Leiers wat dien en bedien. 'n Pauliniese beskrywing van kerkleiers en hulle funksies in 1 & 2 Korintiers

Abstract

What constitutes the functions and the essence of Pauline church leadership? How functional, relevant and useful is the huge amount of secular and religious literature published annually regarding leadership, for the church of Jesus Christ? In an effort to answer these and other questions, this essay studies portions of First and Second Corinthians, and comes to two conclusions. Firstly, that Pauline church leaders were characterised by service and servanthood, and secondly, that they also functioned as the mediators of pneumatological realities. Both of these dimentions function wholly within the paradigm of humility and dependance upon God, who is shown by Paul to be the source, as well as the focus of the superlative glory that characterises the ministry of the new covenant. The effects of the Pauline ministry functions simultaneously as the fruits, as well as the criteria of Pauline ministry in the new covenant.