ISBN 10: 0-8054-2590-X
ISBN 13: 978-0-8054-2590-1
DSMN 505 – Religion
[Due Date]
Introduction
Edited by Owen Brand and R. Stanton Norman, Perspectives on Church Government: Five Views, is arguably the most detailed books on church governance and administration. While many people cite different reasons why they consider the book a great success, I think the contribution for varied sources makes the book a noteworthy piece of literature on leadership in the church context. The book elaborately explains the five models of leadership as given by five contributors. According to the book, the leadership model adopted by the churches today depends greatly upon the traditional setting of the church and the history relating to the foundational principles of the church. The book endeavors to bring out the distinct characteristics of each model, carefully concentrating on the strengths and faults. The strongest point of the book is that the content comes from various scholars and gurus in matters of theology and the biblical perspectives on leadership.
The first model is the single-elder-led church, a polity explained in great detail by Daniel Akin, who is the head of the Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. The second polity, known as the presbytery-led church is explained elaborately by Robert L. Raymond – a professor of theology at Knox Theological Seminary. The third model, the congregation-led church is written by James Leo Garret, Jr., who is also a theology professor in the south Western Baptist Theological Seminary. The forth model – the bishop led church – is a contribution by the dean and president of The Trinity Episcopal school for Ministry. Lastly, James, R. White explains the plural-elders-led-church. White is a professor in theology and leadership. The book seeks to explain the five views on leadership with special reference to the bible and the world practices. By definition, model refers to a framework by which things should be done.
The Single-Elder-Led Church
Daniel Akin describes this model as one where the church is led by one elected elder. According to Akin, such an elder is elected on the basis of recognition among the congregation. The election of such elders is not based on any pre-determined criteria, but rather on the basis of the capacity of the person to perform well as far as leadership and governance is concerned. According to Akin, the model is based on the presumption that the leadership of the church should not focus on the number of individuals, but rather the nature, and conduct of the potential leaders.
Akin prominently cites the eleventh chapter of the book of Numbers, describing a scenario where God ordered Moses to appoint or rather gather a group of elders that were charged with the duty of sharing the burden of performing judgment. In this scenario, says Akin, Moses oversaw the work of all these elders. Essentially, therefore, he was the single most powerful elder. This is a biblical example of the single-elder-led-church. Notably, the strongest point of this model is the reality that the people, in electing the elder, focus on such objective qualities as the capacity to perform exemplarily well. As such, it is highly likely that the leadership of the church will be in safe hands. On the other hand, the model has some faults, the most prominent being that the church’s leadership will be affected by the inefficiencies of human error, and weaknesses of the single elder’s character.
The Presbytery-Led Church
This model, which is considerably common, is described by Robert Raymond as a leadership approach where consensus is applied in making decisions. Basically, Raymond says that the church, under this model is led by a group of elders, also referred to as a council. This approach is associated with using the scriptures to guide the elders in decision making. In other words, the Presbyterian approach is associated with a network-like kind of leadership. This model is supported by some verses in the bible. For instance, in the book of Hebrews 13:7, it is clearly written, “Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the words of God” These words imply that the church leaders were more than just one.
The Congregation-Led Approach
This is arguably the most outstanding approach, especially considering that it differs significantly with the other approaches. According to this approach, explained in the book by James Leo Garret Jnr., the ultimate power rests with the local congregation. All the decision making processes are handled by the congregation. The congregation gathers and the people are asked to give their views. The individuals in the congregation air their views in an orderly manner, and a decision is finally reached. The local congregation is concerned with determining such important things as the membership and doctrines guiding the church. Delegation is a common feature in this approach.
The key strength of this approach is that the church’s congregation is answerable to it for all the decisions made. Secondly, it is highly likely that the decisions made will be of very high quality because the many opinions and views aired by the members of the congregation make the final choice an all round idea. The primary weakness of this approach is rooted in the fact that the congregation may differ on matters of principle. In this case, it is likely that conflicts may arise, blinding the people in the congregation – something that is highly likely to cause more problems.
Bishop-Led Model
This model is more like the single-elder model as it advocates for the leadership by one bishop. Unlike the other authors, Paul, F. M. Zahl does not use the biblical explanations and illustrations to bring out the essence and principles of this model. On the contrary, he borrows prominently from various world traditions. He associates this model with the success of the church in Europe. The model, according to research, seeks to unearth truth in spiritual leadership because the presumption is that all bishops are religiously trained to guide people and administer the word of God.
The primary strength of this model is the fact that the leaders are deemed appointed by both man and God because, by virtue that they are bishops, it is assumed that they are anointed by God. The decision by the congregation to have the bishop lead is the human appointment. Essentially therefore, the bishop is a steward of God. The main weakness of this model is the fact that it subjects the leadership of the church to the subjective decision making faults of the bishop. Since the bishop works alone, there is lack of checks and balances – something that makes it possible for the bishop to pursue personal interests at the expense of the church.
The Plural-Elders Led church
Much like in the single-elder-led church, James R. White explains that the elders are elected by the congregation, from within the congregation. The main difference noted by James R. White between the plural-elder-led church and the presbytery-led church is the actuality that the latter is associated with reporting to higher authorities. This, in the view of White, renders the offices of the church irrelevant and inefficient. On the contrary, the plural-elder led model recognizes the elders as the final decision making authorities. The elders are of equal ranks, meaning that there is no head elder as was with the case of Moses in Numbers 11.
The key strength of this model is the actuality that it is in line with the Biblical church. The church, in the New Testament, particularly in Hebrews 13:17 mention that the leaders of the church were many. Worth mentioning also is the fact that this approach shares most if not all the strengths of the presbytery-led church. The primary weakness, as with the presbytery-led church, is that the decisions may be slow, and human differences may affect the church’s progress.
My church
My church is the Fellowship Bible Church. The church is under the leadership of the pastor, hence is deemed to be some kind of the bishop-led church. The church has various departments, with different superintendents and people in charge. The people in charge of the various departments are referred to as the deacons. Such deacons are there to ensure the execution of the pastor’s directives. Essentially, therefore, they do not make any decisions, and the pastor is the single autocratic leader.
The organizational structure of my church is rather simple because it does not have very many reporting structures. On the contrary, it has only four departments – the finance department, the deaconry and stewardship department, the Sunday school department and the divine service department. These are run by departmental heads that are directed by the pastor. The various departments are equal, and none is deemed superior.
In my view, this approach is not the best, and I would recommend changes – beginning with the changes relating to the type of leadership. Apparently, I would like a plural-elder-led model because it will see the church’s future secured because there will be little subjectivity. The church will not be bound by the subjective views of one individual. Additionally, this will guard the church against personal interest because the elders in the council will be acting as the watchdogs of each other.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is clear to see that there are different models of church governance. Essentially, it is important to note that the differences among these models account for the strengths and weaknesses of all the models listed. However, in my view, going by the biblical provisions on leadership, the people that should be serving the congregation, and God by extension, should be appointed not only by man, but also by the Lord. How? One may wonder. The leaders can be said to be appointed by God and man, if they meet the qualifications listed by Paul in the book of Titus 1:5-9. Secondly, the leaders of the church should be more than one for purposes of consultation and sufficient control. It goes without saying that the church is led by Christ as the ultimate leader explained in Colossians 1:18. It therefore follows that all church leaders ought to be stewards of Christ.
Bibliography
Brand, Chad Owen, and R. Stanton Norman. Perspectives on Church Government: 5 Views. Nashville, Tennessee: B&H Publishing Group, 2004.
Heward-Mills, Dag. Church Administration & Management. S.l.: Xulon, 2011.
Hoffman, Thomas. "Women in church leadership: An analysis of religious beliefs." Free Inquiry in Creative Sociology 25.2 (2013): 137-144.
Welch, Robert H. Church Administration: Creating Efficiency for Effective Ministry. Nashville, Tenn: B & H Academic, 2011.
Williams, Guy J. "Emerging Leadership in the Pauline Mission: A Social Identity Perspective on Local Leadership Development in Corinth and Ephesus. By Jack Barentsen." The Journal of Theological Studies 63.2 (2012): 682-685.
