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About
CFCFFL
Who
is the CFCFFL?
The
Movement for Restoration Our
Covenant
Our
Mission and Vision
Our Statement of philosophy
Our
Core Values
Family Ministries Kids
for Family and Life (KFL) Youth
for Family and Life (YFL)
Singles
for Family and Life (SFL)
Handmaids
for Family and Life (HFL)
Servants
for Family and Life (SvFL)
Wish
to JOIN?
The
highest courage is to dare to be yourself in the face of adversity,
choosing right over wrong, ethics over convenience, and truth over
popularity.
Travel the path of integrity without looking back, for THERE IS
NEVER A WRONG TIME TO DO THE RIGHT THING.
-
Bishop Soc Villegas
25 July 2007
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ON
SERVANT LEADERSHIP
(Part 8)
SERVING AS A TEAM
In CFC-FFL,
we serve as a team, from the Servant General down to the Household
Servants.
Our pastoral-organizational structure, characterized by a pyramidal
structure of leadership and the subdivision of the whole community into
groups and sub-groups, can be traced to the time of Moses.
After the exodus from Egypt and before they arrived in Sinai, where God
entered into covenant with them, after experiencing much grumbling from
the people right after God had miraculously freed them through Moses
from centuries of slavery,[1] Moses was given some sound advice by his
father-in-law Jethro. Jethro told him to group the whole people into
smaller sub-groups, into “groups of thousands, of hundreds, of
fifties, and of tens.” (Ex 18:21b).
Such today is our community pastoral-organizational structure.
“tens”
- a household of 5 couples[2]
“fifties”
- a unit of 5 households[3]
“hundreds”[4] -
a chapter of 5 units
“thousands”
- a district of many clusters and chapters[5]
The purpose of the structure
What is the purpose of such a structure of pastoral leadership?
Jethro advised: “Enlighten them in regard to the decisions and
regulations, showing them how they are to live and what they are to
do.” (Ex 18:20).
Leaders are to inform, educate and help form members in the ways and
means of community life, culture and service. For us in CFC-FFL, this is
about our life and mission in Jesus. We enlighten brethren regarding our
Covenant, our Core Values, our ways of relating with one another, how to
live our marriage and family lives, how to build the Church of the Home
and the Church of the Poor, how to give of ourselves in service, and so
on. We teach them “what they are to do,” that is, to be obedient to
God. We are to teach them “how they are to live,” that is, to be
holy.
Further, the structure is designed to enhance our transformation in
Christ. Moses said, “The people come to me to consult God.” (Ex
18:15). We are primarily concerned about each member’s relationship
with God. It is the leadership at each level that helps feed members. As
members start to mature, they go up the pastoral ladder and are given
more mature leaders who can continue to help them in their spirituality.
Moses further said, “Whenever they have a disagreement, they come to
me to have me settle the matter between them and make known to them
God’s decisions and regulations.” (Ex 18:16). Peace and unity in
community is crucial. But because of people’s sinfulness, there will
always be disagreements that can lead to strife and division. Leaders
help resolve these by making known God’s ways and showing how
differences are resolved in the Lord.
Serving as a team
Why is it necessary to subdivide the community into such sub-groups?
As the community grows in number, the task becomes too heavy for one man
or a few leaders. “You will surely wear yourself out, and not only
yourself but also those people with you. The task is too heavy for you;
you cannot do it alone.” (Ex 18:18). When the task is too heavy,
people are not all properly attended to. Jethro gave his criticism to
Moses, “Why do you sit alone while all the people have to stand about
you from morning till evening?” (Ex 18:14b). The result is a failure
in adequately tending to the flock. Both the overburdened leader and the
under-cared for people suffer.
This is especially true with caring for people who grumble, which
inevitably many of us do. As the number of Israelites grew, Moses said,
“But how can I alone bear the crushing burden that you are, along with
your bickering?” (Dt 1:12). When things are going great, there is not
much pressure or burden for leaders. But the world, the flesh and the
devil conspire to ensure that things will not go great all the time.
Then bickering can cause a really heavy burden.
So different servant leaders at different levels have different
functions.[6] The basic purpose remains the same, that is, to help
brethren be more deeply transformed in Christ, but there is a sharing of
work, a team effort, to accomplish this. “They rendered decisions for
the people in all ordinary cases. The more difficult cases they referred
to Moses, but all the lesser cases they settled themselves.” (Ex
18:26).
When the pastoral-organizational structure is working well, then the
community is well poised to do the mission God assigns it. “If you do
this, when God gives you orders you will be able to stand the strain,
and all these people will go home satisfied.” (Ex 18:23). The heavy
burden will be shared, both leaders and people will not be worn out,
everyone will be satisfied, and community is able to carry out its
mission.
Choosing servant leaders
How are servant leaders to be chosen?
Jethro gives four basic qualifications. “But you should also look
among all the people for able and God-fearing men, trustworthy men who
hate dishonest gain” (Ex 18:21a).
First, servant leaders are able. This means that they are
“technically” competent for the task. Since this is spiritual work,
this means they are growing in their own spirituality, ahead of those
whom they are caring for, so that they have something to give. Moses
expounds: “So I took outstanding men of your tribes, wise and
experienced, and made them your leaders as officials over thousands,
over hundreds, over fifties and over tens, and other tribal officers.
[7]” (Dt 1:15). They
have the human intelligence to understand teachings and our ways, but
more especially they manifest wisdom that is from on high. They are
experienced not in the sense of having already done the task assigned to
them, but in what they have learned as they moved up the pastoral
ladder, as they grew in spirituality and service.
[8] [9] They are
outstanding in the sense that they stand out among their peers, from
among whom they are chosen.[10]
Second, servant leaders are God-fearing. They have a personal
relationship with Jesus as Savior and Lord, they are obedient to God,
and they live their lives and conduct their service under the
inspiration and strength of the Holy Spirit. They are striving to live
righteous lives, and desire to be holy as God is holy. They are living
out their family lives according to God’s ways.
Third, servant leaders are trustworthy. They have been entrusted with
the pastoral care of the flock, and desire to do their task willingly
and not grudgingly. They will work without having to be pushed, without
their overseers looking over their shoulders, with initiative and
enthusiasm. They are loyal to God and to community, and will not betray
their Covenant and our Core Values.
Fourth, servant leaders hate dishonest gain. They are not in this for
money, power, prestige, position or acclamation. Their single desire is
to please God and to serve His people. They live lives of integrity.
They will not move up in pastoral leadership through deception, lies and
half-truths, through being a toady, [11] or through power politics.[12]
They will never deprive God of the glory that rightfully belongs to Him
alone.
The task at hand
CFC-FFL has been raised by God to do His work in this third millennium.
We are to renew the family and to defend life. This is an awesome task,
befitting an awesome God. We are mere instruments, but how we respond
will determine how we will experience the anointing and power of God.
God has built a large army that will grow larger still. For peace, order
and unity, God has given us our pastoral-organizational structure, and
our call as servant leaders. We will do well to make such a structure
work.
Let us listen to what Jethro has taught us, and what Moses has
demonstrated to us.
“Now,
listen to me, and I will give you some advice,
that God may be with you.”
(Exodus 18:19a)
“May the Lord, the God of your fathers,
increase you a thousand times over,
and bless you as he promised!”
(Deuteronomy 1:11)
April 17,
2009
[1] This is so much like people, even renewed Christians, who often
grumble in times of adversity even as they have experienced so much
blessings from God.
[2] 5 couples more or less.
[3] 5 households more or less.
[4] When we say “tens” we mean several 10s. When we say
“fifties” we mean several 50s. But when we say “hundreds,” it
can mean 100 or 300 or 500. So here we presume 5 units, more or less.
[5] In the same way as “hundreds,” when we say “thousands,” we
usually mean several thousands. A cluster of 5 chapters will already
number around 1,250 people, more or less. A district of 5 clusters will
number around 6,250 people. In CFC-FFL there is no limit to the number
of clusters in a district. Thus “thousands” can go to any number.
[6] See paper on “Roles of District Pastoral Leadership.”
[7] In CFC-FFL, aside from the basic district pastoral leadership, there
are many other servant leaders, such as core team members, coordinators,
etc.
[8] For example, a Household Servant would have been a member of a
household for at least a year, who would have experienced many household
meetings and would know how they were handled. With adequate training
and such experience, they are qualified for the task.
[9] In certain unusual situations, we may appoint leaders who are not
experienced. For example, when starting in a new territorial area and
our first CLS results in a big harvest, some CLS graduates might already
be assigned as Household Servants. With proper guidance and regular
pastoral support, we hope such leaders will quickly learn on the job.
[10] When looking for a new Household Servant, we look at the members
and see who among them might be ready to now take on servant leadership.
This is the same pattern at higher levels of leadership.
[11] In Tagalog, “sipsip.”
[12] In Tagalog, “palakasan.”
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