The following elements thrived among us as a mission during our first four decades, resulting in many new ministries and launching of YWAMers globally, but in the 90s we began to drift in some places. These are the moorings that I believe will bring about a renewed apostolic thrust:

Freedom in the Spirit
Spiritual Eldership
Relationship


All of these must function under the Lordship of Jesus, according to His word and His will.


1. Freedom in the Spirit

Every individual, from the youngest to the oldest, must have freedom in the Spirit to hear and obey the word of the Lord. This opens up creativity for Him and from Him to initiate among us anything He wants to do.

We teach students, “You can hear God’s voice…but you also must obey it and step out to trust Him to do the impossible.” The steps are: (1) God gives revelation, (2) we interpret the revelation and (3) we apply what we understand. We may make mistakes sometimes in our interpretation or application, but that’s not evil–that is how we learn. Often the young and inexperienced hear God most clearly, for they do not yet believe that it can’t be done!

It is important that individuals have this freedom in the Spirit to hear and obey God, but this is not done in a vacuum or independently. Otherwise you can end up with the “tyranny of one.” This is where it becomes important to understand how spiritual leadership works.



2. Spiritual Eldership

Elders are not necessarily older in age (Timothy, a youth, was an elder and appointed other elders). But elders have a breadth and depth of experience and spiritual maturity, and they fulfill the leadership criteria outlined in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1.

True elders are submitted to the Lordship of Jesus and to their followers, as servant leaders. They have a responsibility to take to God in prayer any word that is submitted to them by an individual, and also to test it according to the scriptures. This trust is sacred, and they should receive this new, baby vision like a grandparent would receive a grandchild. God’s heart is broken when new vision is stomped on by leadership; He says, “it would be better for you if a millstone were hung around your neck…” Luke 17:2 (NRSV).

According to Timothy and Titus, spiritual leaders must be hospitable. The Greek word for hospitable, “xenophile,” means “a lover of the new, the strange, the different.” Thus they are open-hearted toward new vision and pioneer projects, asking God to “show us if this word is conceived by You and give us the timing and other application details.” Then they should coach the group in how the word is best applied in the context of the whole.

Spiritual leadership is like Moses going into the tent of meeting in the Old Testament, where he would meet with God and listen to Him about the affairs of the people. He then would come out and deliver the word of the Lord. A danger in any organization is for structures to dominate, taking a position above this emphasis on meeting with God. When that happens, suddenly decisions are made according to budgets and structure instead of the voice, vision and values of the Lord.

I believe every YWAM ministry should have spiritual eldership. Even small teams going on short-term outreach should identify who the leaders are and lay their hands on them and pray for God’s anointing (Acts 13:1-4 and Exodus 40:15). These individuals, as well as those serving over them in leadership, should take seriously their mandate to seek the Lord on behalf of the people and bless them (Numbers 6:22-27).

There is nothing in this concept of spiritual leadership that says one person is better than another. God calls us to salute the dignity, value and equality of every person we come into contact with. Whether you have the ministry of an apostle or the ministry of helps, everyone is equal. The functions are different, but every ministry is equal in value to every other ministry.



3. Relationship


Spiritual elders are to lead primarily through prayer, influence and relationship, not through control. One of the main ways this is done is through teaching. According to 1 Timothy 3, a leader must be “able to teach.”

Jesus said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers among the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all” (Mark 10:42-44).

Leaders who control people with clenched hands will produce followers who will one day shake their clenched fists back at them. This kind of hierarchical leadership is not kingdom authority. Inevitably it will produce rebellion.

Instead, if you lead in an open-handed way–giving and serving–you are leading in Jesus’ way. He said, “Even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).

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