In my pastoral theology class today we continued our study of what qualifies a man to be an elder. We have been systematically making our way through every single character qualification written in the New Testament. It is a humbling study!
In considering the command found in Titus to have “believing/faithful children,” one of my students made a keen observation. He commented how church government often impacts how we view these qualifications. For example, if our church government is something like one pastor, and a second board of deacons or elders or managers or what have you, there is an added pressure on the church to tolerate sin/disqualification in a pastor. Why? Because if the church were to remove the pastor, they are a ship without a captain!
However, if a church operates Biblically, with a plurality of elders (equal in standing, ministry and responsibility – albeit, to use Strauch’s term, there exists “a leader among equals”) then if one elder is disqualified (sad as this may be!) there is freedom to remove him without ripping apart the overall leadership of the church. Removing a solo elder is a much greater threat to the church. (This is partly why we wrote into our constitution that any time our local church is without 2 or more elders, the church must apply to a sister congregation to have their elders join the solo elder in leading our church.)
This is one more reason I think the Lord was quite right when he established two offices in the church – elder and deacon – and determined that both offices should be filled by a plurality of qualified men.
Kerux,
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you are saying but it is worth pointing out that when the "leader among equals" falls, the repercussions are much greater than if the others do. No matter how we structure things and teach things, the "pastor" is still viewed differently than the rest of the elders. Maybe if we didn't take a salary, people would see us as more on equal footing.
Kenny -
ReplyDeleteAt a recent New Member Meeting someone asked what the difference was between me and the other elders. In effect they said, "Well, you are not an elder in the way that they are elders!" To which I replied, "Hoogly!" Well, not really. But I did say that there is neither a functional nor authoritative difference between us. We are equals.
I wonder if the reason churches "feel" the loss of a "Senior Pastor" is more to do with the fact that we have not yet fully educated the flock on this non-distinction. The fact is, they ought to smart equally (in one sense) over the loss of any man from that office. Clearly, some men are special gifts to the church - Barnabas comes to mind. And thus the church might have felt his loss more greatly than another leader... but this more on an emotional level. Like those who weeped over the passing of Dorcas.
I think we have to labour hard to instruct the flock of the Biblical reality that has been obscured by years of neglect.
And as for salary... if there are any things I can make a Biblical defense for, it is that one! ;-)
"Like those who *wept* over the passing of Dorcas."
ReplyDelete