Of course, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Head of the Church leads the church. That’s not the issue. The issue is, who is or are the Lord’s appointees to lead a local church? That is one of the most common problems that have led to conflicts and disunity in churches.

Is it the pastor? The chairman? The Board (Council, Committee)? The Eldership? They are all legitimate possibilities. I am certain that the New Testament does not provide us with a blueprint for a Presbyterian, Episcopalian or Congregational church polity. What it does give us are some broad strokes of church leadership, especially the character, qualifications, roles, and functions of church leaders (1 Tim 3:1-13, 1 Pet 1:1-5). Guided by a biblical framework each church has the legitimacy to develop its own form of church governance.

Many books have been written and many scholarly discussions have contributed to the debate over church polity, and by extension, church structure. It is not my intention to revisit the arguments. From the broad strokes provided by the Bible, and especially the New Testament, I intend to argue for, one, team leadership, and two, “all things being equal”, for the pastor to lead the leadership team; and then, together they lead the church.

Team Leadership

“Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely,” is a sad fact; even in the church. Regardless of who is in charge. If too much power is coalesced in one person, the dangers of such abuse of power is very real. The leadership of the church should always be in the hands of a team of leaders with equal leadership authority.  Nobody gets veto rights. Decisions are made collectively after careful deliberation and much prayer (not necessarily in that order). Plurality of leadership should be the order of the day.

The New Testament is clear about the plurality of leaders. Paul instructed Titus to appoint “elders in every town” in Crete (Tit 1:5). Similarly, on their return leg of their first missionary journey, Barnabas and Paul “appointed elders for them in each church” in the cities of Lystra, Iconium and Antioch (Acts 14:21-23).

Church polity and structure differ from denomination to denomination, and from church to church. While there is no one-size-fits-all, there are however, good, better and terrible structures that either enhance or hinder the life and ministry of the church. Some church structures are so complicated that they literally smother the church; all in the name of “check and balance”.

There is no perfect system. In the end it boils down to the human factor. The spirituality, maturity, wisdom, and capability of the appointed church leaders is critical. And if they are the best men and women in the church, based on the foregoing criteria, then they must also be given the mandate to lead the church. While there are no guarantees, the church must trust the plurality of leaders to provide their own “check and balance”.

Team Leader

If having the leadership of the church vested in one person is wrong and dangerous, it is also just as wrong, and a reflection of poor leadership, to have a leadership team without a team leader. I believe that “all things being equal” the pastor should lead the leadership team.

By “all things being equal” I mean that the pastor is just as capable, mature, spiritual, knows his Bible, and has leadership qualities as any of the other leaders in the church. If the pastor isn’t, relative to one or more of the other leaders, then, it is possible that another elder who is more qualified be appointed as the team leader.

There are good reasons for the pastor to lead the leadership team. First, the time factor. The typical pastor serves full-time. He (or she) is thus able to dedicate time to think, pray, and work through the issues of the church. Second, he has received formal training for the ministry. Third, because he is full-time, he is able carve out time to read, attend seminars, and avail himself for continual training so that he can further develop his shepherding and leadership skills. And fourth, his interaction with pastors of other churches allows him to learn from fellow-practitioners.

As I pointed out above, there is no full-proof system. However, based on the above reasons I believe the pastor makes the most suitable team leader for the leadership team and the church.