Collaboration Over Control
I've been thinking a lot lately about King Arthur's Round Table. Whether or not Arthur was a historical figure, the symbolism of that round table has captured imaginations for centuries. Here was a radical departure from the typical throne room setup where the king sits elevated above his subjects. Instead, Arthur created a space where knights could gather as equals, each bringing their unique strengths to serve a common mission.
No head of the table. No hierarchy of seating. Just warriors united around a shared purpose, each valued for what they brought to the whole.
This image has become my picture of what church—true ecclesia—could look like when we stop building empires and start building God's Kingdom.
The Difference Between Church Structures and God's Kingdom Community
Most of what we call "church" today operates more like a corporate structure than a biblical ecclesia. We have CEOs (senior pastors), middle management (associate pastors and staff), and employees (congregation members). Information flows down from the top, decisions are made by leadership and announced to the people, and success is measured by the growth of the organization under the senior leader's vision.
This might be an effective way to run a business, but it's not how Jesus designed His church to function.
The word Jesus used—ecclesia—referred to a governing assembly where citizens gathered to make decisions that affected their community. It wasn't a religious service you attended; it was a governmental body you participated in. The ecclesia had authority to make binding decisions, settle disputes, and direct the affairs of the city.
When Jesus said "I will build my ecclesia" (Matthew 16:18, NIV), He wasn't talking about a weekend worship service or a religious institution. He was talking about a governmental body that would represent God's Kingdom on earth—a community of empowered citizens working together to advance His rule and reign.
How Traditional Hierarchies Mirror Worldly Power Systems
Somewhere along the way, the church abandoned this revolutionary model and adopted the power structures of the surrounding culture. Instead of a community of equals serving together, we created pyramids with a few people at the top making decisions for everyone else.
This shift didn't happen overnight, and it wasn't necessarily malicious. As Christianity spread throughout the Roman Empire, church leaders began adopting Roman governmental and military structures. What seemed practical and efficient gradually replaced the more chaotic but authentic model of shared leadership that characterized the early church.
The result? We ended up with systems that look remarkably similar to the worldly kingdoms Jesus explicitly rejected.
When James and John asked to sit at Jesus' right and left hand in His kingdom, Jesus responded: "You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant" (Mark 10:42-43, NIV).
Yet much of modern church structure is built on exactly the model Jesus rejected—hierarchical power systems where a few people at the top "lord it over" those beneath them.
What "Coming Around the Table" Actually Means in Practice
In our community, we've been experimenting with what it looks like to literally come around the table rather than maintain traditional hierarchies. This isn't about rejecting all leadership or structure—it's about creating space where everyone's voice matters and everyone's gifting contributes to the whole.
Practically, this means:
In decision-making: Major decisions aren't made by one person and announced to everyone else. Instead, we gather our leadership team around an actual table, share what each person is sensing, and work toward consensus. Sometimes this takes longer than executive decisions, but the outcomes are owned by everyone rather than imposed on them.
In ministry development: New initiatives don't flow down from the senior pastor's vision. They emerge from the community as people discover their callings and begin serving in areas they're passionate about. Leadership's role becomes supporting and coordinating these emerging ministries rather than generating all the ideas.
In problem-solving: When conflicts or challenges arise, we address them as a team rather than expecting one person to have all the answers. Different perspectives often reveal solutions that no individual would have discovered alone.
In teaching and preaching: While we have primary teachers, we also create space for others to share insights, lead discussions, and contribute their unique perspectives. The goal isn't to showcase one person's gifting but to help everyone grow in their ability to hear and share God's heart.
This doesn't eliminate leadership—it transforms it from autocratic to collaborative, from positional to functional, from controlling to empowering.
The Role of Apostolic Leadership vs. Authoritarian Control
There's often confusion about what apostolic leadership actually means. Many people assume it means having ultimate authority over a community or network of churches. But that's more like imperial leadership than apostolic leadership.
True apostolic leadership is more like coaching a team than ruling a kingdom. The apostolic leader's job is to:
Set the vision and keep everyone aligned with the mission
Recognize and develop others' gifts and callings
Create environments where everyone can flourish and contribute
Provide stability and wisdom during challenging seasons
Connect different parts of the body so they can work together effectively
It's less about being in charge and more about helping everyone else become who God called them to be.
I think of it like producing a musical. The producer's job isn't to sing every solo or play every instrument—it's to coordinate all the different talents so they create something beautiful together. The producer has authority, but it's authority used to serve the production, not to glorify themselves.
Real-Life Examples of Shared Leadership Working
One of the most beautiful examples I've witnessed is how our prophetic ministry has developed. Rather than having one person who's "the prophet" for our community, we've cultivated an environment where multiple people operate in prophetic gifts.
During our gatherings, different people will share insights, visions, or words they're receiving. We've learned to draw out from each person what they're sensing, because Holy Spirit often gives different pieces of the same puzzle to different people. No one person gets the whole picture—we need each other to see clearly.
This collaborative approach to prophecy has produced much richer and more accurate guidance than any individual prophetic ministry could provide. It's also developed people's confidence in hearing God's voice because they know their contribution matters and will be honored rather than overshadowed.
We've seen the same dynamic in our practical decision-making. When we were considering major facility changes, the decision emerged through multiple conversations where different people contributed different insights:
Some saw the practical benefits
Others raised important concerns about costs
Someone else had connections that made the project feasible
Another person brought creative solutions to challenges we hadn't anticipated
The final decision was better than anything any individual leader could have conceived because it incorporated wisdom from multiple perspectives.
Vision for What Church Could Become When Everyone's Voice Matters
Imagine a church where:
People come not just to receive ministry but to discover and exercise their own calling
Decisions are made through the collective wisdom of mature believers rather than the personal preferences of one leader
Conflicts are resolved through restorative processes that strengthen relationships rather than hierarchical judgments that shut down discussion
Teaching emerges from the community's real questions and struggles rather than predetermined sermon series
Everyone understands their role as a minister, not just a member
Leadership exists to empower others rather than to be served by others
This isn't chaos—it's the kind of order that emerges when everyone is committed to the same mission and empowered to contribute their unique part.
I've experienced glimpses of this kind of community, and it's intoxicating in the best possible way. When people discover that their voice actually matters, that their gifts are genuinely needed, that their perspective contributes to outcomes—they come alive in ways that hierarchical structures never produce.
The Challenges and the Rewards
I won't pretend this approach is always easy or efficient. Collaborative leadership requires:
More patience: Decisions take longer when you're building consensus rather than issuing directives.
Greater humility: Leaders have to genuinely listen to pushback and criticism rather than just expecting compliance.
Higher trust: You have to believe that Holy Spirit can speak through others, not just through you.
Better communication: Everyone needs to understand the mission and values clearly enough to make good decisions independently.
Deeper relationships: You can't lead people you don't really know, and you can't trust people you haven't walked through difficulties with.
But the rewards far outweigh the challenges:
Decisions have broader buy-in: When people help shape decisions, they're invested in making them work.
Solutions are more creative: Multiple perspectives generate options that individuals miss.
People grow faster: When everyone's voice matters, people develop their gifts more quickly.
Leadership is more sustainable: When multiple people can lead, the community isn't dependent on one person's health, wisdom, or availability.
Community is more resilient: Shared leadership creates redundancy that helps communities weather crises and transitions.
From Empire to Ecclesia
The shift from hierarchical church structures to collaborative ecclesia is really a shift from empire thinking to Kingdom thinking. Empire builds pyramids with power concentrated at the top. God's Kingdom builds tables where power flows through relationship and mutual submission.
Empire asks, "Who's in charge?" God's Kingdom asks, "How can we serve the mission together?"
Empire centralizes authority. God's Kingdom distributes it throughout the body.
Empire creates dependency. God's Kingdom develops everyone's potential.
Empire builds monuments to leaders. God's Kingdom builds communities that transform the world.
The Knights of the Round Table weren't just a nice story—they were a picture of what becomes possible when we stop jockeying for position at the head of the pyramid and start serving together around a common mission.
The early church turned the world upside down not because they had better organizational structures than Rome, but because they had a completely different kind of community—one where everyone mattered, everyone contributed, and everyone was empowered to represent the Kingdom.
I believe that same kind of revolutionary community is not only possible today—it's essential if we're going to see God's Kingdom advance in our generation.
The question isn't whether we can afford to make this shift. The question is whether we can afford not to.
"But you are not to be called 'Rabbi,' for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth 'father,' for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. The greatest among you will be your servant" (Matthew 23:8-11, NIV).
Around the table, we're all brothers and sisters serving the same King. And that changes everything.
Blessings,
Susan 😊