Pastors: Shepherds Of Flocks Or Egotistical Control Freaks?
As the title of this article clearly points out, a leader in a local church can be a shepherd WATCHING over a local church congregation or he can be a control freak RULING over a local congregation. The most biblical format of leadership in a local church is a plurality of elders, not a solitary pastor. That plurality of elders should be in place to serve as checks and balances for each other, while not stifling correction or advice from other members of the local church. There are too many problems with solitary pastors and here are just a few of those problems:
- Correction/Discipline – Pastors can avoid church discipline more easily than the rest of the local church.
- Doctrinal Errors – Pastors can easily remain in error – with others having little, if any, opportunity to challenge teachings.
- Ministry focus and direction – Pastors can get off track – with no one at their level of authority to get them back on track.
The whole idea of a pastor simply perpetuates the unbiblical clergy/laity system and the pulpit/pope system. It is an extremely dangerous system, that puts far too much power and control into the hands of one person, one person who…
- likes having power and control over things and people…
- likes to do all of the talking while the rest of us do all the listening…
- likes to decide for everyone else what they need to learn…
- likes to give advice rather than receive it…
- likes to judge others rather than be judged by others…
- likes to administer correction rather than be administered correction…
- likes to turn Christian leadership into a paid career opportunity…
- likes to be at a level of authority above everyone else…
- likes to do the job of the Holy Spirit leading the local congregation…
- likes to have preeminence in the local church.
I do believe that there are plenty of pastors who are clueless about the unbiblical nature of the role they have in their local churches. These same people tend to be equally clueless about the unbiblical and highly suboptimal nature of the Clergy-Laity system that they are part of. And lastly, these people “in charge” are often quite ignorant of ANYTHING not taught to them in bible school, such as alternative views – and perhaps more biblical views – of ecclesiology (format of the local church), eschatology (end time events), bible versions and even soteriology (differing views on salvation such as arminianism and calvinism).
Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety. – Proverbs 11:14
Please refer to our articles listed here: “Church – What It’s All About” for more information on biblical church format (i.e. ecclesiology). — RM Kane