Pursuing Biblical and Pastoral Leadership

A couple of weeks back at our Fellowship Group leader/co-leader gathering we talked about the process of pursuing biblical leadership in the local church. I condensed the gist of our time here.

At Four Oaks we affirm (at least) these five principles regarding leadership in the local church:

1. The importance of a spiritual office of leadership in the local church.
As opposed to a primarily pragmatic, utilitarian, and professional office. A pragmatic approach to leadership in the church is primarily concerned with the easiest route to finding 'leaders'. The utilitarian approach looks to get warm bodies to 'get things done' as opposed to finding spiritually called and qualified leaders to fulfill the biblical paradigm. A primarily 'professional' view of leadership in the church consigns the biblical office to only those who have fulfilled certain worldly criteria for leadership (they hold the degree, have so much 'tenure', etc.). A 'professional' understanding of church leadership reserves leadership for a professional class of elites, while the 'layman' exists on some lower tier of service to Christ.

2. The importance of a unified office of spiritual leadership: shared, dispersed, accountable, and understood.
There are three biblical terms for the office of spiritual leadership in the local church: episkopos (overseer, 'bishop'), presbuteros ('elder'), and poimen ('shepherd', pastor). These terms are three synonymous terms used interchangeable referring to one, unified team of leaders in the church (1 Timothy 3:1; 5:17; Titus 1: 5,7; Acts 20:28; 1 Peter 5:1-4). We may set aside certain elders/overseers/pastors that will devote themselves to a 'full time' vocational ministry for the care of the church. Paul says these men deserve 'double honor', and we may say that they serve as primus inter pares (first among equals). But we must not have tiers of spiritual leadership. There should be equality, unity, and healthy plurality in the leadership of the church. We should go to great lengths to bring our flocks to a proper understanding of this reality. Otherwise the spiritual burden falls upon one class of leader (often the preacher, or those in more visible leadership) or there arises a cult of personality that is unhealthy.

3. The importance of a called leadership: internal and external.
Men must 'aspire' to the office. There must be an internal call that compels by the spirit, so that we are not leading under compulsion by the flesh or the demands of men. The internal call places our duty primarily before God and not before men. This internal calling is recognized and confirmed by God's people (Acts 6; 1 Timothy 4:14; 1 Tim. 5:22).

4. The importance of a qualified and tested leadership.
We must not let the urgency of need as we see it override the need to have biblicaly qualified leaders. We must be careful to asses qualification according to biblical and spiritual standards above human and worldly ones. This is not a call to rigid legalism in our inspection of leaders- the biblical qualifications of 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 are patterns of holiness and character, not a checklist for perfection in obedience.

5. The importance of an ordained and sanctified leadership.
It is important to consecrate leaders publicly (and discipline them publicly). People should be able to readily see and know their leaders. There should be no 'star chamber' style of leadership where decisions are made secretively and mysteriously and the flock is called to just follow along. The Scriptures do not establish raw democracy as the pattern, nor does it establish a cold aristocracy. Leaders must lead, people must follow. But this is done through proper ordination, and with constant accountability.