Copyright © 2007 Ron Schwartz
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Here A Little, And There A Little

Part 2 - Understanding Church Leadership Through the Gospels

February 5, 2007

Ron Schwartz

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First, to recap Part 1:

Isaiah 28:13 KJV

13 But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.

In this prophecy God tells us that the New Testament would come in parts, like series of building blocks.  It would come “precept upon precept, line upon line.”  The word translated “precept” is tsav (Hebrew) meaning “commandment,” and the word translated “line” is qav (Hebrew) “a cord (as means of measuring).”  Thus this verse foretold the New Covenant, its statutes and measure would come over the course of time through many people.   It would literally be “here a little, and there a little.”  Paul described it “as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon (1 Corinthians 3:10).” 

There is an inherent weakness in this form of structure: anyone can claim to have part of that revelation and set forth statutes that are contrary to true revelation.   To counter this, God sent two messengers, the prophet John the Baptist and His Son Jesus Christ, to preach the message of the kingdom.   Their ministries set in place the fundamentals and foundational doctrine of the New Testament.  It was meant that others would follow and build (“precept upon precept, line upon line”) upon this foundation, not try to replace it.  As Paul wrote, “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 3:11).”   It is clear that the original disciples understood this.  Both the example and the words of Jesus were to be the foundation.  What the apostles did and spoke was only to build upon it.  

These men wrote many epistles, but they are no longer present to explain what they meant or intended.  As a result, Christianity today is heavily divided over much of their writings, each group believing that they understand what the author really means.  This division arises from the practice of weighing all scripture as equal.  All you need to do is to find some obscure verse, and you can establish a new doctrine based on it.  You can find justification for any doctrine if you weigh all scripture the same.  We do not believe that this was God’s intention.  We believe that God intended for Jesus’ teachings to act as a foundation for other teachings.   That is why the words and example of Jesus was given to us in four books (for validation).  But if you weigh all scripture the same, and two parties are divided over two seemingly conflicting scriptures, there is no hope for unity.  Therefore, what we must do is what the disciples did in the beginning, when the church was strong and unified, we must go back to the teachings of Jesus as our foundation.  You have heard it before: “Read the red!” 

Earlier we wrote: There is an inherent weakness in this form of structure: anyone can claim to have part of that revelation and set forth statutes that are contrary to true revelation.   To counter this, God sent two messengers, the prophet John the Baptist and His Son Jesus Christ, to preach the message of the kingdom.  For this reason, we need to once again embrace the teachings of Jesus as never before.  We cannot weigh contemporary Christian literature to the epistles.  They must be weighed against the original foundational teachings of Christ.  We are not suggesting that we dismiss scripture.  We are saying that we must interpret scripture by the gospels instead of re-interpreting the gospels by other scripture.   In other words, allow the gospels to be a filter to determine how certain (vague) scriptures should be understood.  It is obvious that the words and teachings of Jesus held center stage for the first church, and it must do so again today.

Part 2:

Understanding Church Leadership Through the Gospels

Church Offices/Leadership

When reading Paul’s epistles to Timothy and Titus, there is no question that Paul taught the need for a plurality of elders for the churches he established.  Throughout his epistles, three words are used to describe this leadership:

Presbuteros (Greek), elder – this word is normally used to describe an older person, mature in age, and respected.   It was also used in the church to describe someone with wisdom and whose advice was sought after.

Episkopos (Greek) – overseer or bishop – this is used to describe one who cares for or guards others, and also an example.

Poimen  (Greek) - shepherd, pastor – this is one who cares for people like a shepherd would a flock of sheep.  

Presbuteros (elder) was an informal rank held by many, but episkopos (bishop) and poimen (pastor) were not.   These words were synonymous for an office that (in Paul’s churches) “men,” who were morally upright and temperate nature, were to aspire.  There was never a single bishop/pastor of a church, which is generally the case today.  Paul endorsed a plurality of leaders.  There is no question that their purpose is similar to the position of pastor we see in many churches today.

Now let’s consider this according to the teaching of Jesus.

Jesus taught, “But Jesus called them to him, and saith unto them, Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them.  But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister: And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all (Mark 10:42-44),”

And He also said, “But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren (Matthew 23:8).”

What we find is a common theme throughout the teaching of Jesus.   No one but God is to be a lord over God’s people.  So how do we interpret Paul’s instruction through the teaching of Jesus?

1)     New converts and mature Christians must not be treated the same.

As long as there are new converts there will be a need for elders to mentor them.   Jesus endorsed this when He said in the great commission, “Go ye therefore, and teach [Greek: matheteuo, “to disciple, instruct or mentor”] all nations (Matt 28:19).”  Therefore, when understood by the teaching of Jesus we see that the purpose for elders were to teach, mentor, and disciple new Christians.

The rank of elders (which anyone can attain) is a way for mature Christians to grow out from under the oversight of pastors/bishops without eliminating pastors/bishops from the church.   In other words, pastors/bishops do not exercise cart blanche authority over everyone in the church.

It is important to understand that elders (mature Christians) do not always have a title.  So how will you know one?

Simply put, they are pillars of spiritual strength and wisdom.  They seem to always be able to find the mind of God is a situation.  And they always have a purpose that has something to do with teaching.  They may have specialized community-oriented roles such as youth and college outreaches, penitentiary chaplainship, or praise and worship.  They may be school teachers, counselors, or writers.  They may occasionally teach seminars or specialized classes.  Whether male or female, they fit the model of temperance, morality, and wisdom that Paul uses to describe a bishop in the epistles to Timothy and Titus.  They are the ones you respect and seek after for advice.

It is interesting is that each of us knows many people who fit this description yet hold no official church title.  These people may not realize that they are, in fact, peers of the official church government and that it is a mistake for them not to be involved in the decisions and direction of the church they attend.  These people usually have no church home.  Pastors may have victimized them because they always question leadership actions.  They generally intimidate pastors and are often asked to leave those pastors’ churches.   It is not uncommon that they are more spiritually mature than most pastors in a community.

True elders are the missing element in most churches.  Most contemporary churches seem to acknowledge only those who have official titles, and as a result, they miss the spiritual richness they can gain from true elders.  If we could give any advice to contemporary pastors, it would be to acknowledge the “true” spiritual elders (as opposed to the “official” ones) of the congregation and to treat them as peers.   If they were to do this, amazing things would begin to take place in their respective churches.

2) Pastors and bishops were to lead, not rule.

Peter, perhaps, gives the most balance description of this when he wrote to the Gentile churches:

1 Peter 5:1-3 KJV

1 The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed:

2 Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;

3 Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.

First, pastors/bishops are to be “among” the people, not over them.  This means there are no classes of Christians.  They are all brethren.   

Secondly, they are to be “ensamples,” not lords.   When you have the authority to tell someone what they can and cannot do, you are their lord.  This includes manipulation, threats, and pressure (both subtle and strong-arm tactics).

Hebrews 5:12 KJV

For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.

All mature Christians are elders, and all Christian leaders must expect and allow mature Christians to grow out from under their oversight, to essentially become their peers.  Elders (mature Christians) must be viewed and treated with the same respect as a pastor/bishop.   Their influence must be equal to that of pastors/bishops.  When Paul and Barnabas went to Jerusalem to settle the issue of whether or not Gentiles must become Jews for salvation, we find that they went “unto the apostles and elders about this question (Acts 15:2).”  Here we find that there was no distinction made between the apostles and elders.  Why, then, do churches make distinctions between pastors and elders?

They do not need permission to pursue their ministry or to flow in their gifts in the church.  Pastors/bishops must remember the warning of the apostle John:

3 John 9 KJV

I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not.

No one must take center stage other than God.   If a man attempts to orchestrate his individual agenda, he is taking preeminence.  He has taken something that belongs to God.

And finally, their service must be “willingly; not for filthy lucre.”  In other words, they must serve without expecting to receive anything for it.  They must serve without an expectation of the “flock” financing their ministry.

How would this play out today?  Churches would become factories instead of institutions.   They would be evangelizing the “unchurched,” mentoring them, and turning out a steady flow of mature Christians into the community.  Church leaders would not control the church.  They would lead it.  What this means is that when the church comes together, mature (elders) Christians would lead (showing no difference between elders (mature Christians), bishops and pastors) with their spiritual gifts and mentor the younger Christians in theirs.   It would not be the gathering of an audience and a few performers as is generally the practice today.   Men would practice being the spiritual head of their families by being a spiritual leader in the church.

3) What were Paul’s intentions?

Paul was faced with something that few Christian leaders have ever had to deal with.   Paul was faced with evangelizing and discipling a pagan empire.   Most of us have been raised in nations were the laws are, for the most part, moral.   We are raised in moral (not necessarily godly) environments, so we have a good handle on right and wrong.  This was not the case in the nations to which Paul went.  They saw nothing wrong with fornication.  Fornication was actually a part of worship and a way of providing hospitality to a visitor.  Therefore, Paul could not even assume that his new converts understood the basics of morality.  Christian leaders had a lot further to go with their congregations than pastors do today.  They had to guard against people participating in sin like fornication believing it to be an act of worship.  Consequently, in some cases, Christian leaders acted in a sense as a ruler in that they actually told people what they could and could not do.

In our culture, this is not the case.   We do not need “rulers” in our churches but godly examples.  What we need is for those who are “ruling” to step down into and “among” the congregation and allow them to rule.   After all it is they who are called to be “kings [rulers] and priests unto God (Revelation 1:6).”

Conclusion

Reading Paul’s directions for pastors found in Timothy and Titus alone would probably leave you with the impression that there are indeed classes of Christians.  The over emphasis on his writings account for why the Catholics have a clergy/priest class and the Protestants have their equivalent with a CEO/pastor class.  On the surface it might appear that he adopted a system of rule that was contrary to the teaching of Christ.  But this is only because we fail to consider the challenges Paul faced with the pagan cultures of his day.   By weighing his teaching against that of Christ we come to understand that this system of rule was meant to be a temporary structure for the spiritually undeveloped.  It can be beneficial for people who have no morality or conscience for God, and for mentoring new converts.   At the same time it only gets in the way of those who are spiritually mature.  As a result, societies where clergy/priest and CEO/pastors are more prevalent tend to have churches that contain mostly spiritual immature Christians.  This is because this is what this system is designed for: oversight of the less spiritually developed.  It explains why more developed Christians tend to be pushed away from many contemporary churches.   Churches that unilaterally embrace this system of rule tend to cater to spiritually immature people.

Are there elders and pastors? 

Yes. The purpose of an elder is to disciple and mentor young Christians.  They are to exercise their gifts with the rest of the congregation.  They appear as peers to the bishops/pastors.  Pastors must always function as a plurality – never alone.  Both pastors (bishops) and elders may have specialized community-oriented roles such as youth and college outreaches, penitentiary chaplains, praise and worship, etc.  Some may have specialized gifts such as healing and prophecy.

If there is essentially no difference spiritually between elders and pastors/bishops, then why have them?

All pastors/bishops are elders (or at least should be), but not all elders are pastors/bishops.  Pastor/bishop is an “office (1 Timothy 3:1)” that Christians who are elders are selected to fill.   The phraseology used to describe this office suggests that the number of openings were limited; the exact number would depend on the church size and need.   Therefore, an elder could not become a bishop/pastor until there was an open office in the “plurality.”  Elders are a way of identifying spiritually mature believers who qualify for this office and should therefore be part of decision-making and direction-setting, as well as providing teaching and other forms of ministry.

Does this mean that only elders and pastors/bishops should minister?

No.  Ministry should come from the entire body of Christ (But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love, Ephesians 4:15-16.).  It means that this group would be involved in mentoring and encouraging the less mature Christians in their gifts and ministry.

What if a church reaches a point where there are only mature Christians in the congregation?

1) Then there may no longer be a need for pastors/bishops since virtually everyone is an elder.   Remember, the function of ministry is only “till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man (Ephesians 4:13).” 

2) Something is wrong.  How is it that evangelism of the “unchurched” is taking place and the church has no new converts?  Is everyone in the community saved?   Either the church is not evangelizing like it should, or God does not exist.

If elders or mature Christians are those who have grown out from under the oversight of pastors/bishops, why have them?  

Simply put, bishops/pastors are elders who have met certain biblical criteria and have made a commitment to be responsible for a particular church.   Unlike elders, who are free to come and go, they have made a sacrificial decision to stay.   They are true servants who serve everyone without expecting compensation, acknowledgement, or gratitude.

It is unlikely that a church pursuing the great commission will ever come to a place where pastors are no longer necessary.  However, that should be the goal.

If churches were to pursue a biblical type of church leadership there may be no need for salaried pastors (since the work would be spread among a plurality).   The money taken in would be able to go to the community and aid in evangelism.  The problems many churches currently face with pastoral abuse would be less of an issue.

When you use the teaching of Jesus that “whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister: And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all (Mark 10:42-44)” as the theme of the New Testament and interpret all other scripture concerning church leadership by these words, then the conflict and contradiction of the scripture will vanish.