Nothing About Us, Without Us: Wisdom in Christian Leadership

In many American churches, there is an assumption—sometimes explicit, often unspoken—that firsthand experience is not necessary for faithful leadership. Scripture, it is argued, provides all the wisdom required to judge any situation rightly. A Christian leader need only extrapolate from biblical principles, regardless of their own distance from the realities they are addressing.

When people talk about the benefits of diversity in leadership and congregations, you see many Christian leaders bristle. "Diversity" they say, is not a scriptural qualification for leadership -- and so it shouldn't matter if a congregation or denomination's leaders are dominated by people of a single race, ethnicity, gender, disability status, sexual orientation, or marital status. There is no need to seek counsel, advice, or insight from anyone that is in those groups either, because the Bible is sufficient to bestow all the wisdom necessary for leading, judging, and guiding God's people, and to speak righteously into the darkness of surrounding culture. 

Here, it seems, the doctrine of Sola Scriptura is warped. Sola Scriptura is usually understood to mean that the Bible is the sole infallible source of authority for Christian faith and practice. However, this does not mean (as some maintain) that the Bible contains all knowledge and experience that anyone might need to make wise choices and judgments in any and all areas of life. Everyone would agree that it would be the height of arrogance for someone to think that as long as they've read the scripture, a person who doesn't have a medical degree and several years of surgical training could believe themselves wise enough to do heart surgery. A Christian surgeon would absolutely be guided by his faith and practice in the performance of his duties as a physician, but he still requires specific knowledge and experience in order to do his job wisely.

The very definition of Wisdom is "the application of good judgment and insight to experience and knowledge".

If a deacon has no first hand experience with poverty in America in our lifetime, can they apply good judgment and insight by simply reading scripture regarding ancient Israel's laws on treatment of the poor and the Acts of the Apostles in regards to the poor? Or would the insight, experience, and knowledge of contemporary poor brothers and sisters in Christ be necessary input before they can make wise financial policies for the benevolence funds of their church?

If an elder has no first hand experience with racial discrimination, can they apply good judgment and insight to the church's stance on the George Floyd Protests and BLM movement as long as they also read about the racial tensions in Romans between Jewish and Gentile believers? Or would talking directly to Black brothers and sisters in Christ about their scholarship and experience on the topic provide them access to the expertise needed for wisdom?

If a pastor has no first hand experience with sexual abuse and gendered violence, can they apply good judgment and insight to their counsel of women in those situations that will help and edify because they've read of Tamar's rape?  Or would seeking out survivors, trauma experts, and the experience of other women also be necessary for nuanced, careful, and wise care?

Of course all scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. And of course no problem or situation ought to be approached without scripture guiding our paths. But scripture itself forbids us to approach any situation without love. Love, according to scripture, requires us to dwell with each other according to knowledge. Our leaders have to *know* us, and in order to do that; they have to seek us out and listen to us when we have experience, knowledge, and expertise that they don't have.

The authority to lead the household of God does not accrue to someone by fiat. The offices and ordinations are held by virtue of someone's qualifications. The absolute baseline qualifications for any officer within the church is that they be of good reputation, wise, and full of the Holy Spirit. Holding any authoritative office in the Body of Christ is predicated on someone having wisdom.

If a leader is not actively, routinely seeking out the experience, knowledge, and expertise of the people they are seeking to impact and serve, they are not wise. Categorically, definitionally, they cannot be wise, because they cannot apply good judgment to or have insight about experience and knowledge if they don't have access to experience and knowledge.

Therefore this is an urgent principle to communicate to anyone who is an overseer in God's household, because without wisdom, they disqualify themselves from ministry. The flock has no duty to follow such a shepherd.

"'Nothing About Us Without Us' (Latin: Nihil de nobis, sine nobis) is a slogan used to communicate the idea that no policy should be decided by any representative without the full and direct participation of members of the group(s) affected by that policy."