When Less Is More, A Paradox of Christian Leadership

It is difficult to propose that God's leaders should do less. Everything within us spurs us forward, demanding our best for the God of Heaven. Our culture has imposed upon us the imperative of more. Additionally, we have been trained to believe we are essential to the victory. There is not a scenario, in our minds, that would justify doing less for a God who has given His everything. We cling to that narrative. God wants it all! We find ourselves compelled to give it all. We are driven to it. Here is what we have failed to grasp: sometimes, many times, less IS more. Less of us leaves more for Him. Less of us allows God to shine through. Our less is God's opportunity to reveal Himself in ways that our actions tend to overshadow. For a lack of a healthy ethic of less, we incorrectly conclude that our victory is contingent upon our wisdom and efforts. That is why God sends Gideon out to battle without so much as a sword. That is the reason people march around Jericho blowing horns and why a no-name shepherd boy struck down the most imposing warrior of his generation. Time and again, God pushes Israel (and us) to the brink of absurdity just to prove His point: He, the Lord of Hosts, IS the victory. When Less Is More challenges us with a God who is sufficient. It posits that our efforts are more about aligning ourselves with God's will than tipping the scales in God's favor. Our challenge is to be less present and less essential to the work. It is to trust God with His church. We question: what does ministry look like when we lead less and follow more? Can it be that less of us lead us more readily to God's success? It is a hard conclusion to like, but, like John, we may need to decrease so that God can increase. Why? Because less (of us) is more from God's perspective.