When referring to coordination as a leadership skill, we must qualify that for the Church it means more than getting people to outwardly conform and work together as a unit. Rather, we’re coming together in true unity — the kind of coordination that showcases Christ.
Lessons from Ephesians about How Coordination Showcases Christ
As we page through the Book of Ephesians we find many references to the Church, with Christ as its Head, living in a way that promotes and exhibits true unity. Here’s what we can learn from Ephesians as it could relate to coordination:
1) Coordination in the Church aligns with God’s eternal intent to “bring unity to all things in heaven and earth under Christ” (Eph. 1:8-10).
2) Coordination portrays a Church that is about Him, as “God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church” (Eph. 1:22-23).
3) Coordination demonstrates how Jesus destroys barriers and walls of hostility, “thus making peace” by bringing together diverse people and making it so that “in him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. … built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit” (Eph. 2:14-24).
4) Coordination fulfills God intent that “through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Eph. 3:10-11).
5) Coordination that gets beyond mere outward conformity to true unity grows out of “being rooted and established in love” and pulls on His power (Eph. 4:16-21).
The Steering the Church Toward Christ-like Character Leadership Guide includes these five points, plus five more lessons about coordination from the fourth chapter of Ephesians, with some brief commentary about each.
For More on Being Christ-like, Go To: Resources about Christlikeness in the Church
All Posts about Coordination:
- Motivation for Coordination
- Means of Coordination
- Coordination Integral to God’s Design
- Coordination Governed by the Great Commission
- Coordination Showcases Christ
- Coordination in Submission to Christ
- Coordination in the Church is Possible
- Coordination Founded Upon the Gospel
- Grace to Hurdle Obstacles to Coordination
- Holy Spirit Essential to Coordination
- Spiritual Gifts Useful to Coordination
- Motivational Effect of His Name to Coordination
- Does Your Church Function as a Coordinated Whole?
- Jesus’ Resurrection Takes Coordination to New Heights
- Jesus’ Resurrection Provides the Keys to Coordination
- Coordinating with One Another, Not Outwitted by the Enemy
- God’s Word Gets Us Singing the Same Song
- Guide the Body to the Source That Holds Us Together
- Prayer Essential to Coordination