In 1 Corinthians 4, Paul calls himself and Apollos “stewards” who have been entrusted with the most important thing imaginable, the “mysteries of God.” Like a fund manager, a church leader is to protect God’s investment and work to ensure a return on God’s investment. To do this, Paul tells his readers that leaders are servants.
No.
But as Gordon Fee points out, God seeks stewards who are faithful. They are not chosen due to their “not eloquence, nor wisdom (nor ‘initiative,’ nor ‘success’—our standard requirements).” Those who have been entrusted with the Gospel are to humbly serve the master and seek his glory and honor alone. The leaders of the Corinthian church are failing in just this regard; they are seeking their own honor rather than the one who has called them.
Paul and Apollos have been entrusted with the mysteries of God (4:1-2). A steward in this context is a servant entrusted with a task, a commission. Paul uses a slightly different word for servant in 4:1 than in 3:5 (ὑπηρέτης vs. διάκονος), but there is likely no difference in meaning. In both cases, the servant is subordinate to a master and serves by carrying out that master’s will.
A steward (οἰκονόμος) is a manager or administrator. This could be a servant put in charge of a household (Joseph, for example, or the servants in Jesus’s parable in Luke 16). It can refer to a city official, such as a public treasurer, the word used to describe Erastus in Rom 16:23. An administrator is charged with a task (managing a city’s money, for example). In the LXX, the word translates Hebrew words of civil administrators (1 Kings 4:6, 16:9, Isa 36:3, 22, 37:2, etc., cf., eight occurrences in Josephus with the same sense).
The content of this deposit is the “mysteries of God.” Rather than a huge sum of money to invest and protect, Paul is a servant of God’s revelation. Mystery is typically something that must be revealed to be known, a secret hidden until the time is right. This is not guessable but rather a revelation of something new and previously unknown.
In order to be successful stewards, they must be “found faithful.” If the steward is a money manager for a city, they have to protect the money entrusted to them and invest it in a way that returns a profit. Paul and Apollos are, therefore, accountable for their management of the mysteries of God. The preaching of the Gospel will naturally expand the body of Christ, and Paul might use certain strategies to preach it in ways more likely to bear fruit. He goes first to the synagogue, for example, since that is where he will find people who already know the Scripture and may be looking forward to the coming of the Messiah, and some God-Fearing Gentiles interested in the Jewish God. When he was in Athens, he went to Mars Hill, a place where people enjoy discussing new ideas and debating philosophy. His goal was to go to the location where he would have the best chance of getting an audience for the Gospel.
If Paul describes Apollos and himself as servants and stewards, then the church leaders at Corinth are also servants! Verse 6a: Paul says that the things he has applied to himself and Apollos are applicable to all Christian leaders at every level, from a nursery worker to the long-time elder to the Lead pastor.
For Paul, the right attitude of a Church leader should be: “This is God’s church, and I am just taking care of this for a while.” Leaders are servants first.
What specific ways can this servant attitude transform how the local church does ministry?
A great way to think about this is the difference between a boss and a leader. The boss says ‘go over there and do that’, while the leader says, ‘lets do it!’. It also correlates to the parable of the ten talents. Just like the man was entrusted with something valuable, and was expected to invest it and hope it multiplied, so too was Paul and Apollos entrusted with the Gospel. They were servants in charge of their masters assets. To take a step back, check out 3:10-13. Paul talks about the “foundation” he laid. He said to be careful, because no other foundation (investment) can be made than that of Christ Jesus. And that when you are dead and gone, it is your work for Christ that will be remembered or forgotten. It will be tested by fire, and if it was pure, will remain. We are called to be good stewards of each and every thing in life. Money, time, and the Gospel. If we keep Christ the center, then it does not matter if I am remembered, but my work for Christ and the ones who heard the Gospel from my words and life. The necessity for Paul to say those things probably came form the Corinthians view of honor. However, it was “A gospel of the crucified Jesus that frees his followers from the endless quest for culturally defined honor…” (TTP, p. 118). It is not about being remembered forever, but a legacy of Christ bearing.
I like how you compared this to the difference between a boss and a good leader. In my own work experience, the best bosses were the ones who weren’t afraid to get their hands dirty, and who actually worked with their employees, as opposed to being distant and just ordering everyone around. I think that this is such an important thing for a church leader to realize. If a pastor just goes up on stage each week and gives sermon, and then walks off and isn’t seen by any church member till the next week, he will be a pretty ineffective pastor, because he is not truly investing into the lives of his congregation. A good church leader is someone who walks alongside the congregation, who is constantly present in their lives and gives up his own time to spend time with them and help them through the problems or trials they may be facing. It is through these interactions that a church can really grow in their faith, because they are able to learn by example. Also, it is important that the church leaders are not living hypocritical lives. If they are not living out the messages that they are preaching, than what reason does the congregation have to live by those same messages? A good church leader is one who spends time with the congregation, who is willing to help them deal with the many trials that they may be facing, and who lives out the messages that they preach.
I really liked the way this blog post was thought out. I have heard sermons on this passage, and many confused me as to what a steward was and what their “job” was. Using it in reference to money and serving helped me understand.
Like P. Long points out, Paul is a servant of God’s revelation. In order to be successful in the task or duty before him, Paul must “humbly servant the master and seek his glory and honor alone”. If not for this command, you are disobeying the will of God and this is what the church in Corinth were doing. In a way this is what many Christians do today, whether consciously or subconsciously, we tend to see the glory or acceptance of others in our lives instead of being assured by God’s. We should never serve to get something out of it, like the saying ‘do something good and something good will be done to you”, we should serve because God alone has called us to. Many times when people serve, they are not doing it for the right reasons, and it shows. You must get your heart right before you can serve others and be successful at it. Along those same lines, you must put your faith in God and believe in his calling in order to effectively serve him and spread the fruits of His spirit. As a leader, no matter the extent of the role, if you are doing it for the wrong reasons or without a genuine heart, those you are leading will notice and begin to breakaway from your leadership.
Long stated in his blog post, “in order be to a successful steward, they must be found faithful.” Matthew 25:23 also states that we must be good stewards of small things so that we can be good stewards of big things. The local church can transform their ministries with servant attitudes by taking care of smaller things which tend to lead into bigger things. According to Long, “steward is a manager or administrator.” Being a manager means to lead by example, living out what you are called to do. It is also taking care of something, and making it better than what it was. As a Christian it is important to be a servant of Jesus Christ and serve well. 1 Peter 2:16 states, “Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.” Believers in Jesus Christ are supposed to be faithful to Jesus. We are free from sin and the bondage to sin. We should be living as Christ calls us to live. We can start by being good stewards and take care of the things that God gives to us. We can transform the church by serving the way that God calls us too. For example, by loving others and helping them through difficult hardships. By being a servant of Jesus Christ, we are being good stewards of what we have. Even if it is little or a lot, it is important that we take care of what God has given to us because He is the one giving it to us.
In 1 Corinthians 4:1-5 we are encouraged by Paul that we should be servants of Christ. This servant attitude is the example given to us by Christ. We are told that as we lead, we should lead with a servant’s heart. The servant’s attitude can transform how the church does ministry by living out the example that Christ has set for us. We read in 1 Corinthians 4:5 “who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart” (1 Corinthians 4:5 ESV). The servant’s heart is one that should be pure in motive and for the kingdom of heaven. The Lord discloses the purpose of the heart. The motive of serving will be brought to light by the Lord, this is example of a proper heart is contagious among the church. This example of a servant-attitude transforms the local church into creating a culture that serves others with true intent. When this culture is created with a purposeful heart the effects are unimaginable. You have people putting others above themselves in a Christ like matter. This builds a foundation for the local church that allows servants to serve and make an impact on the lives of the local church and others. “For Paul, the right attitude of a Church leader should be: “This is God’s church and I am just taking care of this for a while” (Long,2019). Paul tells us how he views his position in the church. We are called to do the same as leaders in the church.
I think if church leaders were able to have this mindset it would allow for more growth in the church. I think some churches are trying to make sure they look good, that they are the church to go to when really that should not be the goal. Yes, you want people to come to your church but are you doing your ministry for the right reasons? Does the church have the mindset to serve God? I think often in ministry we are judgmental of how others run and do things that may be different than done before or how you think something should be done. We must remember that we are here to serve the Lord and He is the one who will judge us if we are wrong (1 Cor 4:4). We may not like the way that someone runs the ministry or an event at the church but if they are not doing anything that is against the Word of God then why should we judge them? We are here on this earth to serve the Lord and be faithful and if we had that attitude we could probably allow the church to naturally grow. If we stop judging and criticizing how one does something we will allow in the growth from the Lord and allow for the church to flourish when we can work together as one body.
Within this post, Dr. Long (2019) argues against a perennial issue concerning the church and its view on money and political status. Leaders, contrary to contemporary culture, are consecrated by God to serve others and place their needs, desires, and worship above their own. Too often, the modern church’s eyes are veiled by monetary prospects – and perhaps fittingly so, since any administration needs a financial base to operate – instead of centering on that treasure that currently surrounds them, the treasure of Christ. In stark contrast to Jesus’s decree that Christians should evince the “light of the world,” the “salt of the earth,” Paul characterizes his ministry “like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things” (1 Corinthians 4:13 ESV). Perhaps there’s an exigent reminder behind the rubble of a seemingly self-defeating argument that denigrates the cultural standards of ministry (Longenecker & Still, 2014, p. 120). The verbal slew Paul tosses toward the way of the “super-apostles,” for instance, in 2 Corinthians 10 demonstrates a reversal, similar to Christ, of cultural norms. Since approved individuals come instituted by God, not boastful of their own achievements or rhetorical influence, they find fulfillment in Him alone. Within the class notes, Dr. Long (2023) regards the skills of oration as emphasizing an attractive build, a disposition that reflects a disciple’s teacher, and an athletic body (p. 90). Often, power was the name of the game, and sophists regularly employed disciples. In contrast, Paul never once claims disciples, downplays his speaking skills and appearance, and elucidates the meaning of a brother-sister relationship as a central tenet of the church (Long, 2023, p. 91).
Keenly, servanthood in the modern age occasionally becomes muddied by a believer’s desire to apply verses of conduct too literally. By focusing on the locus of physical mannerisms, the church body overlooks the integral call of Philippians 1:27, “Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel.” The vices of the world, although not always striking at the heel, seek to erase godly institutions, especially churches, by reorienting stewards and servants from the mysteries of God. Paul does not desire praise for philosophy, and neither does he wish the same for Apollos, Peter, or anyone else (Longenecker & Still, 2014, p. 120). Rather than detailing accomplishments, Christians should make an express note of their godly functions (Long, 2023, p. 91).
I believe if everyone working in the local church today understood this, there would be much less confusion from church leaders. Unfortunately, there are some mega churches that do not quite get this idea. When leaders of churches, with a huge amount of influence over a big group of people, miss this idea, they tend to lead this entire group astray from God. Then they are focused on false ideologies like that of the health and wealth gospel. These leaders, like those of the Corinthian church at the time, are doing it for selfish gain, which is wrong. They completely miss the fact that God has called us to a higher calling than ourselves, to serve Him selflessly no matter how much influence we have been given. I have first-hand experience from a local church that rejected me and my family for wanting to transfer churches. We were in the process of a big transformation, and the church, after hearing that we were planning on attending a different church said, “you won’t find what we have here anywhere else.” This made me feel extremely discouraged, but after reading this passage, I understand that even I myself have been given the responsibility to lead a Christlike example for others. That requires a great amount of self-discipline and focus. I get motivation from this call to excellence. While I may not be on stage preaching, or on the front lines of a mission outreach organization, I can take this calling to live a godly example of leadership in my spheres of influence. I am a senior this year at Grace, and this passage has encouraged me to get more involved in the lives of my friends and personally lead a Christlike example that attracts them to follow Him more.
With this in mind, this is how churches should function. Not to be seeking glory in themselves, but seeking glory in their way because they were entrusted with the Gospel. Like I have stated before, there are so many pastors in churches today who seek out their own glory, instead of glorifying the one who is deserving the glory, who should demonstrate that to the rest of the church. Pastors have lots of responsibilities, and have to hold accountable for whatever may happen. Not only are they leading services, and teaching a whole audience, they have to worry about the building, the future of the church to further improve it that glorifies God.
Paul makes the point that whoever is leading the church, isn’t in charge of it, but God is. He put the person in charge of it because that’s what He has called them to do, and take care of it and the people attending it. He tells this to the church of Corinth, but this of course can be applicable to churches today.
To answer the question at the end of the blog, What specific ways can this servant attitude transform how the local church does ministry? I think a good response would be being accountable for your actions, leading the people by grace and love, and doing things around the community. Again, the churches may be run by the pastors, but they are God’s churches. We are also called to love our neighbors, and to help those who are in need. Our leaders should always be asking, how are we being servants of God, by serving others?
A good passage I think about is Luke 14:12-14, we are called to serve the poor, the crippled, the widow, etc. We should be serving those who most likely can’t repay us back, and not those who can. This also goes into how the rich should invite those people, and not their own friends and family.
I think that this perspective is absolutely crucial for people within the church. This servant-hearted attitude can absolutely transform how the local church does ministry. I think all too often we view the people at the top of ministry roles as local celebrities. And sadly, sometimes people in those higher-up roles really take this to heart and forget to live out their role as a servant. I think that the perspective that these ministry workers are just stewards entrusted with responsibility is really helpful.
Specifically, this would change the way that the local church’s ministry functions by ensuring that the leaders are serving before they are being served. Jesus said that “the greatest among you must be a servant” (Matt 23:11). That’s the reality of God’s upside-down kingdom. Sometimes I think people project the way that the world structures success onto the church. This isn’t only unhealthy, but it’s really hard to do effective and Godly ministry with this perspective. We have to focus on leading by example.
This blog post also reminded me of a sermon I heard at a friend’s wedding this summer. The pastor was talking about gender roles and how the husband is to lead the wife. The pastor emphasized, though, that the man is to lead with selflessness and self-sacrifice. He emphasized that if Jesus had been the type of leader who was constantly being waited on, demanding what he wanted, and getting exactly what he asked for, then a husband could act like that. But, as we know, Jesus was none of those things. He was not demanding; he was loving and patient. He was not selfish; he was selfless. He did not see his role of leadership as one to wield for the sake of power, but rather he saw his role as a place of responsibility. And Jesus stewarded that responsibility perfectly. Just as husbands are to model this in specific ways, believers as a whole are called to model Jesus’s servant-hearted attitude. We are to serve, put others first, and forget ourselves.