Dear friends in Christ,

Leadership questions never seem far off in the life of the church. Who is in charge? Whose vision will we follow? Which program, strategy, or personality will carry us forward? In anxious moments, we can begin looking for a human head or leader to stabilize things, someone strong enough, wise enough, or energetic enough to keep the body moving. Yet Scripture points us in an entirely different direction.

St. Paul writes “And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all,” (Eph. 1:22–23 ESV). Christ is not merely one leader among others. He is the living head of His body. From Him the whole church is directed, nourished, and held together. Later, Paul adds that we are to “grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped … makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love,” (Eph. 4:15b–16 ESV). And again: “He is the head of the body, the church,” (Col. 1:18a ESV).

This truth is both deeply comforting and deeply clarifying. It is comforting, because the church’s endurance does not finally rest on our ability to find the right leader, the right plan, or the right moment. It rests on Christ Himself. He rules, sustains, and builds up. It is clarifying, because every other form of leadership in the church is secondary and must serve under His headship. Pastors, teachers, officers, and members are not the head. They are members of the body who look to the head and speak the truth in love so that the whole body may grow.

When the world seems to decay and the visible structures of the church feel fragile, we do not panic. The church is built on the Rock. The head of the church lives. The church endures because He endures. Our calling is simply to remain under Him—trusting His Word, receiving His gifts, and living as members of His body in love.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, help us trust in Your leadership, receive Your gifts with gratitude, and serve one another in love as members of Your body. Keep us rooted in Your Word and steadfast in faith, even when the world feels uncertain. Amen.

Lord Jesus Christ, the Church’s head,
You are her one foundation;
In You she trusts, before You bows,
And waits for Your salvation.
Built on this rock secure,
Your Church shall endure
Though all the world decay
And all things pass away.
O hear, O hear us, Jesus!
“Lord Jesus Christ, the Church’s Head” (LSB 647:1)

In Christ,

Rev. Samuel M. Powell
Third Vice President
Missouri District