Monday, May 21, 2007
Senior Pastors...
One of the hot topics I hear today is the idea of Senior Pastors in our local congregations. Typically this refers to the pulpit minister and the idea is that the church of Christ tradition of having elders (pastors) separate from the preaching staff is outdated and wrong. After all, in most churches your preacher does do pastoral work. Therefore, he should be in on all pastoral meetings.
Sorry, but I don't buy that argument. I just don't think churches are led by one man. I know it happens in practice, and I know that sometimes elders have not functioned well as shepherds. But just because we have not done something well does not mean it is wrong. I believe Scripture outlines the kind of man who should lead churches as a pastor. Some of the best ministers I know do not qualify. This is one of those ideas we stole from the evangelical mega-church movement. And it is trendy today to assume anything done historically in churches of Christ is suspect.
There is Scripture for preaching elders, and there is Scripture for paying preachers and/or elders. But I cannot find Scripture for the idea that preachers are automatically pastors. Nor can I find evidence that preachers are to lead the church. We may have done this in practice, but I do not think it healthy or wise. Why not just make one of our elders the Senior Pastor and let him run the church?
Why not just let me be the Senior Pastor at Southern Hills? Because I am not always smart enough or wise enough. No one man is. And if one man "runs" a church, it is too easy to confuse him with the one who really is in charge. Sometimes we even enable our preachers to get caught up in this Messiah complex.
Maybe I'm wrong (so I guess I can't be a Senior Pastor), or maybe I'm mad no one will make me the Senior Pastor, or maybe I don't want to see anyone but me have the power.
Or maybe I'm right.
So what do you think?
Sorry, but I don't buy that argument. I just don't think churches are led by one man. I know it happens in practice, and I know that sometimes elders have not functioned well as shepherds. But just because we have not done something well does not mean it is wrong. I believe Scripture outlines the kind of man who should lead churches as a pastor. Some of the best ministers I know do not qualify. This is one of those ideas we stole from the evangelical mega-church movement. And it is trendy today to assume anything done historically in churches of Christ is suspect.
There is Scripture for preaching elders, and there is Scripture for paying preachers and/or elders. But I cannot find Scripture for the idea that preachers are automatically pastors. Nor can I find evidence that preachers are to lead the church. We may have done this in practice, but I do not think it healthy or wise. Why not just make one of our elders the Senior Pastor and let him run the church?
Why not just let me be the Senior Pastor at Southern Hills? Because I am not always smart enough or wise enough. No one man is. And if one man "runs" a church, it is too easy to confuse him with the one who really is in charge. Sometimes we even enable our preachers to get caught up in this Messiah complex.
Maybe I'm wrong (so I guess I can't be a Senior Pastor), or maybe I'm mad no one will make me the Senior Pastor, or maybe I don't want to see anyone but me have the power.
Or maybe I'm right.
So what do you think?
