The Diffusion of Ecclesiastical Authority: Sociological Dimensions of Leadership in the Book of Acts: 90 (Princeton Theological Monograph Series)

the church in Acts from a sociological perspective. Two primary models emerge from a sociologically informed investigation of first-century Greco-Roman and Jewish religious leadership: the manager-leader and the innovator-leader. An examination of seven passages in Acts reveals that the leaders of the early church although initially conforming to cultural expectations are best described as innovator-leaders whose counter-cultural actions resulted in the empowerment of new leaders and the advancement of the gospel. Through the use of fictive kinship language the voluntary sharing of authority the fostering of a sense of mutual dependence on God as the common patron and the redefinition of what is honorable the leaders in Acts consistently enabled others to share authority in the church.. By consistently sharing their authority with others these leaders allowed the diffusion of authority to new individuals rather than the concentration of authority in the hands of the few. Undoubtedly this selflessness on the part of the churchs leaders contributed to the spread of the Gospel throughout the Mediterranean world. By regularly empowering new leaders the church was able to release its leaders for ministry in new locations without fear of leaving established churches leaderless. Yet one should not suppose that through such diffusion ecclesiastical authority became diluted. . . . [T]he leaders in Acts shared their authority without thereby losing it. They were able to do this because their authority was based on deference and mutual honor not only on legal rights. Thus the diffusion of ecclesiastical authority resulted in a net increase of authority which in turn propelled the growth of the church.---from the Conclusion.