I had a short but interesting discussion the the man who leads our church’s prison ministry today. He referred to the mutual submission within the Persons of the Trinity as a model for how we all should relate to and submit to one another in the Church.

He’s definitely right, and it’s not a new thought to me. The servanthood and submission we see between God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit is astonishingly glorious. And yet, while we need to learn and be humbled by this, we also need to resist an anti-authoritarian mindset that insinuates leadership and authority are bad.

Afterall, the Trinity is not the Brother, the Brother, and Holy Spirit. Scripture affirms the Father and the Son. Jesus himself says, “I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me” (John 8:28). There is authority, there is submission, and yet there is equality.  This is something worth chewing on as you consider the church, leadership, and ministry.

What implications do you see the Trinity having for Christian leadership?

What theological nuggets am I missing as we consider the authority and submission between the Persons of the Trinity?