PASTORIZATION

  I have a good friend from Kentucky who was telling me that his home church (denominational) had just hired a “great Pastor.” How did he know this new pastor was going to be great? Because (he told me) “the first thing he did was change all the locks on the church building.”

  Now, what was my friend saying? He was saying that the mark of a good “pastor” is his ability to establish “authority” in the local church. This new “pastor” was making it plain – in no uncertain terms – that he was going to run this church. If someone wanted into that church’s building, they had to get the keys from him.

   A lot of denominational churches call their preachers “pastors.” In fact, in Catholic church, their priests are called “pastors.” And these “pastors” are generally seen as having the final word on what happens in that body of believers.

 WHAT IS A BIBLICAL “PASTOR?
  Surprisingly, preachers are never called “Pastors” in Scripture. Peter tells us that the “pastors” of the early church were the Elders. In I Peter 5:1-2a he writes “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 (pastor) the flock of God that is among you…”

  According to the New Testament letters of I Timothy and Titus, Elders were required (among other things) to be married men with children. In fact, Paul explains that the reason for this requirement was “if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church?” (I Timothy 3:5).
  So, by Biblical standards, there’s lots of preachers out there who don’t have kids, and who’d never have been qualified to be Pastors/Elders back in the New Testament church.

   But, wait a minute. Peter tells us that he was an Elder/shepherd too (I Peter 5:1). I thought Peter was an apostle? He was. But he was also a married man and could likely have served both roles (Apostle and Elder) in a local church.
  It’s interesting that neither Paul, nor Timothy, nor Titus were ever referred to as “pastors/elders” in Scripture.

   Now, before I address my next question, allow me to clarify something. I’m trying to set forth the Biblical model that I see in Scripture. That doesn’t mean that every church who tries to follow that model will accomplish what I see as that model’s advantages.
  I’ve seen churches where Elders are dictators, and I’ve seen other congregations where the Elders were indecisive men who were blown about by every wind of conflict (if people in the congregation were  divisive or angry, these men ran for cover). But when Elders actually “pastor” as they should, that doesn’t happen.

SO, WHY DOES IT MATTER?
  Why should I care whether or not Elders or preachers are called “pastors?”

  First, it’s a matter of calling Bible things by Bible names. Preachers (like Timothy and Titus) are not called “pastors” in the New Testament. Elders are.

   But that still doesn’t answer the question of why that would be important. Here are a few of my thoughts:

1.       Elders serve as a protection against bad preachers and teachers. Acts tells us that Paul gathered the Elders from Ephesus and warned them “I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them.” (Acts 20:29-30). If a preacher or other teacher has embraced impurity or heresy, the Elders are tasked with protecting the church from such men.

2.       It protects the preacher. Unless there are issues of impurity or heresy, elders must guard and encourage their preachers. If they don’t, they’re bad Elders. I’ve served in churches where I ended up being the “lightning rod” for the discontented. I took it on the chin because I stood all alone on a certain issue, and the Elders wouldn’t protect me. Elders are the pastors of the flock… and one of the flock is the preacher. If Elders don’t protect their preachers, they’ve failed in their duty.

3.     Elders are local, while preachers often are not. While preachers may be very knowledgeable of Scripture, they’re often not knowledgeable of the people in the local church or neighborhood. By contrast, Elders are chosen from local godly Christian men in the congregation who know who is who, and what is what.

4.     In the Bible, the Elders are always mentioned in the plural. No New Testament church seems to have had only one Elder overseeing the congregation. The only time we read of “one” man controlling a church is in III John 1:9. That man’s name was Diotrephes and he “like(d) to put himself first, and (did) not acknowledge (apostolic) authority.” One man “rule” in a congregation” is a recipe for authoritarian domination… and it’s not a pretty sight.

5.     My last observation is this: Elders and preachers should serve as counter-balances to each other. Good preachers should praise and protect their Elders, but must also be willing to confront and challenge immoral or heretical decisions in the Eldership. In the same way, Elders should praise and protect their preachers, but must also be willing to confront and challenge immoral or heretical behavior by the preacher or other Elders. Ideally, both groups of leaders should be partners in ministry and work together to present the Bride of Christ (the church) holy and blameless to Christ in the day of judgment.