Everyone Is Called To Lead

The pastor and other church leaders are not the only spiritual leaders in the church. The congregation itself has a God-given responsibility to lead, disciple, encourage, correct, serve, and influence one another toward spiritual maturity.

30-Minute Lesson: The Congregation as Spiritual Leaders

Primary Text: Hebrews 10:23–25 Supporting Texts: Romans 12:3–8; Ephesians 4:11–16; Colossians 3:12–17; Galatians 6:1–2; 1 Peter 4:10–11

Lesson Objective

By the end of the lesson, the congregation should understand:

Spiritual leadership is not limited to pastors and elders.

Every believer has a responsibility to help other believers grow.

The congregation exercises spiritual leadership under the authority of Christ and His Word.

A healthy church is one where spiritual ministry is happening from member to member—not merely from pastor to congregation.

I. INTRODUCTION — 3 Minutes

Opening Question

Ask the congregation:

“Who is responsible for the spiritual growth of the people sitting around you?”

Most people will instinctively answer:

The pastor

Sunday School teachers

Deacons

Youth leaders

Church staff

And those people do have significant responsibility.

But Scripture gives us a much bigger picture.

Read:

Hebrews 10:24–25 “And let us consider one another in order to provoke love and good works, not neglecting to gather together…”

Notice the language:

“Let us…” “one another…”

Christianity was never designed to be:

Pastor ministers → congregation receives.

It is designed to be:

Christ ministers through His people → His people minister to one another → the entire body grows.

Key Statement

Every Christian is called to be a spiritual influence on other Christians.

That doesn't mean every Christian has the office of pastor, elder, or deacon.

It means every Christian has a responsibility to help build up the body of Christ.

II. SPIRITUAL LEADERSHIP BELONGS TO THE WHOLE BODY — 6 Minutes

Ephesians 4:11–12

Paul says Christ gave:

apostles

prophets

evangelists

pastors and teachers

“for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.”

This is an incredibly important passage for understanding the church.

The leaders equip the saints.

Then the saints do ministry.

The pastor's job isn't to do all the ministry.

The pastor's job is to equip the congregation to do ministry.

Illustration

Imagine a football team where the coach plays every position.

The coach runs the offense.

The coach plays defense.

The coach kicks.

The coach tackles.

The coach catches.

The players sit on the sideline and watch.

That's not a healthy team.

And neither is a church where:

“The pastor does the ministry and everyone else watches.”

Ephesians 4:16

Paul says the body:

“causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.”

The body builds itself up.

That's congregational ministry.

Important Distinction

We need to be careful here.

There are biblical offices of leadership.

Pastors/elders have unique authority and responsibility.

Deacons have specific responsibilities.

Teachers have particular responsibilities.

But:

Biblical offices are limited; biblical ministry is not.

Not everyone is a pastor.

But everyone is a minister.

Not everyone is a teacher.

But everyone can teach someone something.

Not everyone is an elder.

But everyone can encourage, disciple, serve, pray, exhort, and help another believer grow.

III. THE CONGREGATION LEADS BY BUILDING ONE ANOTHER UP — 7 Minutes

This is where the phrase “one another” becomes extremely important.

The New Testament repeatedly commands believers to minister to one another.

1. Encourage One Another

1 Thessalonians 5:11

“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up…”

Ask:

Who needs encouragement from you this week?

Spiritual leadership sometimes looks as simple as:

“I noticed you've been struggling. How can I pray for you?”

2. Teach One Another

Colossians 3:16

“Teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom…”

Notice that Paul doesn't say:

“Pastors teach everyone.”

He says:

“Teaching and admonishing one another.”

This doesn't eliminate the teaching office of the pastor.

It means biblical truth should be circulating throughout the congregation.

A mature Christian should be able to sit with an immature Christian and say:

“Let me show you what Scripture says.”

3. Bear One Another's Burdens

Galatians 6:2

“Carry one another’s burdens…”

Spiritual leadership means noticing when someone is hurting.

It means:

taking a meal

making a phone call

praying with someone

helping financially when appropriate

sitting with someone in grief

helping someone through temptation

walking alongside someone in difficulty

Sometimes the greatest spiritual leadership isn't standing behind a pulpit.

It's sitting beside somebody in a hospital room.

4. Restore One Another

Galatians 6:1

“Brothers and sisters, if someone is overtaken in any wrongdoing, you who are spiritual, restore such a person with a gentle spirit…”

This is particularly important.

Congregational spiritual leadership includes loving accountability.

If a brother or sister is wandering from Christ, our response shouldn't be:

“That's none of my business.”

It should be:

“Because I love you, I care about the direction your life is going.”

That's spiritual leadership.

5. Pray for One Another

James 5:16

“Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another…”

A congregation becomes spiritually powerful when its members stop merely saying:

“I'll pray for you.”

and actually pray for one another.

IV. SPIRITUAL LEADERSHIP REQUIRES SPIRITUAL MATURITY — 5 Minutes

Here's the challenge:

You cannot effectively lead others spiritually if you aren't pursuing Christ yourself.

Go back to Ephesians 4:13–14.

The goal is:

“until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God’s Son, growing into maturity…”

The church isn't supposed to remain spiritually immature.

Hebrews 5:12

The writer rebukes believers because:

“you need someone to teach you the basic principles of God’s revelation again…”

That's a problem.

Imagine someone who has been a Christian for 20 years but still requires everyone else to feed them spiritually.

They attend church.

They listen to sermons.

They consume Bible studies.

But they never disciple anybody.

That's spiritual consumption without spiritual reproduction.

V. HOW DOES THE CONGREGATION ACT AS SPIRITUAL LEADERS? — 6 Minutes

Give them five practical responsibilities.

1. Lead by Example

1 Timothy 4:12

Though Paul is speaking specifically to Timothy, the principle is broader:

“Be an example to the believers…”

People watch Christians.

Your:

marriage

speech

work ethic

generosity

attendance

prayer life

Bible reading

response to conflict

treatment of others

all teach something.

Your life is discipling someone whether you realize it or not.

2. Lead Through Encouragement

Look for people who are:

discouraged

absent

struggling

new

lonely

spiritually immature

And move toward them.

Don't wait for the pastor to notice.

You notice.

3. Lead Through Discipleship

Every mature believer should be asking:

“Who am I helping become more like Jesus?”

That could happen through:

Sunday School

Bible study

mentoring

prayer

one-on-one discipleship

informal relationships

serving together

Discipleship doesn't require a title.

4. Lead Through Service

1 Peter 4:10

“As each one has received a gift, use it to serve others…”

God has gifted every believer.

Therefore:

There is no such thing as an unnecessary Christian in the body of Christ.

Some preach.

Some teach.

Some organize.

Some encourage.

Some serve.

Some give.

Some pray.

Some visit.

Some disciple children.

Some disciple teenagers.

Some disciple young adults.

Some minister to the elderly.

Some work behind the scenes.

But everyone has a place.

5. Lead Through Accountability

This may be the most neglected one.

We need Christians who love each other enough to ask:

“How are you really doing?”

“Are you walking with Christ?”

“How is your marriage?”

“Are you praying?”

“Are you in God's Word?”

“Is there anything you're struggling with?”

“How can I help you?”

That's not judgment.

That's biblical community.

VI. THE PASTOR'S ROLE — 2 Minutes

This is important for a Baptist church.

The answer isn't:

“If everyone is a spiritual leader, we don't need pastors.”

Quite the opposite.

The pastor's role is to equip and shepherd the congregation so that the congregation can fulfill its ministry.

Ephesians 4:11–12

Christ gives pastors and teachers:

“for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry…”

So the question for the pastor shouldn't simply be:

“How can I do more ministry?”

It should also be:

“How can I equip more people to do ministry?”

And the question for the congregation shouldn't simply be:

“What is the church doing for me?”

It should become:

“How can God use me to minister to others?”

VII. CONCLUSION — 1 Minute

Bring it back to the central truth:

A healthy church is not a church where the pastor does everything.

A healthy church is a church where:

pastors equip

leaders shepherd

teachers teach

members serve

mature believers disciple

Christians encourage

believers confront sin lovingly

people bear one another's burdens

everyone uses his or her gifts

the entire body builds itself up in love

Final Challenge

Ask everyone to consider three questions:

1. Who is currently helping me grow spiritually?

2. Who am I currently helping grow spiritually?

3. Who is God putting in my life that I need to begin investing in?

Then finish with:

“The question isn't whether you are a spiritual influence. The question is whether you are being an intentional one.”