I once had a conversation with a "senior pastor" of a particular independent church organization on a certain city where I once resided. The topic of the conversation started with a reference to a book written by James Rutz called The Open Church (which is still available to this day, many years later, on Amazon).
The striking part of the conversation was his question to me, "Without a senior pastor, who makes the final decisions?"
What came to my mind was something like this:
1 Peter 5:1 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:
Peter, whom many assume was the chief among the apostles, placed himself in the ranks of the elders. It's my contention that not all who are called "elders" today are elders of biblical stature, but that's another topic entirely in relation to the thrust of this OP.
Bottom line, TRUE elders of biblical stature are men who serve in various capacities, never really demanding a particular title, although most of churchianity practices calling some men "Pastor So-and-so," or "Elder So-and-so...," TRUE elders are men who can teach, disciple, oversee, some of whom, as the verse above states, walked with Christ in person.
The value of such men is absolute, and yet so few men walk as giants in the faith on account of their possessing the title by election by some "board" within their respective churchianity organization, but not by the stature identified within the scriptures.
That "senior pastor" on the phone with me made this distinction abundantly clear, beyond any doubt...at least with himself and among his followers, when he asked me that question as to who makes the final decision. When I asked him to clarify his inquiry, he gave a generalized scenario of a decision for the color of the carpet, with the elder board not being able to settle on a final decision in unison...who, then, would make that final decision to overcome the dead-lock?
After pointing out that I would prefer a more serious scenario of difficulty, I stated that the elders should go into their prayer closets and seek the Lord for His direction if in fact that organization were under the Lord's own Headship.
To that he persisted, forcing the scenario into the situation of the elders STILL not being able to come to unified decision, and so who, then, would have to step in to make the final decision, he asked.
This betrayed to me the lack in the Lord's Headship practiced in that man's "church," among his followers...and yes, I do mean HIS followers.
It was then that I asked him WHY any group of elders would not be able to be unified under the direction and Headship of Christ through their prayer, except that they be men who lack spiritual depth, functioning under the Headship of the One Christ over all, to which he responded that THEN the "senior pastor" MUST step in to make that decision. That was the last straw for him because of how well it exposed the lack of spiritual depth among those he cultivated into a collection of spiritually vacuous men he called his "elders."
What came from this is the fact that he had cultivated a system where his value was found only in his ability to make up for the lack of spiritual life functioning in those under him, and that by exercising CEO-like authority, he found his niche for value within that organization.
It didn't occur to him in the least what a failure he was as a man who SHOULD be functioning under the Headship of Christ above all else, and raising up saints who would grow and mature toward the fullness of the stature of Christ.
He revealed to me his preference for perpetual sheep who bleat and whine after him and his false glow of authority and maturity, who become aware of their need to aspire nor surpass him in spiritual strength, knowledge and functionality, but rather sit in the pews in perpetuity (without end), under his minimal level of spiritual maturity. It's all about what he had built up. He wasn't hired. No. He built that group and that facility on the backs of spiritual midgets. One of his own elders validated this to me some years later after leaving that place and serving under that "pastor."
This is an example of why there is DOUBLE judgement upon those who teach, and it also demonstrates how there are those who don't take that seriously...until that day comes when they stand trembling before the Majesty of the Most High.
MM
The striking part of the conversation was his question to me, "Without a senior pastor, who makes the final decisions?"
What came to my mind was something like this:
1 Peter 5:1 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:
Peter, whom many assume was the chief among the apostles, placed himself in the ranks of the elders. It's my contention that not all who are called "elders" today are elders of biblical stature, but that's another topic entirely in relation to the thrust of this OP.
Bottom line, TRUE elders of biblical stature are men who serve in various capacities, never really demanding a particular title, although most of churchianity practices calling some men "Pastor So-and-so," or "Elder So-and-so...," TRUE elders are men who can teach, disciple, oversee, some of whom, as the verse above states, walked with Christ in person.
The value of such men is absolute, and yet so few men walk as giants in the faith on account of their possessing the title by election by some "board" within their respective churchianity organization, but not by the stature identified within the scriptures.
That "senior pastor" on the phone with me made this distinction abundantly clear, beyond any doubt...at least with himself and among his followers, when he asked me that question as to who makes the final decision. When I asked him to clarify his inquiry, he gave a generalized scenario of a decision for the color of the carpet, with the elder board not being able to settle on a final decision in unison...who, then, would make that final decision to overcome the dead-lock?
After pointing out that I would prefer a more serious scenario of difficulty, I stated that the elders should go into their prayer closets and seek the Lord for His direction if in fact that organization were under the Lord's own Headship.
To that he persisted, forcing the scenario into the situation of the elders STILL not being able to come to unified decision, and so who, then, would have to step in to make the final decision, he asked.
This betrayed to me the lack in the Lord's Headship practiced in that man's "church," among his followers...and yes, I do mean HIS followers.
It was then that I asked him WHY any group of elders would not be able to be unified under the direction and Headship of Christ through their prayer, except that they be men who lack spiritual depth, functioning under the Headship of the One Christ over all, to which he responded that THEN the "senior pastor" MUST step in to make that decision. That was the last straw for him because of how well it exposed the lack of spiritual depth among those he cultivated into a collection of spiritually vacuous men he called his "elders."
What came from this is the fact that he had cultivated a system where his value was found only in his ability to make up for the lack of spiritual life functioning in those under him, and that by exercising CEO-like authority, he found his niche for value within that organization.
It didn't occur to him in the least what a failure he was as a man who SHOULD be functioning under the Headship of Christ above all else, and raising up saints who would grow and mature toward the fullness of the stature of Christ.
He revealed to me his preference for perpetual sheep who bleat and whine after him and his false glow of authority and maturity, who become aware of their need to aspire nor surpass him in spiritual strength, knowledge and functionality, but rather sit in the pews in perpetuity (without end), under his minimal level of spiritual maturity. It's all about what he had built up. He wasn't hired. No. He built that group and that facility on the backs of spiritual midgets. One of his own elders validated this to me some years later after leaving that place and serving under that "pastor."
This is an example of why there is DOUBLE judgement upon those who teach, and it also demonstrates how there are those who don't take that seriously...until that day comes when they stand trembling before the Majesty of the Most High.
MM
