The Biblical Pattern For Local Church Leadership

Introduction

 
Should you as a church pastor be involved in the unbiblical “clergy/laity system”? Should ANY Christian be involved in the clergy system? That is what we are going to take a brief look at here.
 
Regarding this matter, there is an excellent article on this subject written by Carl Ketcherside, called “The Clergy System“. I encourage you to take a look at that. As I lived out in my 35 years “in the Lord”, I have seen just how much the typical clergy/laity church system adversely affects discipleship and the growth of local church members. In the conventional, popular clergy/laity system, no one but the pastor (except perhaps on rare occasions) is allowed to pick songs to sing or read an inspirational poem (that they picked out), not allowed to share scriptures or Christian writings, or to get into subjects that they want to and need to learn about or that they feel led to share with others when gathered together as a church family.  It is always a pastor-centered, pastor-prepared, pastor-approved and pastor-conducted weekly meeting.
 
Having learned about – and then having experienced – more biblically-patterned church meetings in the past, I have struggled to participate in every “conventional” local church I’ve ever attended. But what concerns me the most about those in the clergy “system” – is that they seem to want to have an inordinate amount of control over others in the church, as if the Holy Spirit is not a good enough leader of a group of true believers. And in some churches, I am sure that there are some pastors who don’t want others to have any control over them, in any way whatsoever.
 
The most dangerous aspect of the clergy system is that it severely inhibits the correction and instruction of its leaders, and I don’t just mean moral correction, but theological correction (and instruction).  Being in the “big boys” club of official clergy, may allow a pastor to meet with and rub elbows with other clergy in his local area, but it also helps perpetuate this unbiblical system.
 
In order for me to use my spiritual gifts and make disciples, I have had to resort to internet ministries primarily, which is also sub-optimal, but unlike conventional churches, I am at least able to make disciples, teach, get feedback and get discipleship from others about my views and find answers to specific spiritual questions that I have, that the “clergy” never seem to talk about, on subjects like ecclesiology, bible versions, hermeneutics, and alternative views on eschatology.
 
Sadly, many Christians know nothing else but this clergy system.  By the grace of God, I was exposed to alternatives early on, such as interactive home groups where I could actually take turns with others leading a bible study while yet a new believer.  I also was able early on to lead an interactive bible study at my place of work and participate in a house church, all of which allowed me to actively participate and disciple myself as I discipled others and as they discipled me.
 
I find it absolutely mind boggling that so few conventional pastors ever figure out that their system is unbiblical and counterproductive… they never seem to realize that the role of a church leader is primarily to be a facilitator, to do everything they can to encourage the rest of the less mature members of the local flock to exercise their gifts, make disciples, evangelize, teach others, lead others, minister to others… not to be pew potatoes – an audience paying for a religious performance.
 
How can a pastor ever find out where anyone in the flock is at spiritually (what their spiritual gifts are and what their weaknesses are and what doctrine they know or don’t know or need to have corrected), unless the flock is all actively engaged in all aspects of the meetings, to the same degree that the pastor/elders/leaders are.
 

Father/Children Analogy

 
This pulpit-centered clergy/laity system is like a father doing all the chores around the home and never letting his children do the chores themselves and never letting them talk, ask questions, make comments, make suggestions, express their likes, dislikes, concerns, joys, sorrows, regrets, etc. It’s like the father doing all the homework assignments, never letting the children do them for themselves… while the children just sit in chairs, watching dad do all the work, all the homework, do all the talking, make all the decisions… never being able to tell dad that they have a problem that he has never addressed, never being able to tell dad that they could do the work if dad would let them, never being able to suggest alternative ways of doing things, never being able to tell dad that maybe he forgot to do something or that he made a mistake, in his desire to do everything himself, his way, without interruption.
 

Trade School Analogy

 
Another way of looking at the deficiencies of the clergy/laity system would be to go to a trade school to learn a trade, but then never being allowed to touch any tools or to ask any questions or to build anything. All you get to do is listen to the instructor tell you how to build a cabinet or how to rebuild an engine or how to weld a piece of equipment or how to fix broken pipes or how to splice wires or how to make a pizza for that matter! The point being, that it is just as important to be actively involved in one’s own Christian discipleship process as it is in learning a trade.
 

What the clergy system produces

 
What this type of highly sub-optimal clergy-centered system results in, though it may be unknowingly, is to stifle discipleship and make the rest of the body of Christ feel like spectators at a show or worse yet: as second-class citizens… at least those who want to be part of a truly biblical vibrant church family where everyone acts like true brothers and sisters, rather than where one man acts like a very busy talkative dad and everyone else is expected to act like silent inactive children, except when they are permitted to perform certain limited actions on command.
 

Conclusion

 
So is the true biblical New Testament based local church supposed to be an interactive meeting between equals – brothers and sisters in Christ – or is it supposed to be a non-interactive meeting where “dad” does everything and the “children” shut up, sit down and just listen – unless instructed by “dad” to utter some specific words that “dad” put in his meeting outline? — RM Kane
 

Two Gospels And Therefore Two Preaching Styles

The modern church has come up with a seeker-friendly gospel, one where you don’t need to mention the word Hell or ever say much about it. Also, you barely have to tell the sinner much of anything. This gospel is known as Arminianism, also known as the “free-will” gospel. With this free-will gospel, preachers don’t even have to mention sin, repentance, judgment, or holiness if they don’t want to. All they have to do is say that if you want to go to heaven, just accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. It’s that simple. This new easy – and yes, FALSE – gospel is in stark contrast to the Gospel of the Bible.
 
The real Gospel involves preaching from God’s word about the LAW of God, the holiness of God, the reality and purpose of Hell, the sinlessness of Heaven, the eternal wrath of God, God’s hatred of both sin and the rebellious sinner, the utter lostness of mankind, the spiritual deadness of the unsaved sinner, the blood atonement of Christ, the crucifixion of Christ as the only remedy for sin, and so many other Bible doctrines that expound on the reason why sinners desperately need a savior, the only savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. The sinner has no need of the Good News of the sacrifice of Christ for sinners, if there is no “bad news”.
 
So many modern preachers are ignorant of the importance of God’s Word, and in particular, God’s Law, in the salvation process. Yet they wonder why people who they preach to are not coming to Christ. And likewise, they wonder why their “converts” are walking away.
 

IRS Double-Talk About Incorporating Your Church

 
Look at what the IRS (U.S. Internal Revenue Service) says about incorporating churches and see how misleading there wording is. Notice the use of the word “qualify” (highlighted in bold print in the text box below), as if the IRS is giving you a gift (i.e. tax exemption) when in reality they are putting you under legal obligation to them. Or to put it another way, they are legally enslaving you under the guise of doing you a favor.
 

Excerpt From Official IRS Document

(https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p1828.pdf)

 
Tax-Exempt Status
 
Churches and religious organizations, like many other charitable organizations, qualify for exemption from federal income tax under IRC Section 501(c)(3) and are generally eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions. To qualify for tax-exempt status, the organization must meet the following requirements (covered in greater detail throughout this publication):

• the organization must be organized and operated exclusively for religious,
  educational, scientific or other charitable purposes;
• net earnings may not inure to the benefit of any private individual or shareholder;
• no substantial part of its activity may be attempting to influence legislation;
• the organization may not intervene in political campaigns; and
• the organization’s purposes and activities may not be illegal or violate
  fundamental public policy.

 
What they are really saying is NOT this:
 
To qualify for tax-exempt status, the organization must meet the following requirements (covered in greater detail throughout this publication):
 
but rather this:
 
If you become 501c3 incorporated, THEN YOU WILL BE LEGALLY OBLIGATED TO COMPLY WITH OUR REQUIREMENTS which include these stipulations, among others, including any new stipulations the IRS comes up with at a later date:

• the organization must be organized and operated exclusively for religious, educational, scientific or other charitable purposes;
• net earnings may not inure to the benefit of any private individual or shareholder;
• no substantial part of its activity may be attempting to influence legislation;
• the organization may not intervene in political campaigns; and
• the organization’s purposes and activities may not be illegal or violate fundamental public policy.

And just what does “violate fundamental public policy mean? What if “public policy” is to sanction gay marriage, which in fact has become public policy by U.S. law? Then 501C3 churhes are legally bound by their 501C3 contracts with the government to not violate that policy by what they say or do.
 
If a church does NOT incorporate as a 501C3 they will NOT be BOUND by the above list of IRS restrictions and yet they will still be tax exempt per the first amendment of the constitution – which for now – protects individual citizens and groups of citizens from government interference in religion. And the IRS knows this and they acknowledge that fact in their own publications as we will see in the next section.
 

Even the IRS says that CHURCHES ARE TAX EXEMPT:

 
Believe it or not, even the IRS says in its very own tax code that churches are exempt from income tax and need not form a 501c3 corporation for such exemption.
 

Excerpt From Official IRS 501C3 Document

(https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p1828.pdf)

       :
Churches and religious organizations are generally exempt from income tax and receive other favorable treatment under the tax law; however, certain income of a church or religious organization may be subject to tax, such as income from an unrelated business.
       :
       :

Recognition of Tax-Exempt Status

Automatic Exemption for Churches

Churches that meet the requirements of IRC Section 501(c)(3) are automatically considered tax exempt and are not required to apply for and obtain recognition of tax-exempt status from the IRS.
Although there is no requirement to do so, many churches seek recognition of tax-exempt status from the IRS because this recognition assures church leaders, members and contributors that the church is recognized as exempt and qualifies for related tax benefits.
       :
       :
The IRS considers this publication a living document, one that will be revised to take into account future developments and feedback.
       :

Any church that incorporates becomes a church that is operating as a government business

 
“There are profit-making businesses and there are non-profit businesses, but a business is a business in the eyes of [the] government. An incorporated church simply cannot deny the fact that it has requested permission of the State to operate as a business. Not only does it have its charter and articles of incorporation on file with the Secretary of State, but it is also required to list a President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer. None of these offices were instituted by Christ in His Church (Eph.4:11-12), because they exist to control the business dealings of a corporation, not the sacramental duties of the Body of Christ.” (source: http://ecclesia.org/truth/501-church.html).
 
So the bottom-line is that 501c3 incorporation of a church in America is unnecessary, unbiblical and something to be strongly avoided.
 

Related Material On Incorporating And Unincorporating A Church:

• Unincorporate Your Church – With Care!
• Reasons To Unincorporate Your Church
• Unbiblical Incorporation Of Churches
• Church Freedom and The Corporation Sole
• 501c3 Myths
• The Truth About Church Incorporation
• 501c3: The Devil’s Church

What’s Wrong With The Sinner’s Prayer?

“And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.” – Luke 18:13″

There’s nothing wrong with the ABOVE prayer.  No one told the man to say it.  No one told him that by saying it he would receive salvation or anything from God.  God had apparently already humbled this man and shown him his sinful state and his need for God’s mercy.  But what about the typical “sinner’s prayer” that many lost souls are urged to pray in order to become saved.  Take this prayer for example that can be found on the back page of millions of tracts handed out by a certain tract ministry:

The person who prays that prayer is told that if they prayed it and really mean it, then they are saved.  But does salvation really work that way?

“For man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.” [1 Samuel 16:7]

How can any human being make some dogmatic statement about the condition of any person’s soul? Anybody can repeat any words they want without any permanent change of their heart.  Salvation requires an act of God:

“A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.” [Ezekiel 36:26]

God the Holy Spirit must convict a person of their sin and their need of salvation – FROM HELL – from the eternal punishment they deserve for their sins, and not for the purpose or intention of prosperity or personal gain.  Also, you can “believe” what you want about Jesus but that does not make you saved:

“Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.” [James 2:19]

What you believe about Jesus is certainly an indication of whether or not you are saved but it doesn’t make you saved.

A dog may bark a lot, but barking does not make him a dog.  God made him a dog.  Likewise if a person goes around saying they believe they are Napoleon Bonaparte, that does not make them Napoleon, it just indicates that they think they are Napoleon.  The point being that we don’t obtain salvation by doing anything including by saying anything.  There is no magical incantation or prayer a person can recite to become saved.  We all are entirely at the mercy of God and lost and damned until and unless He decides – simply according to His good pleasure – that He is going to save us.

“According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will” [Ephesians 1:4-5]

And then the responsibility is upon God to send a preacher (or multiple preachers) of the Gospel to the sinner He is going to save.

“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.  How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?  And how shall they preach, except they be sent?” [Romans 10:13-15]

Did you notice something in the above passage from Romans chapter 10?  It says you have to believe in the Lord before you can call upon the Lord.  And only God can enable the blind to see and the deaf to hear and the unbelievers to believe.

“Salvation is of the Lord” [Jonah 2:9]

Lastly, we wish to point out that in the sinner’s prayer, the sinner is told to “invite” Christ into their heart.  However, Jesus Christ is not at the mercy of the sinner waiting to be invited in.  The sinner is at the mercy of Christ.

“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost” [Titus 3:5]

Warnings About Ecumenism:

Unity At The Expense Of Truth

Attention all twice-born bible-believing Christians:
Unity at the expense of truth is TREASON!

“Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.” [2 John 9-11]

What the Bible says about the ecumentical movement

We are going to examine what the Bible says about the ecumenical movement in Christianity today and how it is compromising the true Gospel of Jesus Christ. The term ecuminism – or also known as ecumenicalism – is described by its proponents as: “a movement promoting cooperation and better understanding among different religious groups or denominations” [1].  In many Christian churches ecuminism is viewed more specifically as: “the aim of unity among all Christian churches throughout the world” [2].

This all sounds like a good concept considering various bible passages that seem to encourage unity among Christians, but is unity always a good thing for Christians? What if we are encouraged to (or forced to) set aside important biblical truths in order to work with other churches or other professing Christians?  Does unity take precedence OVER doctrinal truth, and if so, when?  It is very apparent that biblical truth is of paramount importance when we look at some of the final words of the Lord Jesus Christ:

“Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.” [John 18:37]

Biblical warnings about unequal yokes with unbelievers

The apostle Paul also warns us: “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” [2 Cor 6:14-16]

In the very next verse in that same passage, Paul goes on to say: “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you” [2 Cor 6:17].  This sure doesn’t sound like a call for unity now does it?  Scripture is telling here that God does not want us to become polluted by the sinful ways of the unsaved souls around us.  And in Galatians, Paul strongly warns us that God does not want us to water down the Gospel to make it appealing to the lost and less offensive to God’s enemies:

“But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed. For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ. But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man.” [Galatians 1:8-11]

“Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth? They zealously affect you, but not well; yea, they would exclude you, that ye might affect them. But it is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing” [Galatians 4:16-18]

In the interest of biblical truth and honoring the integrity of God’s word, all true Christians need to be very careful about sweeping things under the carpet by withholding the truth about the things that distinguish the true Gospel from the false.  You cannot make the gospel unoffensive to man’s pride and man’s warped ideas of fairness, without removing critical, yet offensive doctrines such as God’s sovereignty and man’s total depravity.

Where Is The Most Danger And The Most Compromise?

1. Referring to Catholics as Christians and the Church of Rome as just another “Christian” church.
2. Preaching that God is a genie who can make you materially prosperous if you have enough faith.
3. Preaching that you can lose your salvation, something that Christ paid for once and for all time at the cross.
4. Decisional Regeneration – preaching that sinners are lost but still capable of choosing Christ.

Many professing Christians are aware of the error in the prosperity movement, the “name it and claim it” doctrine as it is often called.  But how many professing Christians are aware of the danger of the “free-will” gospel that puts man in control of something that God says he is not in control of… his own salvation. — RM Kane

What Godly Men Have Said About Ecumenicalism

“Numbers of our good brethren remain in fellowship with those who are undermining the Gospel, and they talk of their conduct as if it were a loving course which the Lord will approve in the day of His appearing. We cannot understand them. The bounden duty of a true believer towards men who profess to reject the fundamentals of the Gospel, is to come out from among them. Complicity with error will take from the best of men the power to enter any successful protest against. When will Christians learn that separation from evil is not only our privilege, but our duty?” – Dr. C.H. Spurgeon

“A generation and more ago evangelicals all over the world thanked God for the Reformation and recognized it as the greatest and most blessed event in the history of the church since Pentecost. They rejoiced in the light of the Biblical revelation whereby their lives were persuaded of such doctrines as those of the infallibility of Holy Scriptures, the Trinity, the virgin-birth, blood-atonement, bodily resurrection and second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, regeneration by the Holy Ghost, and justification by faith. They experienced in their souls the sweetness of the grace of God. They were convinced that the Papacy was a gigantic delusion of Satan, one of his chief strongholds of falsity and darkness, and that religious Rationalism was equally heinous in the sight of God… But many descendants of the God-fearing stock are today stigmatizing as narrow-minded, ignorant, uncharitable and even unchristian, that which their forefathers had held as divine truth. Instead of holding the Scriptures as the infallible Word of God, they reject this doctrine as untenable and dangerous; and as a consequence they compromise and surrender the fundamentals of the Christian Faith. It is of such the Lord has said, Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter (Isaiah 5:20).” – Pastor Perry Rockwood

“In our day, we have a lot of foolish Protestants who believe that the old Rome is now a harmless old pussycat sitting on the banks of the Tiber; she purrs so contently. They say, ‘We never understood Rome. What a pity we ever had a reformation at all!’ What foolish people the Protestants are! – Protestants who long ceased to protest against evil doctrine, forgetting the millions of lives that were sacrificed for the precious truth” – Dr. H.A. Ironside

FOOTNOTES:

[1] – The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition, Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.

[2] – Collins English Dictionary – Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition, 2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd.