Biblical Leaders Are More Like Tree Roots Than Pyramid Tops

We've all seen the organizational chart that is shaped like a pyramid. The leaders are at the top and the followers are at the bottom.  In those diagrams it seems like the followers (or employees, or church members) exist to serve the interests of the leader.  While this may be true for secular corporations, I am not so sure that it is a good model for Christian churches and organizations.  I know, that we often hear people say, "we should run the church like a business."  While this statement may be well-intentioned in terms of promoting efficiency and the wise use of resources, I am not sure that secular corporate culture should be allowed to overtake Christian culture, especially in light of Matthew 20:25-28.  In corporate-churches etc. there is a tendency for leaders to, "lord it over" the followers instead of acting as shepherds who, lay down their lives for the sheep (John 10:15)  

Instead, I like to think of Christian leadership, whether it be in a family, a local church, or an organization as a tree, instead of a pyramid.  Every healthy tree must have roots that grow as deeply as possible into the soil. In this case the soil represents God's will and God's Word.  For this reason, Christian leaders must prioritize spiritual and personal maturity so that they will be rooted deeply enough to keep their organizations well anchored when the storms come and the strong winds blow.  

In addition, this model also reminds me of the importance of leaders to not only grow deeply into the soil themselves but to pass on as much of the experience and wisdom which they have gained from God to their followers to help them to grow as well. There is a synergy of growth in trees between the nutrients which come from the soil via the roots (leaders) and from the sunlight in the leaves in a process called photosynthesis. Just as you cannot have a healthy tree without roots, you also cannot have a healthy tree without other parts like leaves and branches. In this model both the most mature Christian leaders and then newest believers are all valuable parts of the tree which must work together in order for the tree to grow deeper into the soil and higher.

In the pyramid model, the goal is to make that one single pyramid bigger and bigger.  However, in the tree model, the goal for Christian families, churches, and organizations is not just to make one tree bigger but for the tree to produce seeds, which in turn, can become more and more trees which will eventually lead to forests.  In a Christian family, one goal should be to evangelize your children and equip your children so that they will be prepared to evangelize and train your grandchildren and others around them for generations to come.  In a church, one goal should be to plant other churches in the neighborhood and to promote mission work around the world.  In this way, the forests will grow everywhere.  

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