Rector’s Reflections
Wednesday 30th April 2025
Christian Leadership in Today’s World
In yesterday’s reflections, I suggested that one of the requirements for effective Christian leadership in today’s world is a spirit of compassion. There is much need in the world, and most of us go through difficult times in our own lives. Some of our fellow human beings are faced with having to cope with situations of extreme need for long periods of time. The world tends to be full of anger and condemnation, but lacking in compassion. We need more compassion. There will, of course, be times when we will need to make tough decisions. We will not be able to respond to every cry for help, and there will be times when we will have to say “no”. But even so, our whole approach to life needs to be based on compassion: compassion for others, and compassion on ourselves. Jesus modelled compassion, and we should seek to follow his example.
But there are other qualities which are needed from our leaders. I think compassion by itself is not enough. I think our leaders also need to seek the well-being of all. In short, they need to seek the common good.
This isn’t quite as obvious as it seems. Many leaders focus on looking after the needs of those who placed them in power in the first place. Leaders naturally wish to remain in power, and this means gaining and keeping the support of the key people or organisations. Sometimes leaders talk about their “mandate”, but this can sometimes serve as an easy excuse for ignoring any sense of what is for the common good of all. A leader might say: “I was appointed to do such and such, and this is what I am going to do”. We applaud them for their consistency. But what if their “democratic” mandate is a mandate to pursue to the interests of the few rather than the many? And then there are the realities of staying a leader. Leaders head up organisations, and most organisations need a plentiful supply of money and supporters to keep going. It is very easy for leaders to focus down on the political and financial realities of staying in power, rather than on seeking the good of everyone.
And even if a leader does indeed focus on what is for the common good, rather than on what is simply expedient for staying in power, the concept of the “common good” is often subject to various restrictions. To begin with, the scope of the “common good” is often limited to the common good of our own organisation or unit, for example the common good of our own particular nation, or, in Church circles, the common good of our own particular diocese or denomination. We tend to ignore the bigger picture.
Furthermore, there is the problem of intergenerational equity: do we seek the common good of our own generation, or do we also look ahead and include a consideration of the common good of generations to come? It can be politically attractive to limit considerations of the common good to the needs of our own generation, and pay little if any regard to the needs of generations to come. Such thinking can come to dominate discussions about government finance: should the current generation of taxpayers pay for something, or should we shift the burden to the taxpayers of the future? It can also play a role in conversations about care for the environment, climate change and the goal of Carbon Zero: should we focus on what is in our own best interests at this point in time, regardless of whether it will make things so much worse for future generations?
So while I think our leaders should indeed be focussed on the common good, I think it is important for the concept of the common good to be defined as broadly as possible. Christian leaders need to take a long term view, and to consider the best interests of everyone, not just those who would identify as Christians. How can we make decisions which will be a blessing to Christians and non-Christian alike, and a blessing not just in the present moment, but also in the longer term?
This is certainly a demanding task; but is too demanding? I do not think so. But you might well disagree!