Reflections on In the Name of Jesus by Henri Nouwen

The central question facing Christian leaders today, I think, is: Are we going to be led? Nouwen rightly points out that the cure to the temptation to relevance is mysticism. The Christian leader must be a mystic rooted in the reality of the living Christ to navigate the waters infested with sharks of ego, power, efficiency and world-success.

The central question for me as I face leadership in the coming future is how can I lead people into a desire for the mystic reality of Christ in the intimacy of the Lover. How can I be a part of the Spirits drawing them to the depths? Year after year, as a pastor, I feel like I am treading water. People seem to make little movement toward desperation and hunger for the transformed life. If they so successfully resist the wooing of the Spirit, what does my leadership stand to offer?


I am frightened that I will fail as a leader. I am scared to death that I will not be relevant, or popular, or significant. And I am scared that I too could succumb to those temptations and in the end be unfaithful.

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Since writing the above I’ve changed. I honestly didn’t see much that was exciting about the future. I was in a funk (not the good kind, like p-funk, but the kind that sucks the spiritual life out of you). Fortunately the last Tuesday night of every month is like a mini retreat for me. I have friends in the city of Saginaw who have been getting together to have a Taizé style service. I came away, as I usually do, happy, content, and brimming with love. I reflected on the drive home on why the change.

One of the things about this gathering is the strong sense of community present. These are friends I trust, and much like with my cohort, I can really be at home in Christ. Nouwen was right to cite the communal disciplines of confession and forgiveness as the curative for the temptation to be popular. In true community, as I find in these services, I don’t need to be anyone special. They don’t need to know that I am a pastor in another town. I don’t need to be a leader.

The other thing that these gatherings offer is the contemplative access to the heart of God. I come away in love with people everywhere again. As I lovingly looked at this group of friends, and even down the street at the strangers hanging outside the Red Eye coffeehouse, I felt encouraged about the future. There were people who experienced Christ in community with me. If that was true, then perhaps my love for Christ, and my renewed love for the people God loves will rub off on those whom I lead.

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