IF someone were to ask me my understanding of leadership, I would say, “It is empowering others to exercise their God-given gifts for the benefit of others and God’s Kingdom.”
I say this because I believe that everyone has abilities and talents to grow and share with other people and society.
It has always been the narrative of my pastoral leadership. I don’t merely exercise my power; I share my power. I delegate responsibilities and allow others to join me in the ministry of building God’s Kingdom here on earth.
I don’t believe in being a lone ranger in ministry. Neither did Jesus believe in this approach. Otherwise, Jesus would not have called and chosen the Twelve Disciples. When he sent his disciples to go out and spread the Gospel, he sent them in twos. He knew the power of teamwork, cooperation, and mutual support.
This is so true as we reflect on the Gospel this Sunday—The Parable of the Talents. A man called his servants to distribute some of his possessions. To one, he gave five talents, to another two, to a third one—each according to his ability. He expected them to use these gifts and make them grow.
By sharing his possessions and delegating them to multiply these gifts, the man in the parable was exercising effective leadership. If he wanted to expand his influence on others and be more productive, he had to share his power and call others to task.
I stand firm on this view of leadership. Sharing one’s power and delegating responsibilities are the best strategies for building a community and growing as a church. It’s why our church continues to exist and thrive despite the challenges of the pandemic. We could not succeed without the support, cooperation, leadership of our staff and volunteers.
Of course, we need to provide people with resources to develop their capabilities. That’s what the man in the parable did. He equipped his servants with enough resources to enrich their lives. They left happy and came back delighted, except for one who only received one talent.
Was this servant who received only one talent resentful that he received the least amount? Is that why he buried it in the ground to return it at the time of accounting? If so, then he’s like other people who blame God and others for the scarcity of their lives and never do anything with the little they have. Or he’s like someone who gets jealous of the power and influence that other people have in the community but does not do anything significant himself to benefit others. All this person does is criticize others.
In the parable, the man who received one talent came back unproductive and critical of his master’s approach to things. He said, “Master, I knew you were a demanding person, harvesting where you did not plant and gathering where you did not scatter, so out of fear, I went off and buried your talent in the ground.”
The master was not happy with the servant’s complacency, so he took what he had and gave it to someone else who can multiply it. Then he said, “For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will grow rich; but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”
We’re facing a world and a Church full of many challenges today. It’s either we work together in peace and harmony, support our leaders, and share our gifts to bring solutions to our problems. Or keep complaining and bickering about our unhappiness.
Let’s choose to respond positively and actively. As we often hear, let’s be part of the solution and not of the problem!
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The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff.
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Fr. Rodel “Odey” Balagtas is the pastor of Incarnation Church in Glendale, California.
