A Biblically Sound Church – Leadership

Now that we have an understanding of why church exists and where it started, we need to know how it should be properly led. Thankfully God provided clear guidelines, instead of leaving us to make things up ourselves.

Head of the Church

The Father gave Jesus Christ the role of being head of the church as our Good Shepherd. Have a look at these verses:

• John 10:11
• Ephesians 1:22-23
• Colossians 1:18

Our Chief Shepherd (1 Peter 5:4) has now entrusted other leadership roles to those within His church.

Pastors/Overseers/Elders

These roles are the under shepherds within our church who report to the Chief Shepherd. The Bible is clear that only men are called to these roles (1 Tim 2:12, 3:2) and are exhorted to shepherd their flock willingly, eagerly and humbly (1 Peter 5:2).

Passages in 1 Timothy and Titus also outline the character traits required for a Pastor. Such as man must be:

• of good conduct and hospitable
• if married, only have one wife
• of good character and temperament
• able to teach sound doctrine and refute error (the only non-character qualification/gift/ability)
• sober
• not greedy
• able to manage his own household well
• a mature believer (not a recent convert)
• have good reputation both in and outside of the church
• able to present their flock mature in Christ (Col 1:28)

The Bible warns us to not confuse a true shepherd with a hired hand (John 10:12). A hireling will not protect those in his care but will run at the first sign of trouble, allowing the enemy to gain control. But the one who persists in doing the work that God has called him to do will receive an eternal crown of glory for his faithful service (1 Peter 5:4).

Considering the great responsibility of a Pastor, the church also needs Deacons – those who can take on other duties which then frees the Pastor to focus on his shepherding role (Acts 6:1-6).

Deacons

The role of a deacon can be filled by a man or woman (1 Tim 3:8,11), giving broad scope for church involvement (1 Cor 12:14-21).  While the bible doesn’t require a deacon to have the ability to teach, they are required to be believers, with a good grounding in the faith and be doctrinally sound (1 Tim 3:9). There is, however, a strong focus on the deacon’s character:

• dignified
• not gosspis
• not drunkards
• not greedy
• having a clear conscience
• if married they are to be faithful to their husband or wife
• manage their households well
• their character must be proven before being appointed to such a role.

A deacon who serves well obtains for themselves a high standing and great confidence in the faith in Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 3:13)

But how do I know whether to stay or leave the church I’m in? Read Do I Stay or Leave a Church?