He goes on to say this early community of believers “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and prayer. Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. All who believed were together and had all things in common. …” Scholars tell us Luke added extra shine to his portrayal; still it remains a remarkable description of the Church formed by the Spirit, faithfully engaged in study, service and communion, and growing day by day.
Joan S. Gray, former moderator of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), draws from this description of a Spirit-led church in her new book Spiritual Leadership for Church Officers. The original Pentecost is a past event, yet we celebrate now because we believe the Spirit is still forming a people for God’s purpose. The challenge for church leaders and congregations is to engage in prayer, as the early church did, with the deep hope that God will be at the center of our life together and from that center we will become a people whose witness is compelling and challenging for the world.
This is only possible, argues Gray, as leaders and their congregations dare to step out of their comfort zones, let go of their persistent need to control and learn to trust that God will lead them into God’s purpose for the world. The Spirit-led church may be chaotic at times and even uncomfortable, especially for Presbyterians who prefer to do things decently and in order. Yet such a Church that is committed to following Christ and being led by the Holy Spirit will also be a compelling witness to the gospel of God’s grace for all.
She offers two images of the church — rowboats and sailboats.
Gray believes the rowboat church lives by the conviction that God has given it an agenda and expects it to get it done. The primary focus is on what we members can or can’t do. Success in these congregations “depends on the resources it has in hand, the circumstances around them, and how hard its people are willing to row to get the job done.” By contrast, leaders in sailboat congregations are engaged in an ongoing process of seeking God with a single focal question. “What is God leading us to be and do now in the place we find ourselves.”
Rowboat churches can’t sustain themselves over the long haul; eventually they lose a sense of Spirit-filled vitality because God has been removed as the source of their strength. The sailboat church is not solely dependent upon hard working members doing the work of social service agency for God. There is openness to surprises; a vital and energetic hope that the Spirit of God is at work within the congregation making possible what is clearly impossible without God’s help.
Gray knows that congregational life is messy and filled with mundane details. Still, she is convinced that the sailboat Church is not only Biblical but it is possible now.
Roy W. Howard is pastor of St. Mark Church in Rockville, Md., and Outlook book editor.
