Letter to Peter, 5

(My friend Peter has set me a challenge for 2024: each month he is going to ask me a question. I want my answer to come from the heart, so I will try not use books, except the Bible. And I will try keep it to around 500 words. Thanks for the challenge Peter. I hope others find it helpful too.)    

May 2024

5. How should 'team' leadership and the pastor's role in practice work itself out in the local church and what is the biblical basis for this? Is there one pattern or does it depend on the leadership style of the minister?

Plurality in leadership was established by the Lord Jesus himself, when he appointed 12 men to be apostles. That surely became a model for the apostles as they began to establish new churches (Acts 11:19-26), and once Paul and Barnabas had led people to the Lord in Lystra, Iconium and Pisidian Antioch, they returned to those cities, and "appointed elders for them in each church" (Acts 14:22-23). 

Paul later spells us the requirements and roles of local church leaders in his letters to co-workers, Timothy and Titus (1 Tim 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9). The elders had overall care of the local congregations. They were all to be men of godly character, and had to be able to teach. 

Paul tells us that the ascended Christ "gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists and the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service" (Eph 4:11-12). I take it that the apostles and prophets were foundational (Eph 2:20), and that their work is continued today by evangelists and pastor/teachers (the Greek construction here suggests that the pastor-teacher is one gift). The goal is "that the body of Christ might be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fulness of Christ" (4:12-13). That is a huge responsibility. It is the people who do works of service and the pastor who equips them to do it. But he can only carry out that work effectively if there are other church members willing to serve. In our church, we recognise such church members as 'deacons' (1 Tim 3:8-13), though in actuality there are plenty of members who do not hold office but do, nevertheless, carry out diaconal work in many forms.

I take it that a full time pastor is an elder who is paid in order to release them from the additional pressure of having to do another job for a living. It is not always possible for a local church to pay their pastor, so he may have to take an additional job in order not to be a burden to the flock (Acts 18:1-4). I don’t see that as being held up as anything more than a practical necessity for a limited time (5).

I am uncomfortable with the idea that a pastor might operate according to his 'leadership style'. My concern is that this might be used as a smokescreen for ungodly behaviour. Take, for instance, the pastor who is highly directive. He may have adopted his style from the corporate world, priding himself that he is decisive and runs a tight ship. The fall out will mount up over time as church members are sidelined for not measuring up or because they voiced an objection to his overbearing leadership. He might justify his actions as necessary for the church to 'move forward'. I heard of a pastor who said, "You can't make an omelette without cracking eggs", which of course is a tell-tale sign of an abusive situation.

The word 'minister' means one who serves, as Jesus did (Luke 22:27). So there is no place for heavy-handed leadership. That is not to deny that sometimes a minister or other elder might need to have a difficult conversation with a church member. But a minister's primary task is to teach; it is the task of the church as a body to enact discipline (Matt 18:15-20). If this distinction is observed, it should go a long way to prevent the minister from becoming a tyrant.

Letters to Peter, 2

(My friend Peter has set me a challenge for 2024: each month he is going to ask me a question for me to answer. I want my answer to come from the heart, so I will try not use books, except the Bible. And I will try keep it to 500 words. Thanks for the challenge Peter. I hope others find it helpful too.)

2. How do you go about seeking leaders for your local church, (within a team leadership model) and what characteristics should they have?

February 2024

Dear Peter,

I thank the Lord for putting me in local churches that have had godly leaders. They weren't perfect, and still aren't - I am one of them now! But when a leader has a close relationship with the Lord, that sweetens even their mistakes.

There is, I think, a lot of bad leadership about. Recent scandals to hit church and agency alike have been very saddening to read. Marcus Honeysett's Powerful Leaders, is compulsory reading for Brits involved in church leadership. Likewise, Not So With You, edited by Mark Sterling and Mark Meynell, looks very helpful too.

When I was a student I was immensely helped by J. Oswald Sanders' little book, Spiritual Leadership, which I picked up from an OM book table in Belgium and devoured while hitch-hiking round Europe after the month of ministry. It is probably out of print now but had lots of helpful biblical wisdom and encouragement.

But your question focusses on leadership in the local church, and that is more specific. You have already narrowed the question further by telling me that your church operates with a 'team leadership model'. 

Leadership in your church will largely be circumscribed by the church's ecclesiological commitments. It seems to me the local church's structure must allow for both respect for authority (1 Tim 5:17) and accountability. 

That having been said, the NT tells us, in my understanding, of two offices that the Lord has given to lead the local church: elder and deacon. I like the way Matt Smethurst distinguishes between the two roles: he says that an elder serves by leading and a deacon leads by serving. When elders and deacons work together, with their respective gifting recognised by the congregation, a church is truly blessed. 

Also with Smethurst, I believe the biblical pattern is for a plurality of elders, rather than a single minister giving pastoral oversight (1 Tim 3; Titus 1).

More generally, though, a local church needs leaders for all kinds of works, and they don’t all have to be elders or deacons, although you could say that anyone who serves is a kind of deacon.

Many volumes have been written on this. I hope you will want to read further. But, in answer to your question, I hope the following tips would be helpful:

1. Only people who have a credible profession of saving faith in Christ should be leaders in the local church. You can ensure this (not perfectly but as best you can with the help of the Spirit) by keeping church membership only to those who have such a profession. If among your church membership there are those who have clearly never experienced the grace of God then you need to do something about that. You will need to keep a very careful oversight over the church membership so that decisions that are made by the congregation in regard to leadership are spiritual decisions. 

2. Make sure that you are looking for the right people for the right roles. The qualifications for elder and deacon are clear from the passages above.

3. Take note of who comes to the prayer meetings. If they don’t show up to the prayer meeting they really should not be in leadership. What is the point of appointing a leader for a work in the church if they don’t demonstrate their need of the help of the Lord by coming together with the Lord’s people to pray?

4. Look for who is already serving. The people you want to serve the church in leadership are those who are already looking for ways to serve. Do they serve the teas and coffees or help out on the media desk? Do they have a track record of faithfulness in serving? Do they arrive on time when they are on a rota? This is the sort of thing Paul was getting at when he said that “They must first be tested” (1 Tim 3:10).

5. You are not looking for perfection, but are they quick to accept when they have done something wrong? Are they teachable or stubborn? I would rather have someone who is only barely competent but willing to learn than a whizz-kid who is full of themselves.

6. Likewise, are they quick to forgive when someone wrongs them? I don’t think the Bible requires us to forgive the unrepentant but the lack of forgiveness toward one who has acknowledged their sin is deadly. A church member who harbours bitterness should not be in leadership of any kind.

 

Seven Criteria for Partnering with Gospel Workers and Organisations

The following seven criteria present a draft check list of questions to help a local church discern where to best apportion support for gospel ministries outside the church. No one criterion should be taken alone but all considered in a balanced way, with some being more important in one situation and others in another.

Let me know if you think I have missed anything out or am muddled in some way!

1.     Gospel Commitment

Does the potential partner have a clear and explicit commitment to the gospel? An affirmation of an evangelical statement of faith or doctrinal basis, such as that of the UCCF or Affinity, is essential.

2.     Relational Proximity

How close, relationally, is the potential partner to the church? One might conceptualise this criterion as a set of concentric circles radiating out from the church, with members themselves being at the centre. A non-member who is well known by many members is closer than one who is known by only a few. A member of a sister church in town may be considered closer than one who is from a distant part of the country.

3.     Ministry Suitability

Has this person or organisation been assessed and endorsed by our church or by a church with which we are affiliated? The assessment process must be judged to be appropriate to the role being envisaged. Someone who would not be considered suitable for, say, youth ministry in their home church, should not be approved for such a ministry elsewhere.

4.     Service Faithfulness

Does the person or organisation have a track record of faithfulness in service? In the case of an individual, there should be evidence of faithfulness in the small things before they are given greater responsibility. 

5.     Strategic Significance

Does support for this partner have a developmental effect on others? Partnership with a leadership training programme or theological college, for example, would be expected to have a broadly fruitful influence through the ministries of those who are trained. An evangelistic work that places a high value on the creation of churches would have a higher strategic significance than that of one that takes a more hit or miss approach, especially if that church is in a community with little previous gospel witness.

6.     Adequate Management

Does the potential partner demonstrate clear and adequate accountability in the management of personnel and the use of financial resources, etc.? In the case of an organisation, good governance is crucial. In the case of an individual or family, there needs to be a clear structure and procedure to care for their needs while in service.

7.     Genuine Need

Is there a particular need that has become known to the church? All potential partners would likely be able to inform us of various needs that they are aware of in connection with their ministry, but some individuals and families, and even institutions may have acute needs. Unforeseen needs may arise, such as for a new car or hospital costs, for which the partner is not prepared.