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The making of a Synod Lecture is as important as the personality of the lecturer. The Rt. Rev’d Dr. Samuel Sowale, retired Bishop of the Diocese of Ilesha, a scholar per excellence took the lecture on cooperative leadership within the Anglican Communion with ecclesiastical intelligibility and theological lucidity.
Leadership in the Anglican Church is unique with the traditional summary that “The Anglican Church is Episcopally led and Synodically governed. As part of the one, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) is committed to worshipping the one True God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. She professes the faith as revealed in the Holy Scriptures and set forth in the Catholic Creeds namely the Apostles’ Creed, the Nicene Creed and the Athanasius Creed. Her doctrine is hinged on the Historic Formularies, the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion, the Book of Common Prayers and the ordering of Deacons, Priests and Bishops in that order. The operations of the Anglican Communion are additionally guided by her Constitution while a Diocese is governed by the Synod comprising: (i) The House of Bishop, (ii) The House of Clergy, (iii) The House of Laity. The trio forms the cooperative governance of a Diocese.
The Bishop is the head of the team while the clergy and the laity are co-workers with God in the Ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 6:1). To enhance productivity, there must be division of labor as typified by Moses (Exod. 18:13-27) and the elected and appointed workers must be persons of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom (Acts 6). The Bishop, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, is saddled with the responsibility of galvanizing the diverse gifts of all co-workers (1 Cor. 12:12-31).
At the Synod, delegates are to promote the good of the Diocese and not of their various Parishes. They are to work in synergy with the Bishop for the general good of the Diocese. Parishioners, Priests and the Bishop must strive to grow daily into Christ, the true Owner of the Church, through daily Bible Study listening to Jesus everyday and daily Prayers talking to Jesus everyday. All players are into servant leadership with the Bishop as the Chief servant serving others after Jesus’ example. Jesus said: “I am among you as the one who serves” (Luke 22:27b). Workers must remember that no position is permanent. We all are in tenured shared leadership positions promoting the course of the Kingdom of God. Finally, Apostle Paul reminded Timothy and all Church leaders that they may know how they ought to conduct themselves in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth (1 Tim. 3:15).
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