It should not
take another book to explain the radical nature of the way of Christ when
compared to non-Christian society. However, sometimes we need to be reminded of
the counter-cultural call of Christianity. This is the premise behind Joseph
Hellerman’s Embracing Shared Ministry:
Power and Status in the Early Church and Why it Matters Today.
I admit that I expected
something different from the book when I decided to read it. I anticipated
another book on the wisdom of plural leadership in the church. It certainly is
that; but it is more.
Joseph Hellerman
begins by showing that Philippi, which is specifically identified in Acts as a
Roman colony, was immersed in the culture of honor and prestige that dominated
Roman society. He summarizes this by saying, “The people of Philippi had been
socialized to embrace the status conscious, honor-oriented values of their
cultural world” (p.26). As a Roman colony, Philippi was a “Rome away from Rome.”
It is fitting, then, that it was to believers in this church that Paul
expounded the selfless self-emptying of Christ in the richly Christological
passage of Phil. 2:4-11. Hellerman reminds us that this deep, theologically
rich Christology was given in the context of inter-personal behaviors and not
in the halls of the academy. Theology is to be lived.
After building
upon this and exposing our own culture’s romance with honor and status, the
author makes a plea for church leadership that more closely imitates the way of
the cross as described in Phil. 2:4-11. We know too well that many churches
tend to follow corporate strategies designed more for the business world than
for the flock for whom Christ died.
This book is a
good exercise in interpreting Scripture in the context in which it was written.
We tend to judge the example of Christ by modern concepts of humility. Hellerman clearly shows the absolutely
radical nature of Paul’s injunction when viewed through first century Roman
lenses.
As I progressed
to the latter part of the book, I wondered if Hellerman would take a more
extreme approach and denounce leadership out of hand. He does not. He knows
that leadership is necessary and that, like nature, it abhors a vacuum. Someone
will lead. It is the quality, accountability, and relational nature of that
leadership that makes the difference.
Embracing Shared
Ministry is a welcomed addition to the body of literature available in church
leadership. It may send some sacred cows to the altar, but such sacrifices need
to be made.
