Journeys of a Former Firebrand

Over the years I’ve had some pretty interesting discussions with people about how church leadership works. I believe that the pastor is to be the distinct leader of the church. That presupposes that the people would follow if that leader were guiding them in a godly way.

In one such discussion, I had a precious believer heartily disagree with me. “It’s not that there’s a pastor. It’s that we together are the church,” they explained. What they meant is the pastor has little effective authority in the church. The people rule the roost, and the pastor is simply along for the ride.

I was shocked by that sentiment and provided some biblical support why I believed the way I did. The other person agreed with my understanding of what the Bible said but still didn’t see the pastor as anything more than just another person in the church.

The whole conversation befuddled me. How could people who have lived in the shadow of the cross have such confusion about how church leadership functions when the Bible is so clear on the issue? This conversation sent me on an important mission: find out what the Bible says about church government. This series of articles is the result of that mission.

The fact is that this is just one of many unbiblical misconceptions among American evangelicals on what church leadership should look like. Let’s answer a few questions so that we can see what the biblical truth is.

Should the Church Be a Pure Democracy?

To dispel the confusion, we need to take a short jaunt into civics and how people misunderstand secular government. So please bear with me as we look at the topic of civic government to help us better understand some of the misconceptions we may hold about church leadership. We’ll get to the biblical proof momentarily.

The concept of “democracy” with an emphasis on “the will of the people” is good for secular governments to a certain extent. History has shown that the most effective government is a limited government, and democracy provides limitations to authority.

But does it really? Is it really as restrictive as many claim it is? Technically, a lynch mob is a democracy. It’s the will of the people in full force. I think most would agree that in that case, pure democracy doesn’t lead to limited (or righteous) rule.

Governments still have leaders who make decisions. Not everyone goes down to the local courthouse and submits a vote in every single matter as a pure democracy would demand. A national government could never function that way which means a pure democracy wouldn’t work on a national scale.

Even the United States isn’t a pure democracy. That leads to the “lynch-mob mentality.” That kind of government doesn’t work.

What’s clear is that it doesn’t work in the church either. Just observe how difficult it is for a church committee to figure out what color the carpet should be in the sanctuary. In just a few minutes, there are a few people who want to form a lynch mob!

That kind of situation doesn’t glorify God. That’s why the idea of pure democracy is found nowhere in the Bible as a model for church leadership.

However, the confusion still remains and seems to permeate the American church. People see no government as good government. Because of that, they relegate church leadership to nothing more than some kind of symbolic position that carries no bite.

Is the Church Nothing More than a Religious Business?

The other side of the issue is the “business model” of the church. This leadership structure forms the success of the church around the personality of its human leader.

The whole concept comes from borrowed business principles. The CEO runs things while everyone else simply falls in line with the “vision” the leader puts forward. The pastor is the clear leader. Everyone else is an employee. The “business” provides a product, and people come to consume it.

This kind of model certainly crafts the Christian faith as something palatable. However, the question remains: Is this a good leadership model for the church?

The major drawback of this structure is that it puts the emphasis on a mere human being rather than the God/Man, Jesus Christ. On top of this, most churches have had to fire pastors because they started to resemble cult leaders and totalitarian dictators rather than servants of God who bring God’s message.

What is the answer to how the church should be led?

The Bible Gives Us the Answer to How the Church Should Be Governed.

Let’s cut to the chase. The best leadership model for the church is the one that the Bible puts forward. Why? Because God knows what’s best for His people.

Now I know this isn’t a popular topic. People like their freedom, and there’s certainly nothing wrong with that as far as secular government. But the church isn’t secular government. It’s God’s sovereign rule over His people.

So biblical Christian faith isn’t ultimately about freedom. Certainly, we have freedom through Christ (see Galatians 5). But that isn’t freedom from ruling authority. It’s about being under the authority of God. That’s why the Word says things like this:

“Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.” (Hebrews 13:17, NASB 95)

Yet, this is balanced by an important principle that avoids a totalitarian dictatorship:

Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith.” (Hebrews 13:7, NASB 95)

Notice that those who “lead” (same word) are those who are worthy of “considering the result of their conduct.” In other words, they are godly people rather than evil despots. They are worth following.

This isn’t pure democracy. This isn’t a totalitarian business model. This is God’s government over His people as prescribed in His Word.

Why? Because that’s how God wanted it. He knows best. If we really love Him, we’ll seek His counsel on this matter rather than creating and holding to systems that rest outside of His desire.

So What?

In the next few lessons, we will look at the biblical perspective on church leadership and try to wade through the misconceptions and denominational traditions that have corrupted a pure understanding of what God expects. As we do so, my hope and prayer is that you will consider the biblical response to the subject of church leadership.