Philemon

There are a few books of the Bible I never read. Ecclesiastes, Numbers, Jude... You get the picture.  But I just started my online study to become accredited with the Assemblies of God as a minister, and so they have me taking a course called "Prison Epistles" that focuses on the 4 books of the NT that Paul wrote during his captivity in Rome.  One of these books is Philemon.  It's actually a very interesting book! Because I would surmise that it's been a while since any of you read it (bet you can't even tell me where it's located....), I'll give you a synopsis and let you know what I've learned.

Philemon was a wealthy land owner in the city of Colosse, modern-day Turkey. He owned the house that the Colossian church met in, and gave large amounts of money to keep the church going.  He, like many wealthy people at that time, had a slave.  In fact, it is estimated that 85-90% of all the inhabitants of what is now Italy, at that time, were slaves.  So it was a common practice.  It was a vital part of the economy and not a bad life.  Many slaves were laborers, but many were also accountants, caretakers, teachers, and keepers of estate.  One such slave was Onesimus, who was owned by Philemon.

Onesimus ran away to Rome, stealing a deal of money and belongings from his master, Philemon.  While in Rome, Onesimus came in contact with Paul the apostle, converted to Christianity, and began following Paul's ministry. Paul learned that Onesimus had run away, and urged him to return to his master.
This was a serious request.  In Roman culture, should a servant run away and be caught or return to his master, the master had the right to brand him on the forehead. Or send him to jail. Or kill him.  And it was not uncommon for this to happen.  Plus, Onesimus had stolen money from Philemon (probably a considerable amount) and would be required to pay it back. 

Paul and Philemon go way back.  While it is probable that Paul never visited the church in Colosse, he did know Philemon and have a friendship relationship with him.  Philemon saw Paul as a spiritual authority.  Less like a pastor, more like a father.  Paul was a big deal in the early church.

So Paul sent a letter to Philemon, urging him to take Onesimus back.  Not just take him back, but to embrace him as a brother.  Paul could have gone about this (effectively) on three different levels, using three different styles of leadership.

1. "Take your servant back because I said so."  Paul could have pulled rank with Philemon and told him to obey his order.  He could have threatened not to visit him anymore.  He could have talked about how great a father he had been to Philemon, and convinced Philemon that "he owed him." And it probably would have worked.  There weren't a lot of people in the early Christian church as influential or important as Paul. He totally could have pulled rank.

This is the outlook taken by a lot of (church) leaders today.  There is an air of spiritual authority that comes with this kind of leadership that ought not be there. The kind of leadership that says "Follow my vision, follow my lead because I'm the senior pastor.  Do what I say because I have the biggest office and my name on the bulletin." Church leaders should never have to "pull rank." Paul didn't. And Jesus certainly never did.


2. "Take back your servant because it's the Christian thing to do." Coercion isn't an attribute of an effective long-term leader.

3. "Take back your servant. Please." Paul took this approach.  Paul could have gone about it many different ways, but he decided to appeal to Philemon as a brother, a friend, and a fellow Christian. He even took the debt that Onesimus owed Philemon, telling Philemon that whatever Onesimus owed him, Paul would pay it back.  Big ups for Paul for acting as a Christ-like example and asking for forgiveness not merely for himself, but taking the punishment and the burden of someone else's wrongdoing on his shoulders.

Philemon is one of those books that's super-easy to glance over.  It's at the end of the Bible and it's only 25 verses.  But if you're in a situation where you're dealing with some abuse of power, you have a decision to make, or (like me) you're trying to get into a leadership position, Philemon can give you great insight from Paul, the most successful senior pastor ever.