In A Theology of Authority, Christa McKirland makes a helpful delineation between two broad types of authority.
The first is executive authority – authority that comes from the position we hold, like being a parent, or a member of an elected government. These positions give us power over others, and to require certain behaviours from them.
The second is non-executive authority – an influential type of authority. This sort of authority can be based on your knowledge, where you are an authority on a subject, or it can be based on your competence, where you demonstrate your skills.
Or it can be based on your character, as others see that your life and character are worth imitating. This one is powerful.
These types of authority overlap. For example, I am an authority on certain theological topics – if you want to know about trinitarian ecclesiology, I wrote a book on it! At Bishopdale College, I have positional authority as a lecturer. I can require students to submit their assessments on time, to a certain standard, or they will not pass the course.
In many academic environments, having greater knowledge is enough.
However, at Bishopdale College, the aim isn’t just information transfer. Being an authority on a topic isn’t enough to make a person worth imitating. Bishopdale is very deliberate about our calling to serve the people of God, and to equip our students to serve and lead well. They don’t just need knowledge, but to be formed as disciples and followers of Jesus. Because of this it isn’t enough for our lecturers to simply have excellent theological knowledge.
I’m always aware that Jesus was never particularly impressed by those who knew lots – the Pharisees, Sadduccees and scribes were often on the sharp end of his social commentary.
The more important question is whether our lives demonstrate that character-based authority.
Is our example in following Jesus consistently worth imitating?
In 1 Corinthians, Paul twice urges the church to imitate him. In 1 Corinthians 4:16, he describes himself as their father, and calls them to “be imitators of me.” Later on in 1 Corinthians, after a lengthy discussion of walking in love, and self-denial for the sake of others, Paul says again, “Be imitators of me, as I imitate Christ.” Some translations change the language of “imitation” to “follow”; “follow me, as I follow Christ,” but there is something quite important about the idea of imitating Christ. The main emphasis here is not on imitating Paul, but on imitating Jesus!
On one level, we might frame the question like this: “Is my life worth imitating?” This is a fair and good question, which invites us to consider the things we prioritise, the choices we make, and the character we exemplify. However, there is also a risk that individuals become those we follow, and all of us have our own issues!
The reality is that my life is not always worth imitating – and it doesn’t take long to identify moments of failure. Interactions with colleagues can become snappier when I’m stressed, my volume sometimes increases when it feels like the kids aren’t listening, and sometimes good intentions disguise self-centred motives. I do not always have it all together.
But when we shift the centre of our emphasis slightly from “Am I worth following?” to “How well do I follow Jesus?” it helps change our focus. We are all called to imitate Jesus and his example of self-sacrificial love.
So, regardless of whether you have a ministry leadership role or not, the invitation to all of us is the same: are we following Jesus in a way that encourages others to follow Jesus? Do we model discipleship that is self-centred, or a discipleship where in some ways, we “get out of the way” as we point others to him.
As we follow Jesus together, there is grace for our failures, space for continuing to learn and grow, and great encouragement in all being disciples on the journey alongside one another.
Christa McKirland, A Theology of Authority: Rethinking Leadership in the Church, 2025.
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We have invited these writers to share their experiences, ideas and opinions in the hope that these will provoke thought, challenge you to go deeper and inspire you to put your faith into action. These articles should not be taken as the official view of the Nelson Diocese on any particular matter.
In A Theology of Authority, Christa McKirland makes a helpful delineation between two broad types of authority.
The first is executive authority – authority that comes from the position we hold, like being a parent, or a member of an elected government. These positions give us power over others, and to require certain behaviours from them.
The second is non-executive authority – an influential type of authority. This sort of authority can be based on your knowledge, where you are an authority on a subject, or it can be based on your competence, where you demonstrate your skills.
Or it can be based on your character, as others see that your life and character are worth imitating. This one is powerful.
These types of authority overlap. For example, I am an authority on certain theological topics – if you want to know about trinitarian ecclesiology, I wrote a book on it! At Bishopdale College, I have positional authority as a lecturer. I can require students to submit their assessments on time, to a certain standard, or they will not pass the course.
In many academic environments, having greater knowledge is enough.
However, at Bishopdale College, the aim isn’t just information transfer. Being an authority on a topic isn’t enough to make a person worth imitating. Bishopdale is very deliberate about our calling to serve the people of God, and to equip our students to serve and lead well. They don’t just need knowledge, but to be formed as disciples and followers of Jesus. Because of this it isn’t enough for our lecturers to simply have excellent theological knowledge.
I’m always aware that Jesus was never particularly impressed by those who knew lots – the Pharisees, Sadduccees and scribes were often on the sharp end of his social commentary.
The more important question is whether our lives demonstrate that character-based authority.
Is our example in following Jesus consistently worth imitating?
In 1 Corinthians, Paul twice urges the church to imitate him. In 1 Corinthians 4:16, he describes himself as their father, and calls them to “be imitators of me.” Later on in 1 Corinthians, after a lengthy discussion of walking in love, and self-denial for the sake of others, Paul says again, “Be imitators of me, as I imitate Christ.” Some translations change the language of “imitation” to “follow”; “follow me, as I follow Christ,” but there is something quite important about the idea of imitating Christ. The main emphasis here is not on imitating Paul, but on imitating Jesus!
On one level, we might frame the question like this: “Is my life worth imitating?” This is a fair and good question, which invites us to consider the things we prioritise, the choices we make, and the character we exemplify. However, there is also a risk that individuals become those we follow, and all of us have our own issues!
The reality is that my life is not always worth imitating – and it doesn’t take long to identify moments of failure. Interactions with colleagues can become snappier when I’m stressed, my volume sometimes increases when it feels like the kids aren’t listening, and sometimes good intentions disguise self-centred motives. I do not always have it all together.
But when we shift the centre of our emphasis slightly from “Am I worth following?” to “How well do I follow Jesus?” it helps change our focus. We are all called to imitate Jesus and his example of self-sacrificial love.
So, regardless of whether you have a ministry leadership role or not, the invitation to all of us is the same: are we following Jesus in a way that encourages others to follow Jesus? Do we model discipleship that is self-centred, or a discipleship where in some ways, we “get out of the way” as we point others to him.
As we follow Jesus together, there is grace for our failures, space for continuing to learn and grow, and great encouragement in all being disciples on the journey alongside one another.
Check out other articles in the
series below.
More articles in the
series are to come.
