Power, Weakness and Legitimacy in Apostolic Ministry by Tim Catchim
1. Power, Weakness, and Legitimacy in Apostolic Ministry
By Tim Catchim
Paul, as an apostle, had the challenge of finding language to describe his role as a leader in
relation to the gospel and the communities he founded. The leader-follower relationship, in and
of itself, is complex. Just look at the amount of ink that has been spilled in trying to describe it.
Adding the gospel to the leader-follower equation only adds another layer of complexity.
One of the ways to simplify complexity is to use a metaphor. Metaphors, as Aristotle says, point
out the similarities of dissimilarities - they help us bridge the world of the unknown to the
world of the known. In fact, one of the signs a movement is taking place is the emergence of
new metaphors. When a message crosses from one culture to another, it looks for a point of
reference to establish meaning within the new culture. Metaphors often provide that initial
point of reference.
As someone who crossed geographical and cultural boundaries with the gospel, Paul found it
necessary to engage in the art of metaphor making. This is especially true when it came to how
he described his apostolic vocation.
Legitimizing your Legitimacy
Paul’s legitimacy as a leader was up for constant debate. This is partly due to his refusal to
legitimize himself in traditional ways. There are essentially three ways to legitimize yourself as a
leader: leaders, letters and legacy. After Paul had a confrontation with Peter about table
fellowship with the Jews, he essentially broke ties with the Antioch church.1 This decision to
distance himself from a more institutionalized form of the church brought certain challenges
later on when Paul needed to establish himself as a legitimate leader.
in Corinth.2
Not only did the church in Jerusalem start to view him with suspicion, it also posed a significant
challenge when the “super-apostles” at Corinth challenged Paul’s right to call himself an
apostle. This may not sound all that important, but Paul’s decision to launch out on his own had
social and political consequences for his missional efforts. Without the Antioch or Jerusalem
church to vouch for his legitimacy, he found himself without any institutional legitimacy. In
short, he was lacking two the most effective resources to establish ones reputation: other
leaders vouching for you, and letters of recommendation from respected organizations.
At first, this was not that big of a problem. The nature of his message and the signs and
wonders of his ministry afforded him a level of legitimacy on the front end of his apostolic
endeavors that funded his initial leadership role in the communities he planted.
1
See Galatians 1 and 2.
2
See Galatians 1 and 2.