Wow! Every now and then you run across something that makes so much sense it's almost unbelievable. This is how I felt after reading Mitch Cervinka's piece on The Biblical Model for Church Organization.
Mitch makes some very good points in this article, but one that struck me as quite valuable in the age in which we live is the idea of multiple pastors, or elders, serving the same church, and doing so while not quitting their day jobs. (Mitch makes the point that the word pastor and elder are interchangeable in the New Testament and that the intention was that congregations have multiple, perhaps three, pastors/elders.)
Mitch goes into a lot of good reasons for this, but what struck me is that in a system of multiple shepherds caring for the sheep, there is much less of a chance of "celebrityism" occurring. You know, the pastor who fancies himself as the reason people show up on Sunday. Pastors need to sit under the preaching of the Word as well!
The most immediate example that comes to mind is Joel Osteen. That man has become an industry unto himself. So much of what Lakewood Church is doing would probably cease if something were to happen to Joel. And it's not just Joel Osteen. Every ministry or church that has one pastor - John Piper, Charles Stanley - every one, sets themselves up for turning the single pastor into an idol. Pastors were meant to be shepherds, not fancy themselves as CEOs of corporations.
And as far as pastors having "real" jobs the rest of the week, that's a great idea too! Pastors (elders) would not be so dependent upon their congregation for their sustenance and would be less likely to compromise biblical truths in order to be pleasing to men. Church growth becomes less important (growth for the sake of numbers) when a pastor is going to eat and provide for his family whether the church has 200 members or if it's one of those "...where two or three are gathered in my name..." situations.
Mitch also discusses how the Western church has set its academic standards far too high for pastors. It's just like any other field, you have people that can go to college for 12 years and earn a Ph.D. and still not be qualified as a shepherd in Christ's church.
Friends this is one great article. As one who wasn't raised in the church I've been questioning these kinds of things for quite some time. In my mind, a church gathering should be more like a Sunday picnic than like what goes on in sanctuaries all over the country every Sunday. Can't we just assemble as believers - it matters not that much where - and worship the Lord by sitting under the preaching of His Word and sharing fellowship with other believers, perhaps joining together in song and breaking bread together? Isn't this the more accurate Biblical model of the church?
The institutions we have today with their paid staff, myriad programs and quirky denominationalism are just abominable in my mind after contemplating what Mitch has offered us in his article.
We claim to revere the Bible and yet we go out and do a whole bunch of stuff that is nowhere to be found in scripture.
This article is a bit long, but with its scripture references it might provide some really good material to build a solid Bible study around. We need to question why we do what we do. If it's a tradition of men and not found in God's word, I say chuck it and start fresh.
Mitch also addresses things like baptism and church membership in this article. It's really some very interesting, thought-provoking stuff.
God's blessings on you and yours!
R.J.
The Biblical Model for Church Organization
by Mitch Cervinka
http://www.planetkc.com/puritan/Articles/ChurchOrganization_f.htm
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