“I know the New Testament pattern for church leadership is a
group of leaders made up of apostles, prophets, evangelists,
shepherds, and teachers, but it just will
not work. We have a hard time getting two or three people to
agree together, let alone five or even more!”
The denominational leader quoted above went on to say that because
of our individualistic culture and lack of unity in the church we
should ignore the plain instruction of Scripture. Of course, it
wasn’t said in exactly those
words, but it was clear that the wisdom of man took precedence over
Biblical teaching. It was basically the same argument that is made
for premarital sex – everyone does it and it makes good sense so
why go through the hardship of following what the Bible says?
The reason we ought to follow
the Bible (as if obedience to the Lord is not enough) is that God’s
wisdom is far superior to man’s. He knows what He is talking about.
He knows the way that church leadership ought to be structured. And
if we have problems with His leadership model, the problem most
likely lies with us rather than Him.
In other words, if the church is
in such disunity that people can’t come to a consensus and work
together, then perhaps there are serious issues in their relationship
with God and with one another that have to be resolved. Leaders might
have to do the hard work of forgiving one another and loving one
another and being ministers of reconciliation. They would have to
really know one another and share their lives and not just come
together once a month for a 90-minute meeting controlled by agendas
and Robert’s Rules of Order rather than the leading of the Holy
Spirit and loving concern for others.
This is a call for a radical
change in many churches where agendas are made by professional staff
and decisions are made by democratic vote. What would happen if the
average person in the pew were empowered to use their spiritual gifts
on a regular basis in the same way that the paid clergy and staff do?
What would happen if church leaders didn’t leave meetings with a
bitter heart over a vote that didn’t go their way but instead were
a part of a group of leaders that were committed to loving one
another and sharing each other’s lives so that they would have
strong enough relationships to work through divisive issues and come
to a consensus? (Think of Acts 15, where a very divisive issue was
worked through and the church leaders were able to voice their
opinions and then come to a consensus where they could say, “It
seems good to the Holy Spirit and to us that….”)
The heart of the matter, then,
is that making these kinds of changes would be hard work, but it
would be worth it. It would be taking the narrow road of following
Biblical instruction when we are so used to taking the broad road of
the wisdom of man. It would mean organizing our churches and
ministries after the New Testament pattern rather than the
organizational structures of corporations or businesses. It would
mean putting love for God and others ahead of numerical growth,
increased offerings, or building programs.
These kinds of changes are
radical, but we serve a radical God. If we take Him at His word and
pattern our church leadership structures the way He tells us to, then
we will experience His power and blessing in ways that were not
possible under the man-made hierarchical leadership model. For people
will be empowered to minister, the weight of church leadership will
be spread out across the shoulders of many people, and we who follow
Christ will be known for our unity and for our love for one another,
just as Jesus taught and prayed.
Let’s
Pray Together: “Lord
Jesus, you taught us to love one another. And
when you prayed for us, you prayed that we would be in unity, that we
would be one with you just as you and the Father are one. Help me to
bring unity to the body of Christ within my sphere of influence. Lead
me in my conversations with church leaders and use me to suggest
changes and encourage others to follow the Biblical pattern of church
leadership. Lead me as I lift before you these church leaders and
situations that come to mind…”
This
devotional is authored and published by Randy Brockett. All
publishing rights are reserved but readers are encouraged to repost
(please include this copyright info) or share
his insights with their family, friends, and congregations. For other
devotionals by Brother
Randy,
see www.blesseddisciples.com, dwellinchrist.blogspot.com, and
www.discoverbiblicalchurch.com.
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