Former Australian Prime Minister the late Bob Hawke said the Australian people deserve the Government 'we' elect, and that the Australian people normally gets it right. In a democratic nation such as Australia such comments have recognised validity.
Consider this – Australia has a tradition of Federal elections under respected supervised electoral laws and a team of election-day personnel, (more often or not, a mass of school teachers across the nation). Australia has had compulsory voting since 1912.
The entire nation's voluntary organisations such as sports clubs, surf lifesaving, scouts and girl guides, community groups, welfare agencies all likewise have well established and well defined constitutional 'voting' procedures for the election of its office bearers.
It is part of the fabric of the nation. I recall that having left my Canberra family home at 16 years of age, and started work as a locomotive trainee engineman in Goulburn. I joined a Goulburn hockey club and one evening I had a visitor where I was introduced to 'hockey politics'. A prospective 'club president' came knocking at my door, looking for 'votes' at the hockey club annual general meeting.
Throughout the nation, such community organisation elections, for a myriad of positions, take place. People get elected to Boards - some choose not to stand again, some lose their positions though ballots. Sometimes people are encouraged not to stand, and if they do, there is often (proverbial) blood on the floor. It's a world war at five paces in many a community organisation. Not much has changed in these past 100 years.
But these kinds of community elections don't affect the state of a nation's economy. Rather the national election is where "the people" elect which side of politics might run the economy more efficiently. Having said that, there are times when a politician and his/her 'political party' has over-stayed his/her welcome, and the people have a mood for change, regardless.
Australia saw this in 1972 with the change from Billy McMahon's Liberal Country Party Coalition to Gough Whitlam's Labor Party with the famous slogan "It's Time". Again we saw it in 2007 with the change from John Howard's Liberal National Party Coalition with a full economy and Treasurer Peter Costello had plenty of money in the nation's coppers (as it were) to Labor's Kevin Rudd.
After 11 years, change was in the air. Then in 2013 Tony Abbott Liberal National Coalition won in a landslide, then in 2019 Scott Morrison retained Government in a surprise result. In 2022 ….. on the 21 May ?
The Christian Scene
It may come as a surprise therefore, to learn that Churches function in much the same manner, except that there are earnest prayers that the Holy Spirit might guide those who are voting for outcomes that will enhance the Kingdom.
We see this with the election of world bodies such as the President of the Baptist World Alliance; the Anglicans with the Archbishop of Canterbury; the Roman Catholics with the Pope. So too in local community church situations where voluntary positions such as Parish Councils, Elders, Deacons, the Treasurer and whoever else are elected.
History is replete with ecclesiastical and lay leaderships "good and not-so-good" election results.
But having said that, this is a valid New Testament model.
(1) We see in Acts where a twelfth Apostle had to be found to replace Judas Iscariot.
(2) Again, respected leaders had to be found and then to be set aside to run the administration of the early church so as allow the Apostles to preach without such distractions.
(3) Again Paul and Barnabas needed to be set aside to preach to the Gentiles: this was a decision made by the congregation of the Church in Antioch.
What it all means, is that every one of us bear a significant responsibility when it comes our turn to elect people in our local church / mission officials. The nature of elections is that all too often they turn "political". Many a church spilt has occurred when, in a group within the congregation, in their view, the politics oversteps "the mark".
There have been a number of Australian mission situations where they who oversaw the demise of a leader for political reasons, then found themselves as being untrustworthy. When they in turn refused to go, drama ensued. For the most part, ultimately, changes do come about. Then a whole new fresh approach with new people at the top is appropriated. We've even seen organisational name changes.
Take a look around, have you noticed any name changes of churches and missions. Some are for very good reasons, then for others, it illustrates that people in churches and missions are not exempt from bad behaviour.