Reclaiming Christian Leadership in the AME Church: An Indictment and a Call to Repentance

Reclaiming Christian Leadership in the AME Church: An Indictment and a Call to Repentance

Jason D. Thompson, PhD, Contributing Writer 

The African Methodist Episcopal Church, a denomination forged in the crucible of oppression and resilience, now embroiled in internal conflict. It’s a painful irony, isn’t it? An institution born out of the fight for justice and equality is now seemingly tearing itself apart from within. From my bird’s eye view as a delegate to this 52nd quadriennial session, I have wondered a few times if we have forgotten the very principles that founded us. Have we abandoned the essence of Christian leadership in favor of power struggles and petty squabbles?

The Essence of Christian Leadership: Lost in the Shuffle

We repeat Maxwell’s idiom that “everything rises and falls on leadership,” but do we truly grasp its implications? It’s easy to blame leaders when things go wrong, but let’s be honest: followers are also complicit. If we are truly seeking the Kingdom of God, why do we tolerate leaders who prioritize their own agendas? Have we become so enamored with success, so blinded by ambition, that we’ve lost sight of the true purpose of Christian leadership?

Our culture’s obsession with worldly productivity has seeped into the church. We measure leaders by the size of their congregations, the amount of money they raise, and the accolades they accumulate. But what if, in our relentless pursuit of these results, we’ve sacrificed the very heart of Christian leadership: fruitfulness?

Fruitfulness vs. Productivity: A Damning Dichotomy

Moses, the chosen leader, struck the rock instead of speaking to it. He was disobedient and rebellious, and yet, water still flowed. Was he productive? Yes. But were his actions fruitful? Not one bit! His actions, driven by frustration and ego, missed the mark entirely!

But before we turn our critical noses up against Moses, we’d better ask how many of today’s leaders in the AME Church mirror Moses’ mistake. They achieve their goals, but at what cost? They build empires but leave broken relationships in their wake. They may be “successful,” but their fruit is rotten to the core.

The Holiness of God: An Afterthought

Moses’ disobedience stemmed from a lack of reverence for the holiness of God. Holiness isn’t about adhering to a set of rules; it’s about encountering the numinous—the awe-inspiring, the mysterious, the wholly other.

But have we, in our pursuit of comfort and familiarity with “church,” lost our sense of awe? Have we reduced the holy to the mundane, the sacred to the commonplace? Do we want an encounter with the divine, even in legislative meetings? Of course, God’s encounters are dangerously disruptive. As an unexpected call to action, disruptions provoke us to question the status quo. They are the most radical acts we can experience, breaking through the monotony of our lives. Disruptions are God’s way of challenging us, forcing us to find God and, through the disruptive process, find ourselves.

An Indictment and a Call to Repentance

The AME Church stands at the edge of our own understanding, blinded by the familiar and resistant to the disruptive truth. But the path to salvation and renewal lies not in denial but in embracing the uncomfortable reality of our own failings. We can either continue down this path of self-destruction, or we can choose repentance and a return to authentic Christian leadership. The choice is ours, and the stakes could not be higher to: reject the false prophets who prioritize their own agendas over the Kingdom of God; to raise up leaders who embody integrity, humility, and a deep reverence for the divine; to rediscover the fruitfulness that comes from aligning our actions with God’s will, even when it’s difficult or unpopular. Only then can we truly reclaim our heritage and fulfill our destiny as an institution of hope and justice in a broken world.

Jason D. Thompson is pastor of Sacramento’s St. Andrews AME Church, the oldest historically Black congregation on the West Coast. He is a delegate to the 52nd Quadrennial Session of the General Conference.