Episode #60: Ruth Chapter 8 - Leadership

Jan,16 2026

<-#59: Ruth Chapter 7 - The program#61: Clara - Letter one - invitation ->

When the council first called me "leader," I felt the word sit on my shoulders like a coat cut for another body. I remembered how my father accepted the office of mayor after the town was reborn, not with pride but with caution, as one accepts a bucket during a flood.

He said then, "A mayor should have more ears than mouth."

I have tried to keep that sentence close.

My role, as I understand it, is not to steer a ship but to keep the deck clear enough for others to walk. Christopher never gathered followers; he gathered neighbors. I do not intend to gather more than that.

The question most often asked is how much autonomy each local fellowship should have. My answer is simple: the same autonomy Christopher's friends enjoyed. Full and unrestricted. If a chapter wishes to meet in a field, let them meet in a field. If another wishes to rent a small hall and sing loudly, let them sing.

Those who seek to impose a single doctrine have already misunderstood the man whose name they borrow. Christopher trusted conscience more than committees. He feared unity purchased at the cost of freedom.

People are surprised when I say that even a church building is not required. Neither is a pastor in the traditional sense. A simple coordinator is enough. Someone who answers letters, unlocks doors, and knows which family needs soup this week. The organization needs a voice to call when help is required, not a throne to bow before.

The purpose of the central fellowship, the one I now serve, is to support the local circles, not to regulate them. We should be a well from which others draw water, not a wall that tells them where to drink.

Some members find this frightening. They ask how we will remain Christian without rules to guard us. I answer that Christianity survived centuries without our bylaws and will likely survive our best intentions as well.

I have signed documents and stamped forms because the world demands such things, but I do so with reluctance. Paper multiplies faster than wisdom. Christopher never trusted a solution that required more ink than soil.

If my term ends with no new commandments written, I will consider it a success. Let others build monuments if they must. I would rather keep the path swept and the gate unlatched.

<-#59: Ruth Chapter 7 - The program#61: Clara - Letter one - invitation ->