Church Weekly
07 Aug 2022

CHURCH WEEKLY

CHURCH GOVERNANCE AND PASTORAL AUTHORITY

From the Board of Elders

Dear Members in Christ,

Church Governance and Pastoral Authority

“Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation” (Hebrews 13:7)

CJBPF is governed by the Board of Elders (BOE) which is Presbyterian in nature and closest to the New Testament pattern of church government (cf. Acts 15).

The plurality of Elders, including the Pastor (who is an Elder himself), leads and makes decisions for the spiritual well-being, growth and protection of the church with the Pastor as the Chairman. The Pastor is responsible to the BOE. In the absence of the Pastor, the Board of Elders will among themselves elect a Chairman. The Chairman of the BOE is also the Chairman of the Session.

The Pastor, an undershepherd of the Lord Jesus Christ, is tasked by God to lead and oversee His flock in the local church as he co-labours with the Elders. The Pastor carries a heavier responsibility for the work of the Lord (cf. Luke 12:48). 

Pastoral Authority: David W Cloud  

Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you” (Hebrews 13:17).

A fruitful church membership is a right attitude toward pastoral authority. We must understand and accept pastoral authority.

We have looked at the emphasis God has placed on the local church. That emphasis is woven into the very warp and woof of the New Testament and is undeniable. It is God’s will that every Christian be a faithful, fruitful, contributing member of a sound church. That being the case, it is not surprising that we are exhorted to obey those who have the rule over us. The verses quoted are strong; we are to obey our church leaders. They are not to be dictators; they do not have unlimited authority; they are not to be obeyed unquestioningly; but they are rulers. Hebrews uses plain language, and I believe it means exactly what it says. Not all Christians have equal authority in this world. Some are rulers and others are to obey those rulers.

The pastor of a church has the major responsibility before the Lord for the teachings, practices, and direction of that church.

The Bible warns that church leaders watch for our souls and that we must not cause them grief for that is unprofitable for us. I believe that this points to the judgment seat of Christ. If I am a grief to my pastor, it will result in grief for me at Christ’s judgment bar. The notable exception to this, of course, is if the pastor himself is not obeying the Word of God or is leading contrary to the Word of God in some area of His ministry and is grieved at me simply for my stand for God’s Word.

Thus, I must find a church that is following the Word of God, and I must then obey and be a blessing to my leaders in that church; I must support that church in every way possible. That is the will of God for every Christian. The leaders, in turn, will give an account to the Lord for their teaching and decisions. They hold the greater responsibility, and I, as a church member will not give account for everything that goes on in the church.

Obviously, this does not mean we are to close our eyes to false teaching and sin, but it does mean that I am not to try to impose my views in all matters upon the church and its leaders. I must remember that I am not the pastor of the church; I therefore don’t have wisdom, the unction, or the responsibility for that. I must submit to those who are the pastors, and I must allow them to make decisions with which I might not agree, submitting myself because God has told me to do so.

The church member will never find a pastor with whom he agrees 100%. Think about it. This would be impossible. The only one with whom I agree with 100% is myself, and sometimes I disagree with myself! I must recognize that if I am ever to submit to a pastor, it will be to an imperfect one.

Is it not reasonable to believe that God can guide the man he has placed over the church? Who am I to try to impose my views upon him? I must understand this if I am to learn to get along in a church and to be a fruitful member. God works in this world through our imperfections. This, of necessity, is the way He works in a church.

The friends who wrote to me that they were separating from a fundamental Baptist church said that the pastor holds what they believe to be a weak position on divorce and remarriage. By this, they meant that the pastor allowed a divorced person to work in the bus ministry. The thing to keep in mind is that this is an extremely difficult matter. I take a strong position personally against divorce and remarriage, and I believe we must preach boldly against divorce. I don’t believe a divorced man is qualified to be a pastor or a deacon, but I don’t believe it is wrong for a divorced person to work in the bus ministry. There are difficulties with any position one might take on this issue, and the more perverted our society becomes, and the more fragmented our families become, the more difficult it will be to deal with problems in this area.

I might disagree over the standards my church has for workers, thinking the standards are too strict, or not strict enough. I might disagree over whether or not a pastor has a TV and whether or not he preaches against this. (We would never encourage someone to stay in a church that has low moral standards for workers and teachers, if they listen to rock music, for example, or wear immodest clothing, and in which the pastor and leaders watched wicked television programming. I am merely saying that my exact standards might not be enforced by the pastors, and that alone does not mean that they are wrong or that I should leave.)

I might have problems with what is or is not said and done at Christmas, or about how the missions program is conducted. I might not like some of the special speakers that the pastor brings in. I might disagree with my pastor over his involvement or lack of involvement in political and social issues. I might disagree with the pastor regarding his dealings with erring members. He might seem too patient, too soft, or too harsh.

I’m simply saying that there are many things that we must leave in the hands of the pastors, and this is never an easy matter. In every church I’ve been a member of I’ve disagreed with some things. There is a time to leave a church over things that we believe are wrong, but we must also learn to put many things into the hands of the Lord and do what He has told us to do: submit to the church leadership and be a blessing. The pastors must be the pastors. They will answer for things that I will not answer for, and they have an authority that I do not have. This is not shirking responsibility; it is obedience to the Bible; and it is wisdom and blessing.

[Source: David W Cloud, Seven Keys to Fruitful Church Membership (Port Huron MI: Way of Life Literature, 1999), 18–23. Cloud is founder-director of Way of Life Literature and is involved in missionary church planting ministry in Asia for five decades. He has written many books and articles in defence of the Verbal and Plenary Preservation of the Scriptures and of the KJV.]

Conclusion: The Bible is the ultimate supreme authority in doctrines, faith and practices of the Church. The Pastor and the BOE is also guided by the Church Constitution and the Book of Discipline of the Church.

In Christ, Eld. Choe Tong Seng