You are asking for problems with this church council by Christian Tan

Perhaps a boring topic for some: church government. But if you don't organize things Biblically here, you're asking for trouble. And problems in the church often mean problems with eternal consequences. People losing their faith. Unbelievers who are not reached. Heaven and hell, life and death. That makes everything a little less boring.

Text: Christian Tan

A common mistake is that the highest authority is not given to those who are really the spiritual leaders. Instead, there is a board, a church council, a supervisory board, or a democratic meeting that determines everything. This can still go well by God's grace, but this is despite and not because of how we have arranged the government. 

In the Bible we see that there are three layers of leadership in the church: (1) apostles, (2) elders, and (3) deacons.

• The apostles are pioneers who plant churches, recruit leaders, watch over Biblical teaching, and help the church remember the big picture of God's mission. Their authority is generally recognized and recognized very 'naturally', and actually only works well when it is given voluntarily by a local church. 

• The elders have the highest authority in the local church. They must meet a number of character requirements (1 Tim. 3) and focus on preaching the Word and prayer (Acts 6:4). “Overseers” and “shepherds” are different words for the same function. 

• The deacons relieve the burden on the elders and apostles by focusing on the practical implementation of the vision in the church. They can also speak and their work is just as spiritual, but they serve the spiritual leadership. They too must meet certain character requirements, but for elders it is stated that they must be 'able to teach' - and for deacons this is not the case.

We also see that the entire church can also be involved in certain decisions. But if Israel had been democratic in the desert, they would still be sitting there today like slaves, dusting of the mummies. 

Sometimes there is a board or church council that deals with buildings, finances, personnel matters, legal issues. Actually deacons. People who are not preaching or doing the work of discipling and shepherding. But they are often good at what they do. They often also have a lot of responsibility at work, and that comes in handy in the church.

Only these types of 'council members' sometimes suddenly have the power to appoint or dismiss the spiritual leaders, and a decisive vote on the budget. That means… they are the real bosses of the church! 

And that is asking for trouble. 

In the ideal picture, the elder, pastor or minister is really the one who is spiritually at the forefront. They give priority to what the Word says, and how God's Spirit guides them to apply it. 

A Council member that does not preach and disciple itself, often looks at decisions more humanely. Not necessarily sinful, but with natural eyes. More 'common sense', less Biblical principles and prayerfully seeking God's guidance.

Administrative and spiritual leadership often clash. The spiritual leaders have a vision for a step of faith, but the administrators want to play it safe. Elders, driven by God's Spirit, deliver confrontational preaching, but the church council already sees the loss of tithes coming. The council members are impressed by someone with an impressive CV and high position in society, the spiritually looking people see warning signs.

Of course, sometimes it is exactly the other way around. The elders appear spiritual, but are blind to hidden motives deep in their hearts. The council-deacons see this and must protect the congregation. The pastor has enthusiastic plans, but has not consulted God, and the congregation must then use them to move in a different direction.

Wherever the flesh, human nature (no matter how smart or strong) takes control without dependence on God, chaos will eventually arise. Believe me, I have seen enough church divisions and dozens of peers in my teenage years left God because of it.

There is also no perfect system. 

• An 'episcopal' system with hierarchy and a strong visionary leader can be enormously effective if the leader keeps a pure heart, but can become a dictatorial drama if this is not the case and he as the 'greatest' is not 'the slave of everyone' (Mc . 9:35). 

• A 'Presbyterian' system in which a group of elders leads together as a team can be a great building, but can also be held hostage by fear of man and factions and bog down in indecision. 

• A 'congregationalist' system where the municipality makes democratic decisions can ensure harmony and growth, but can also lead to terrible political games.

That is why God does not say: always do this or that. He deliberately leaves it open whether one or more people should provide leadership. Both the idea of a 'first among equals' and an equal team can be found in the Bible. He can be led by a strong visionary such as Moses or Paul, but also by a “poor wise man” who is easy to overlook (Ecclesiastes 9:15).

But the basis is: those who are the spiritual leaders must also have the final responsibility on paper. Council members who are concerned with matters that are very important in the world, such as finances and buildings, but do not do the work of an elder, are deacons, who must be guided happily and willingly by the spiritual leaders. They and the congregation can always critically question the vision and strategy, and pastors and elders must be actively open to this. But earthly principles should not prevail. A church does not overcome by applying the best management principles alone, but by obedience to God's Word - even if this goes against common sense and administrative wisdom.

There are also many elders who are called that, but in fact do the work of a deacon: they do not teach, do not disciple people, do not address them about their lifestyle. Even then, this is a recipe for stagnation at the very least.

To be healthy and grow, a church must be led by elders/pastors who do the hard work of preaching, teaching and discipleship. Preferably connected to an apostolic ministry. True apostles will hardly call themselves that, but function selflessly with advice and inspiration - and it is better that a church gives them the right to correct where things go wrong.

How is this in your church? Who hires and can fire pastors? When push comes to shove, who pulls the strings? Does 'common sense', marketing and management principles rule? Or ... is Jesus King through the Word, through servant leaders who really meet the profile of elders, who have died to themselves and build the house with compassion, vision and perseverance?

You could write entire books about this, and it will probably raise many questions. 

Please do feel free to reach out to: vandinterglobalministries@gmail.com 

We can then direct you to the right people to talk to who can support you in this.