Rethinking the Church through Baptist Tradition, History, and Theology (Practical Reflections)
Part 9 ：How Do Leaders Cultivate a Culture of Communal Discernment?
Leadership Is Not Merely Making Decisions, but Shaping a Community
If the previous article suggested that important things need to slow down, then a new question naturally arises: once we slow down, what exactly are we waiting for?
When we speak of communal discernment, listening together, and the beautiful phrase from Acts 15—“It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us”—it is easy to treat these as abstract spiritual ideals. Yet the more I reflect on Baptist history, the more I have come to realize that communal discernment does not simply happen by itself. It is not an accidental harmony that appears whenever people pray together, nor does consensus emerge automatically. Rather, communal discernment is a culture. And cultures are never formed spontaneously; they must be cultivated, and they must be led.
This is why leadership is about far more than advancing ministries, managing resources, or making decisions. In many ways, the most important task of a leader is to shape the community itself. And what a church eventually becomes often depends upon the kind of culture its leaders patiently build over time.
For many Chinese churches, however, cultivating a culture of communal discernment is not easy. From childhood, many of us have been shaped by cultures that place a high value on authority, experience, and having answers. People naturally expect pastors to know what to do, deacons to provide direction, and leaders to make decisions quickly. Consequently, when a leader says, “I do not yet have all the answers. Let us seek God together,” people may actually become uneasy. In the minds of many, leaders are expected to possess answers, not acknowledge their limitations.
Perhaps, then, the greatest enemy of communal discernment is not authoritarianism itself, but a community that has gradually become accustomed to a pattern in which a few people do the thinking while the majority simply cooperate; a few people seek God's will while the majority merely accept the answers. Such a pattern may not arise from ill intentions, nor is it entirely wrong. Yet over time, even if congregational meetings, committees, and voting procedures remain intact, the community's capacity for discernment can slowly diminish. People simply become accustomed to waiting for answers rather than seeking God together.
The issue, therefore, is not merely one of structures, but of culture. And culture is often formed through seemingly insignificant habits. When important matters arise, are leaders willing to invite the community into the process before decisions are finalized, rather than presenting conclusions only at the very end? Before establishing a direction, are they willing to spend time studying Scripture and praying together, rather than completing a proposal first and seeking support afterward? When differing voices emerge, are leaders eager to eliminate tension, or are they willing to accompany the community through it?
Very often, a culture of communal discernment is not formed during formal meetings, but through countless ordinary interactions. For example, before discussing agenda items, are deacons willing to spend fifteen or twenty minutes studying Scripture together and asking how God's Word speaks to the issues before them? When facing important questions, are pastoral teams willing to set aside time for silence, prayer, and mutual sharing before rushing toward solutions? And when confronting major matters—such as structural reforms, pastoral searches, the passing of faith to the next generation, or the future direction of the church—must everything be decided in a single meeting? Or can the community be allowed to gather several times, gradually moving through information sharing, listening, prayer, and reflection before arriving at consensus?
These seemingly small practices slowly teach an entire community how to wait. For communal discernment is not merely about waiting for more information. It is about giving space—to one another, to relationships, and to the Holy Spirit's work within people's hearts. We often assume that answers should appear quickly. Yet the deepest questions and the most genuine concerns often take time to surface.
In many ways, what we are truly waiting for after slowing down is not simply the passing of time itself. We are waiting for different voices to emerge. We are waiting for hearts to draw closer together. And we are waiting for the Holy Spirit to work within His people.
For during the first discussion, it is often only the most outspoken voices that are heard. During the second conversation, quieter members begin to speak. By the third gathering, deeper concerns and underlying questions gradually come to the surface.
Communal discernment, therefore, is not about waiting for problems to solve themselves. It is about waiting for the entire community to slowly begin seeing God's leading together.
This is why a good leader is not necessarily the person with the most answers, but the one who creates space for the community. Such a leader is willing to acknowledge his own limitations and say, “I do not yet fully understand, but let us seek God together.” He does not rush to provide every answer, nor does he hurry to bring tensions to an end. Instead, he is willing to accompany the community as it continues its journey together, even in the midst of uncertainty.
This way of leading is not easy. Allowing a few people to make decisions quickly is often faster, simpler, and produces visible results more immediately. Communal discernment, however, requires time and patience. It makes room for uncertainty. It allows communities to move forward slowly, learning and feeling their way together. For modern people accustomed to efficiency and measurable outcomes, such leadership can even feel unsettling.
Yet when we return to Acts 15, we find precisely this kind of leadership among the apostles and elders. They did not hasten to announce a solution, nor did they use authority to suppress opposing voices. Rather, through debate, testimony, listening, and prayer, they guided the entire community in discerning the will of God. And only when consensus gradually emerged were they able to bear witness together:
“It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us.” (Acts 15:28)¹
Perhaps the beauty of this phrase lies not merely in its outcome, but in the process it represents.
For truly mature leaders are not simply people who provide answers. They are people who help communities form answers. They do not seek God on behalf of the community, but help the community learn to seek God together. They do not make others dependent upon themselves, but lead the whole body to depend more deeply upon Christ.
Therefore, when the next important decision arrives, perhaps the question we need to ask is not merely who should make the decision, nor even how we can make the decision most efficiently.
Perhaps the deeper question is this:
What are we truly looking for?
A leader who possesses all the answers?
Or a people who are willing to seek God together?
Pastor Antony
Notes
1. Acts 15:1–29.
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