Spiritual Maturity and Church Leadership

"Most people mature spiritually more slowly than in other ways, and the spirituality of even the average 'good churchman' is somewhere near the moral development of a small child" (Martin Thornton, Christian Proficiency, 130).The failure to recognize the implications of this truth causes problems in the church. It is often assumed that there ought to be a correspondence between one's standing in the secular world and what one does at church. Thus, people who are prominent in business and society tend to end up on vestries and in other prominent positions. The assumption is that if one can lead in the world then one can lead in the church. Sometimes there is a correspondence; business leaders who are also mature Christian bring necessary practical wisdom to the church. However, sometimes there is no correspondence; sometimes people who are successful in the world lack the virtue, prayerfulness and spiritual depth to understand the "business" of the kingdom of God. They try to run the church like a secular organization, with lamentable results.Things are not always as they first appear. The virtues that are the marks of spiritual maturity are often hidden. We may not recognize genuine humility until we are around it for a long time. However, false virtues, like the tares in the parable, appear right away and bear resemblance to true virtue. An anxiousness to serve may look like the virtue of charity, but it is often merely a "need to be needed." This will be revealed over time when a lack of recognition leads to dissatisfaction, which reveals a lack of genuine humility.Thornton's quote above is a beginning of his discussion on the problem of "aridity." Most Christians will experience extended seasons of spiritual dryness, when God’s presence is not felt in the same vibrant way as in the past. The spiritually immature will assume that something is wrong, either with God or with them. In fact, aridity is mark of progress. God takes away the palpable rewards because he wants to develop in us the strength to handle more on our own. When a child is learning to ride a bike, a parent may give a push to help the child up a hill. At some point in the process of learning, the push must cease. This is not because the parent is not present or doesn't care; it is because if the assistance does not cease the child will never learn to ride the bike alone.Spiritually mature people face the dry spiritual times with less panic and more reflection in prayer about the spiritual purpose of the dry season. This does not mean that the mature person doesn't feel the emotional pain of distance from God. The Psalms teach us that faithful prayers are full of emotion; they are just also full of faith—full of the belief that God will act and vindicate.This is important in church leadership. The church needs spiritually mature people to help guide the church faithfully through seasons of corporate dryness or struggle. In a crisis, the successful but spiritually immature person may want to act in haste, when it may be God's will to pray and wait for wisdom. The need for action right now may be the right default position in the world, but things are different in the kingdom of God. This is why it is important to make distinctions in the church based on spiritual maturity and not to assume that competence in a secular vocation necessarily makes one an effective leader in the church.