Why We Should Check a Pastor’s Authority.

What kind of authority does pastoral leadership really have? I know that word “authority” can sound like a four letter word in church circles. But when used properly, it can prevent us from slipping away from sound doctrine.

Today, we’re going to discuss the topic of authority. Who has it and why do they deserve it?

This week, we’re looking at 1 Timothy 1:1-11. The Apostle Paul is encouraging his pastoral apprentice to address problems of false doctrine in the Ephesian church.

By the way, if you need a bit more background, feel free to read the previous post: Holding Fast To Biblical Truth

Paul The Apostle

To begin, look at verses 1 and 2. Paul tells us that He is, “..an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Saviour and of Christ Jesus our hope,” and that he is writing, “To Timothy my true son in the faith…” (1 Tim. 1b-2a)

As an apostle, Paul’s the highest earthly authority in the church at that time.

Apostles were men who physically called by Jesus Christ and were commissioned to spread the Gospel and begin the very first church-plants. At this point, Paul is on his missionary journeys, facing persecution and hardships; but maintaining his calling.

As he travels, he stops in at churches (or writes to church leadership), making sure that Pastors and Elders are teaching and living out the Scriptures the way they were taught and the way Christ commanded.

Paul’s authority was received directly from Christ and has been proven throughout his ministry.

What About Now?

Today, we no longer have men who physically saw Jesus, so we no longer have Apostles stopping in and holding the pastors and elders accountable. (Or at least in the Baptist circles that I preach in.)

That being said, most churches do have a couple of layers of authority, which provides oversight and accountability. These days, many evangelical churches are congregational led, which means the church membership elects its own leadership. Examples:

1. First, the election of Pastors and Elders (paid or unpaid), who provide overall spiritual care and ministry-related oversight, often including the assignment of Ministry Leaders or special ministry projects.
2. Second, the election of Deacons, (typically unpaid) and may also be called the Board, Committee(s), Leadership Team or Ministry Team, who oversee the practical, financial and government related matters of the church.

Keep in mind, each church is different and so these leadership structure may change from church to church. Nevertheless, these do provide levels of authority to which the church membership chooses and therefore, choose to submit to and hold accountable.

What About An Outside View?

Many evangelical churches also choose to be a part of something greater; a denomination or fellowship of churches. This provides another level of authoritative oversight and accountability, but with an outside perspective; in a  way mirroring the work of an apostle.

For example, at our church, we choose to be a part of and submit ourselves to an upper level of leadership within a fellowship of churches across Canada. Our fellowship is called The Fellowship of Evangelical Baptist Churches or FEB for short.

FEB’s president holds decades of pastoral and leadership experience. Many pastors, elders, deacons and boards can attest to the president’s character and his ability to lead and coach churches.

When this president visited our church this past year, members of church leadership chose to receive training from him. Moreover, the Elders and I also chose to receive some counsel from him on strategic and sensitive matters concerning our church. He had great insight!

His character, his experience, and the testimony of hundreds of church leaders across Canada prove his authority. Therefore, our church leadership chooses to submit to that authority in order to become better church leaders, and in turn a better church.

Paul’s Son In The Faith

Getting back to our passage, God leads Paul to write to Timothy. Timothy has put in the time studying and living out the Scriptures, and is now a pastoral leader. He is responsible for any and all spiritual matters within the city and surrounding area of Ephesus.

From the context of chapter 1, there must be other pastors, elders, preachers or teachers in Ephesus; leaders who need correction. However, Paul has entrusted them to Timothy. Paul’s is overseeing Timothy and holding him accountable.

To be honest, here we see what so many pastors are missing…

Mentorship

Timothy isn’t some Bible College student that was trained for a few years, and then parachuted into a local church. Even though Timothy has been given the authority over all the churches in Ephesus, the teaching and accountability has not ceased.

Even with written letter over huge distances, Paul continues the mentorship. As we see  in verse 2, there is a spiritual, father-son relationship that continues to be fostered, giving Timothy the authority to lead.

Can I Get Your Feedback?

Paul spent significant time training and mentoring Timothy. Why is knowing a leader’s authority level important for church structure?