrifice for Paul.  In addition to facing hardship, in some locations Paul’s work would look much less impressive than the ethnically diverse and spiritually thriving Antioch church.

God called out Moses to serve God’s mission for and through Israel.  And as Hugo pointed out, God fashioned Moses for the task, and Moses remained faithful to his calling during much of the journey.  However, many of us know that God also kept Moses from going into the Promised Land.  Why?   He struck the rock, right?  But look at the nature of Moses’ and  Aaron’s shortcoming.  God told Moses to speak to the rock and witness water pouring from it.  This would glorify God and demonstrate His authority working through Moses.  A simple command in the name of God demonstrated unmistakable wonders.  However, Moses says, “Listen you rebels, must we [emphasis mine] bring you water out of this rock?”  In dramatic fashion he then strikes the rock not once but twice.  Moses gives the whole performance a little more glitz, and in the process he draws attention to himself and to Aaron.  They step from servant to performer.  They claim to own the power that was only given to them for the task of God’s purposes.  As a result of this event, God says, “Because you did not trust me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.”

How often do we as leaders get lost in the call and responsibilities and influence that we have been given.  In frustration we negate the call of God and re-position ourselves as savior.  We pour ourselves into building our religious organizations because, like any human being, we are devoted to our life’s work.  We desire to be successful and to leave behind a legacy — something that we have built and passed on to others.  Our work may indeed benefit God’s larger purposes and play a significant role in His redemption history, but our own ministry can also become a distraction.

Ultimately, when we lose focus, we begin thinking about our own organization and how to see our work grow (or survive) rather than asking how our work or organization or leadership can serve God’s larger purposes.  As long as our work is aligned with God’s Mission, we are able to continue with a clear conscience, but when our ministry becomes a distraction from the larger mission of God, we cease to play a part in the bigger drama of salvation history.