Paul W. Barnett. Paul and His Friends in Leadership: How they changed the world. Abingdon: The Bible Reading Fellowship, 2017. 160 pp. Paper, ISBN 0857465449.
Look for the book here.
This book stood neglected on my shelf for many months before I finally got it down to read it. What prompted me was reading Aimee Byrd’s Recovering from Biblical Manhood and Womanhood. In seeking to shake up some of the prevailing paradigms for understanding “manhood” and “womanhood,” even under a male-only eldership schema, Byrd made much of (among other things) the NT figure of Phoebe. I thought it would be good to compare thoughts on Phoebe from a book that was not so polemical – like this slender volume from Barnett. But … more on Phoebe later.
Author Paul Barnett is well-known to many for his methodical approach to biblical history and his sober exegesis. Not so well-known on this occasion is his publisher, The Bible Reading Fellowship. I trust this book has not suffered from a lack of publicity. In terms of content and length at least, this book is highly accessible and easy to read.
All of us would be at least vaguely aware of the many men and women Paul mentions throughout his letters. When we include the book of Acts we find nearly 100 people named as being in some way associated with Paul, nearly forty of whom were closely involved in his mission. For this book, Barnett has selected the twenty-four of those about whom we have the most information. He then brings together all that the New Testament tells us about each person and sets this information within the broader outline of Paul’s ministry in its various phases. In this way, he creates a brief sketch of these men and women as friends and co-labourers with the Apostle. Barnett draws on his expertise in the first-century historical background to tell us about, for instance, what someone called a “patron” would have been and done in Paul’s day. However, it is in this area (as we shall see) that we must be careful not to overreach.
Barnett’s purpose in this book is to instruct and inspire us in our practices of leadership, friendship and teamwork as we engage in the mission of the church today.
One of the keys to understanding Paul’s greatness, says Barnett, is to see how he multiplied his efforts through a network of colleagues who were “dedicated personally to Paul, but were also “effective ministers in their own right” (p. 31).
After three introductory chapters on Paul, his life and mission, the bulk of the remainder of the book divides Paul’s friends into the four main phases of Paul’s ministry plus his final years. The sketch of each person concludes with a reflection on what we can learn from Paul’s mission partnership with him or her. A couple of these reflections also include illustrative instances from later church history.
Titus and Timothy, unsurprisingly, receive the most coverage. However, I would like to mention some of the lesser-known figures. There is Silvanus the missionary and translator who also worked with Peter, married couple Priscilla and Aquila the house church leaders and wealthy supporters of the missionary enterprise, Stephanas – “an inspiration to take church membership seriously” (p. 66), and Erastus the high-ranking city official. And it was not always smooth sailing relationally as the case of John Mark shows.
Aristarchus was a faithful travelling companion whom Paul described as a “fellow-worker” and a “comfort.” As for Paul’s words about his kinsfolk Andronicus and Junia, Barnett prefers the reading “well known among the apostles,” and goes on to say that “apostle” here is to be understood in the broader sense of a missionary who had personally seen the resurrected Lord Jesus. Onesiphorus was a man of means who was known for his service in his hometown of Ephesus. When he was in Rome (perhaps on business?) he took the initiative to find Paul in prison so that he could support and encourage him.
What about Phoebe? She was a patroness to Paul and other travelling missionaries and she opened her home to the church in Cenchrae. What is remarkable about Phoebe is that she “takes her place alongside male apostolic delegates privileged to carry letters to the churches.” (p. 96) Paul entrusted Phoebe with delivering his letter to the Romans – a task, says Barnett, that would have included both reading the letter out to the house churches and explaining and clarifying its message. However, I recently heard Dr Peter Head, an expert in ancient letters, tell John Dickson (“Undeceptions” Podcast Episode 102) that there is no evidence suggesting that a letter carrier was also the one who would read out the letter. In any case, Phoebe certainly was tasked with ensuring the letter was received and regarded as a genuine and authoritative communication from the Apostle, and that is why he gives her such a strong commendation (Romans 16:1-2).
The book finishes with a brief chapter on Paul’s teaching about love and then a reflection on the significance of Paul’s mission friends. I was struck by the variety of men and women and the many different ways they participated in Paul’s Gospel mission. And I feel as though I know them a little better, especially those “lesser” ones – they are no longer “flat” characters. Paul and His Friends in Leadership is not only a great encouragement in ministry, but it also shows how all of us can and should work together to promote the Gospel.
Many of our churches at least claim to be clear on the calling, preparation and role of the ordained minister. Are we clear on emulating Paul in valuing a variety of ministries and cultivating a network of “friends in leadership?”