When we planted Reflect Church in 2021, we defaulted to leading as a team of 5. I'd like to say that this came from some sort of theological conviction but it didn't. The honest answer is that we were afraid. We'd seen the dark side of top-down leadership and were looking to mitigate the risks.

As we made major decisions (like signing a building lease) as a church in this way, I began to study the scripture. I wanted to understand my own gifting and role and I stumbled across something surprising and undeniable. The early church was led by a team. In this episode I unpack the core idea around the role of elders and show that in the early days of Acts and the New Testament, teams of apostles planted churches and then appointed teams of elders. That's not to say that this is the only leadership structure that is possible. But understanding the origins of the early church can give us a healthy basis for what we build today in the modern age. 

I believe this way of leading can be much more sustainable and life-giving for leaders and churches.

Praying you find this helpful!

If you're still reading, my name is Sats Solanki aka Digital Rabbi. I lead Reflect Church in London, UK. If you'd like to connect then head over to Insta @satsolanki or head to https://digitalrabbi.co. To find out more about Reflect Church head to https://reflect.church