Leadership: Oversight According to God’s Design

The Need

• Denominations and churches greatly disagree in concept and practice when it comes to leadership.
• Churches often adopt business practices into their organizational concepts without evaluating the wisdom of such approaches.
• Churches often get bogged down due to unhealthy practices:
  
  • Unchecked Authority – Some person or body has the authority to make decisions without any accountability.
  • Over-Engaged Congregation – If a church votes on everything, nothing will ever get done.
  • Unmet Expectations – People can become frustrated if expectations aren’t met based upon previous experiences.

The Word: Acts 6:1-7

Biblical Example

• The needs of a church are multi-faceted and increase with the amount of members.
• Pastors are responsible to ensure there are people and processes to care for all needs, even if they can’t personally address each one.
• Deacons are called to assist pastors in ministering to the congregation.

Biblical Leadership 

• If someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church (1 Tim. 3:5)?
• …you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you (Titus 1:5).
• Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you (Heb. 13:17).

Leadership Distinctives

• A local church should be under the authority of Jesus, the leadership of the pastors, the service of the deacons, and the ministry of the members.
• Pastors are accountable to God for leading, providing, and protecting a congregation (1 Pet. 5:2).
• Deacons are called to help pastors meet the multifaceted needs of a church’s membership (Acts 6:3).
• Members are expected to do their part in the work of the ministry (Eph. 4:12).

The Task

• Regarding church governance, Scripture is descriptive and not prescriptive. 
• Regarding church organization, the early fathers led contextually more than confessionally. 
• Examples
  
  • In particular churches, pastoral leadership made decisions, and a consensus was made among those gathered in other situations. 
  • The Apostle Paul expected Pastor Timothy to be circumcised (Acts 16:3) yet forbid his peer, Pastor Titus, to do the same (Gal. 2:3) all because of ministry context. 
  • In some churches, Paul appointed elders (Acts 14:23), in another, he expected Titus to select them (Tit. 1:5), and, in Timothy’s case, other existing elders did the appointing (1 Tim. 4:14).
• All this to say that when you attempt to create a document that highlights a biblical form of governance or organization, you must search for principles rather than practices. 
• Where Scripture is clear on issues of doctrinal stances, pastoral qualifications, or ministry expectations, we must commit wholeheartedly. 
• Where Scripture describes different approaches, we must acknowledge that freedom is not only granted but somewhat encouraged.

‍