Abstract
The aim of the article is to describe leadership from the perspective of friendship. This perspective highlights a pastoral rather than a power oriented approach to leadership. Such an approach would be compatible with an attitude of service as an essential characteristic of the church. It could also contribute to the healing of church structures that have become entangled in power games. It could lead to the healing of women and other disempowered groups who have for centuries been the victims of the power struggles of church institutions.
Highlights
The aim of the article is to describe leadership from the perspective of friendship. This perspective highlights a pastoral rather than a power oriented approach to leadership. Such an approach would be compatible with an attitude of service as an essential characteristic of the church
It could contribute to the healing of church structures that have become entangled in power games
It could lead to the healing of women and other disempowered groups who have for centuries been the victims of the power struggles of church institutions
Summary
There is an increasing unease among women and men who experience the leadership of the church as being stuck in a patriarchal mindset, exercising power in an authoritarian, “from-above” manner (see Barr 1969:150). How the terms “authority” and “leadership” were understood in Biblical times can shed light on the historical heritage and the resulting present practice of the church concerning power and authority This understanding had an effect on the ways in which the naming of God was done in the Bible as well as in the subsequent theological tradition. If one‟s approach to the Bible is that of “soft authority” God‟s power will be understood in less absolute terms and the names given to God will reflect this. It could lead to the healing of women and other disempowered groups who have for centuries been the victims of the power struggles of church institutions
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