Leadership 2025 1/2
Notes
Transcript
Lectionary Readings:
Psalm 37:1-9
2 Timothy 1:1-14
Luke 17:5-10
Sermon Series: Answering the Call (Part 1 of 2)
Sermon Title:
The Call to Belong and Serve
The Call to Belong and Serve
Introduction
Today is a day of powerful promises.
We will gather at the Lord’s Table, where we remember Christ’s ultimate promise to us.
We will witness our new members make their sacred promises to God and to this church family.
And in the midst of these celebrations, we begin the prayerful process of discerning who will answer the call to leadership as society stewards and office bearers in our Society.
These three things—Communion, Confirmation, and the Call to Leadership — are not separate events on a calendar.
They are profound milestones on the single, unified journey of faith.
This week and next we will look at what it means to answer God’s call.
TODAY:
We start today by looking at the foundational promises that every Christian makes, the commitments that bind us together as the body of Christ.
And we will explore how these promises create a holy partnership between all of us, and specifically between the laity and the clergy.
NEXT WEEK
Next week, we will explore further the specific promises our leaders are asked to make on our behalf.
2 Timothy - Written from a Roman prison shortly before his execution, 2 Timothy is the Apostle Paul's final, deeply personal letter to his young protégé, Timothy. It serves as a last charge, urging him to persevere in the face of suffering, guard the integrity of the gospel, and faithfully continue the ministry.
He’s not writing a corporate manual; he’s writing a heartfelt letter to a young pastor, reminding him that Christian leadership doesn't start with a special skillset, but with a shared faith.
This morning we explore three aspects of this call that we all share:
A Sincere Faith,
A Shared Promise of Partnership, and
A Spirit-Empowered Ministry.
1. A Sincere Faith (Our Foundation)
1. A Sincere Faith (Our Foundation)
Paul begins his encouragement to Timothy not with a list of duties, but with an affirmation of identity. He says,
5 I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, lives in you.
Everything else—every act of service, every decision, every meeting—is built upon this foundation. A sincere faith is the non-negotiable starting point.
Today, we have the joy of seeing this foundation laid in real-time. In a few moments, our confirmands will stand before us.
We will ask them, and in doing so, ask all of ourselves again, a fundamental question from our liturgy:
"Do you turn away from evil and all that denies God; And do you turn to God trusting in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour?"
Their response, "By the grace of God I do," is the most important "yes" a person can ever say.
It is the "yes" to God that must precede every other "yes".
Before you are a steward, a treasurer, a musician, or a committee member, you are a person who has turned to God in faith. That is your primary and most essential qualification.
It is the bedrock of your identity. The work we do for Christ is never just a set of tasks; it is the natural, joyful overflow of a sincere and living faith.
This is the solid ground upon which all true ministry, lay and ordained, stands.
…the natural, joyful overflow of a sincere and living faith.
A Sincere Faith,
A Shared Promise of Partnership, and
A Spirit-Empowered Ministry.
2. A Shared Promise of Partnership (Our Responsibility)
2. A Shared Promise of Partnership (Our Responsibility)
Once that foundation of faith is laid, we are called into community. Our service is not a solo act; it is a community project, a shared promise.
14 Guard the good treasure entrusted to you, with the help of the Holy Spirit living in us.
Paul tells Timothy to "guard the good deposit entrusted to you." This "good deposit" is the Gospel, but it is also the community of faith, our church. This is a responsibility for every single member.
When our new members take their vows, they are not joining alone. The whole congregation will be asked to make a vow in return. We will all be asked,
"Will you so maintain the Church's life of worship and service that they may grow in grace...?"
And together, we will respond,
"With God's help we will."
This is "The Promise of the People." We promise to be a community where faith can flourish.
This mutual promise finds its most focused expression in the relationship between the congregation and its minister. When a new minister is inducted, the congregation makes a solemn promise.
They promise to "receive" their minister, to "esteem" them, and to
"heartily join with them in the worship and service of God."
To "heartily join with" is the key. It means ministry is not a spectator sport. It is a partnership. The call to be a society steward is the most practical, hands-on embodiment of that promise.
Stewards are the designated promise-keepers on behalf of the whole congregation. They are the ones who stand in the gap to ensure the minister is not isolated, but is truly supported and partnered with.
8 Do not be ashamed, then, of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel, relying on the power of God,
As Paul urges Timothy, they "share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God." They help carry the load.
Ministry can be lonely and difficult. A faithful steward ensures that the minister does not carry that burden alone, transforming their role from a job into a shared journey.
A minister must be able to trust Society Stewards to go and represent the minister in helping the congregation to realise the goals and visions that they set out at their Annual Society Meeting.
A shared call - a shared community - we do not live our faith alone.
A Sincere Faith,
A Shared Promise of Partnership, and
A Spirit-Empowered Ministry.
3. A Spirit-Empowered Ministry (Our Equipment)
3. A Spirit-Empowered Ministry (Our Equipment)
How can anyone possibly live up to such profound promises? How can we maintain the church’s life, partner with the minister, and guard the faith? We can’t.
Not on our own. Paul knew this. That’s why he immediately points Timothy to his divine equipment.
He writes:
6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.
This is the toolbox God gives every Christian, and it is the essential toolkit for effective partnership in ministry. Think about how these three gifts empower the steward to help the minister.
First, a spirit of power.
First, a spirit of power.
This is not worldly authority, but the Holy Spirit's power to get things done, to overcome obstacles, and to persevere when ministry is challenging.
A minister, who is called by their ordination vows
"to lead the people of God in mission and service,"
is energized when partnered with stewards who use their spiritual power to clear the path, organize the practicalities, and champion the mission.
Second, a spirit of love.
Second, a spirit of love.
6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.
This is the motivation. Stewards are called to a deep and genuine love for the people of the church. This love expresses itself as hospitality, care, and concern.
When stewards embody this love, they free the minister from having to be the sole provider of pastoral care.
They become an extension of the minister’s own heart, ensuring the flock is tended to. It allows the minister to focus on their unique calling to preach the Word and administer the Sacraments, knowing the family is being loved well.
Third, a spirit of self-discipline.
Third, a spirit of self-discipline.
6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.
This is the gift of being sensible, organized, and reliable. The Book of Order details the many "temporal concerns" stewards handle — from welcoming people on a Sunday to ensuring finances are in order.
These tasks are not mundane chores; they are acts of worship. A self-disciplined steward who manages these details faithfully provides the minister with the greatest gift of all: freedom from anxiety.
They create a stable and trustworthy platform upon which the minister can build their spiritual work, confident that the practical foundations of the church are secure.
Conclusion: A Communion of Servants
Conclusion: A Communion of Servants
As we come to the Lord's Table, we see the perfect model of this life together.
New members, long-time members, future leaders, and the minister all come to this table as equals, served by our King, Jesus.
Today we have affirmed our shared foundation of faith. We have renewed our shared promise to be partners in ministry.
And we have been reminded of the Spirit who equips us for this work. Having made these commitments,
how might God be calling some of us to a more focused role of service as a steward, as a direct partner with our minister in the Gospel?
Next week, we will look at the specific promises a leader makes when they answer that call.
AMEN.
Let us pray.
Lord Jesus, you taught us that to lead is to serve. We thank you for our new members and the sincere faith they profess today. Help all of us to build on that foundation, to live out our promise of partnership, and to use the fuel of your Spirit to faithfully guard your Church and support one another. Give us the courage to answer your call. Amen.
