Is the Pastor the Leader of Your Church?

Is the Pastor the Leader of Your Church?

From a spiritual standpoint no one would say the pastor is head of the church. After all, Jesus Christ is head of the church. Jesus Christ is the beginning, the first born from the dead. Colossians 1:15–20 makes it clear. In everything Christ has preeminence, especially in the church.

But what about the earthly head? Is the pastor the earthly leader of your church?

First Peter 5:1–4 describes Jesus Christ as the “Chief Shepherd” and pastors as under shepherds of God’s flock. Most Christians understand this passage to teach that the pastor is to be the earthly leader of the church.

While as Baptists we proclaim our belief that the Bible is the sole authority for our faith and practice, our actions do not always support our words. In more than one local church the pastor is called to be a chaplain to the congregation. He celebrates the births of babies, marries the young and buries the dead. The pastor is expected to officiate at all the religious ceremonies but in some churches he is not considered the leader of the church.

Leadership may belong to an individual or a hand full of individuals. Sometimes it is even a family in the church. Once these key individuals pass judgment on an issue the matter is settled. Pastors are often viewed as “temporary” in such situations while laypeople are in the church forever. Some even remind the pastor that “I will be here after you are gone.”

It is an unfortunate phenomenon that the temporary view of the pastor often turns into a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Still Scripture teaches the pastor is to be the earthly leader of the church. That leads to the question about how one becomes a pastor-leader of a local congregation.

In Baptist life the role of pastor-leader is not inherited. We do not have the equivalent of Old Testament Levites. One cannot demand or seize a pastorate although stories occasionally surface about elaborate campaigns by some to be called as pastor of a particular congregation.

The Baptist emphasis on the doctrinal belief of priesthood of all believers means a Baptist church operates in a democratic method. Pastors are chosen by a congregation. The role is a gift, a responsibility and a calling bestowed by the congregation.

Hopefully the decision is the result of God’s Holy Spirit at work in the pastor as well as the congregation. Unfortunately too many examples exist of pastor-church relationships quickly turning sour to blame God for all the decisions pastors and churches make about each other.

Incumbent on both parties is the responsibility to learn about the other. Not every pastor fits every church and not every church fits every pastor. Churches have personalities and histories just like pastors. Each must carefully choose the other. The choice can be the difference between a relationship of fulfillment and satisfaction and a prolonged season of pain and disappointment.

Sometimes churches get caught up by the charisma of a would-be pastor, by his humor, charm and glibness of tongue. But after living with him for a while the congregation finds him domineering, insincere and self-serving.

Sometimes a pastor equates building a personal following with building a church. It is not until the pastor leaves that the difference is clear. When the pastor leaves so do those caught up in what was little more than a cult of personality.

Pastors sometimes learn too late that circumstances in their new churches do not match the descriptions presented by pastor search committees. Some pastors have been trapped when commitments made by pastor search committees were never approved by the church. And how many new pastors have walked into buzz-saw disagreements for which they were totally unprepared?

A few years ago a popular political saying was “character matters.” It certainly does in the relationship between pastor-leader and church.

A pastor’s clever phrases and creative concepts are not nearly as important as honesty, compassion, trustworthiness, diligence, holiness and the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22–23).

What is expected of the pastor must also be expected of church members. While pastors and lay members have different roles in the church, both serve the same Chief Shepherd. Both live under the same demands of Jesus Christ.

If you will, pastor and people become accountability partners encouraging each other in the Christian walk.

Pastor and people must share other things for the relationship to be blessed. There must be a common vision based on shared values. That is more than saying “preach the Bible” or “we want meaningful worship.” No church can do everything but every church can do something. Where there is clear understanding of the particular mission agreed upon by the church, people who embrace the vision will give themselves to fulfilling the mission or vision.

A pastor-leader cannot accomplish the church’s mission by himself. No individual, no matter how blessed, possesses all the skills and talents necessary for success. Gifts of others — staff and lay alike — complement and supplement the pastor. Just as in sports where a team always out performs an individual, so it is in a church. A church where the pastor-leader and congregation work together always out performs what either could do alone.

But no team, no matter how talented, can be successful unless all the members have a common commitment to a common goal. That is why a shared vision and common values are essential to the life of any dynamic congregation. Yet it remains a topic seldom explored in the process of calling a pastor.

So yes, the pastor is the earthly leader of the church. He is not a dictator. He is a team member. He is more than a chaplain. He is the catalyst that helps the church live out the calling to be the body of Christ in its local community and around the world. And the relationship between pastor and people begins when the gift of leadership is given by a congregation to its under shepherd. That process is a holy time. It is a serious decision for both parties.

May God help all making such decisions to make them carefully and prayerfully to the glory of God.