By What Authority?

Jesus spoke as “one who had authority.”

I’ve always been fascinated by this aspect of his teaching. And I’m not the only one. Matthew, Mark and Luke all report that people were “amazed” by the authority of Jesus’ words.

What gave his words such power?

Well, I’m sure his divine identity had something to do with it. Performing miracles probably didn’t hurt either. We also know that his style contrasted sharply with the Pharisees who riddled their teaching with references to rabbinical precedents. But I also imagine that his teaching had some indefinable quality, a beautiful blend of power and pathos that left even hardened Roman guards whispering, “No one ever spoke the way this man does.”

What about us?

We can’t claim the same authority as Jesus, but as his followers shouldn’t our words possess a modicum of his authority? Shouldn’t our leadership?

This issue is dedicated to the theme of pastoral authority. Tough topic, we know. Authority is a dirty word these days. To make matters worse, religious leaders are often suspect in the culture. That makes the authority of the pastor difficult to define and even tougher to exercise. But we believe the topic is too important to ignore.

John Ortberg lays the foundation, defining what pastoral authority is, and isn’t. “Authority can be faked,” he warns. “That’s why impersonating a police officer is a crime.” True authority, he argues, guards against pretense and manipulation while aligning the truth of the words spoken with the spirit of the one speaking.

We also broached the subject with Eugene Peterson and Max Lucado. Peterson emphasizes the importance of being immersed in the life of the community, and cautions that being a pastor involves much more than playing a role or donning a title. Lucado talks about the role questions have played in his ministry and the power of a gentle, firm word of correction.

But authority is best understood by watching what happens when it’s challenged. That’s why we asked T.D. Jakes and four other pastors to recount a time when their authority was undermined and how they responded. We know you’ll benefit from their experiences and wisdom.

Ultimately of course, there’s no better example of authority than the kind modeled by Jesus: gentle yet powerful, humble but confident. We pray that these reflections direct your attention back to him and leave you looking more like him too.

We want to congratulate you, dear reader of Leadership Journal, for your exquisite taste in reading material. Or maybe we just want to toot our own horn. Whatever the case, we had to tell you: Leadership Journal netted 12 awards from the Evangelical Press Association this year, including the “Award of Excellence,” our category’s top honor.

We also took first place in the Cartoon Category for “Dropped Calls” by Dan Pegoda and first place in Biblical Exposition for “The ‘We’ We Want to Be” by John Ortberg. Hmm, what other publication combines prize-winning humor with prize-winning exegesis?! We appreciate your subscribing to make this possible.