And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.-Acts 14:23
I’ve been in ministry nigh 20 years, first as a volunteer, then as a staff member of a church, then as full time minister. In that 20 year period I’ve noticed one trend among people unhappy with many churches: they don’t like hearing “no” or being overridden by those in leadership. Now, there is an accountability that we must hold Church leaders to, and that is Christ, the Holy Spirit and the Scriptures; our feelings, however, have nothing to do with it. The Church is not a democracy, it is the Body of Christ with Him at the head. He has established an order within the Church, and so, we must hold ourselves to the Biblical standards of accountability toward our leadership. The Author of Hebrews put it this way:
“Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.” (13:17)
Our Leaders will have to give an account, and who are they? Biblical Elders, of whom a Preacher is considered a “pastor” if he is an Elder. When Paul and others would plant churches, they would establish Elders in every town to oversee the Church. This is a solemn position, one that is held to high account:
The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. 2Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil. (1 Timothy 3:1-7)
These Elders are to set the pace for every man within the Body of Christ, held to account by the standards of Scripture. As the Elder leads His household, so, too, must the man of God follow suit. As a preacher (I am not a Pastor), I submit to the Elders of our congregation. They are godly men, and I act, as they allow, with the authority they give me. I trust these men, and submit to them, because I know they take their role seriously: they care about souls and know they must give an account to God.
In the years I’ve been directly involved with ministry, I’ve noticed that division, disunity and strife usually occur when people hold their opinions of how things should be done over the care, prayer and consideration the Elders and Overseers have given. This is not to say that leaders should not be held accountable: if a Church Leader is corrupt and taking advantage of people, denying the Scriptures, and leading people astray, they should be held accountable and removed. The Church, however, is not a democracy; voting is not a Biblical concept (though, at times they drew straws, or, once, selected men to become deacons, who are servers and not leaders), and, if it is within the boundaries of Scripture, we should respect the hierarchy that Christ and the Apostles established within the Church.
1 Peter 5:1-5
So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
Titus 1:5-16
This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you— if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers] and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. For an overseer, as God's steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.
For there are many who are insubordinate, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision party. They must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for shameful gain what they ought not to teach. One of the Cretans, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, not devoting themselves to Jewish myths and the commands of people who turn away from the truth. To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled. They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work.
Ephesians 4:1-16
I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore it says,
“When he ascended on high he led a host of captives,
and he gave gifts to men.”
(In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.) And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
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