January 07, 2008
Who's Acceptable?
Historically (100 years) my church has been an elder led church. The last ten years however we’ve had a change of direction and we’re now a staff led church. In full disclosure, let me say the spin of the current leadership would disagree with my observations. Our elder elections are coming up in a week or so and we’ve been given three candidates to approve as elders. It’s just coming to light that one of the three candidates believes in the biblical example of an elder led church, rather than a staff led church. What a quandary for the leadership. This poor man has been accepted as a qualified candidate and now he’s being re-interviewed for the third time…because the staff just doesn’t know if they can work with him.
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Gail;
-----Whenever I hear talk about the leadership of the church, my hackles go up! It isn’t that I think the church should be some free-wheeling mob without leaders, but it is that I think the church leaders usurped Christ’s position of headship very early in church history. By the second century it was obvious that the church had already begun to develop an organizational structure, so that it was becoming an independent entity in itself. As such, the attitudes of people become more shaped towards being involved in a church, having a relationship with a church, and belonging to a church rather than being involved with each other, having relationships with each other, and belonging to each other.
-----Jesus did not give us freedom of conscience to submit once again to men. In fact, through Paul, whom Jesus likely trained person to person (II Cor 12:2), we are told to hold our own thinking about debatable matters, and to keep that thinking to ourselves concerning controversial issues. Through him, Jesus also tells us that we are each given abilities to do different things, and that we should us those abilities. And we are told not to have jealousies about our gifts, trying to make others do what we do, or expecting to do what they do. Jesus is head. He will lead through His gift to each of His own, and through the thinking of each of His own. The elders, preachers, teachers, evangelists, and prophets that He gave to the church are also subject to these directions given through Paul. They, too, are to hold to their own thinking and keep it to themselves. They, too, are to allow those who have gifts to use their gifts liberally, as their faith is led by the Spirit. They, too, are to allow those who have thoughts about debatable matters to have those thoughts. That way the Lord can indeed be head of the church, being head of each member.
-----But not so, according to the leaders. They have this organization which must be run and controlled, you know, unity and all. It must be steered like a little army to do this task, or that task, and oh, what are you trying to do over there? We don’t do that at this church! Maybe you will be happier at the church down the road! Then all the little sheep come bleating back what they hear from their leaders, not bothering to crack the covers of their Bibles and see for themselves. If they don’t bleat in tune with the leaders - you guessed it - down the street they must go! Do you really think they will be happier there?
-----What got moved from its place in the message of Revelation to the Ephesian church? It was the lampstand, that instrument for giving of light (truth), that container of oil (Spirit). Look at what happened to the church between the first century and the second century. From a loosely controlled, morally overseen community of people it became an institution of particular ideas, beliefs, and activities, narrowing further and further within each different location around the then known world. Different ways of understanding the Lord began to grow up in different locations, then jealous quarreling. Then tortures, and finally, wars. With Jesus as her head? No, with leaders as her head.
-----Today, nothing has changed, only the tools used for the tortures and killings of war have changed. For the torture is no longer physical, but is now mental and spiritual as people are made to feel unwelcome by leaders over ideas differing from the given norm, or because no program exists in the organization through which to utilize a gift. And killing is done by the slanderous lies of letters and puffy preaching, telling the people they should not associate or acknowledge some other because they’ve not drunk of the local Kool-Aid. Yes, indeed, Gail, how much should it matter if this leadership is done by staff or by elder? The actions are all the same. Then scent remains familiar. The ambiance is of headship. The position seems a bit usurped, regardless the form of usurpation.
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