Accountable Leadership in the Church
Wednesday, 9th of September 2009
As a young man in ministry I heard a lot of rhetoric about the authority of the Pastoral position, and often this was proof-texted (is that a word…?) by the passage where David said about Saul that he would not “stretch out his hand against the Lord’s anointed!”. What ensued as a result of that type of thinking was a number of Pastors and ‘spiritual’ leaders who were unac
countable and many times believed and acted as if they were close to infallible. The devastation of that kind of thinking and leadership has had a significant effect on the lives of many people in congregations across the world. An English Baron, John Dalberg-Acton famously said in the 1800’s, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely!” Interestingly Baron Dalberg-Acton made that statement as a commentary against the dogma of papal infallibility which was being proclaimed by the church in Rome, and the pope at the time Pius IXth. I don’t have to elaborate on the corruption which has been seen in that tradition in the years following, proving the Baron’s statement to be true.
Unfortunately those of us in an evangelical tradition cannot say that our ranks have been exempt from that kind of abuse of power and influence. It’s probably the reason why some people approach the subject of roles and authority in the church with such fear. If you have ever sat under the ministry of someone who was without accountability, or who had ‘yes’ men who provided a sort of pseudo-accountability, then you will know what I’m talking about when I say that it is a scary and disturbing place to be in. The New Testament has a lot to say about the qualifications of our leaders in the church. Do they have a mandate from God to minister in the body with spiritual authority and power? Yes, that is God’s design which is taught in the Word, however it is also God’s design that those men be spiritual men who are held accountable for their teaching and behavior according to the Scriptures. In answering a question which came to me this week about the message on Sunday, I wrote the following statement about the qualifications and accountability of our church leaders.
“We can never really know what is going on in a man’s home behind closed doors. What we can do is watch the public actions of that man and seek to understand how he interacts with his wife and family in that arena. Then we can seek opinions from those who know him the closest, and from those that he is ministering to. We also have the safety net of “multiple leadership accountability” which means that our other Elders and Deacons are to be ever vigilant and 
prayerful that God will reveal any issues in each others lives and families. That is why I believe strongly in a plurality of Elders as a part of NT teaching. There is always danger when one person gets too much authority and ‘unchecked’ influence in a church. Any leader in the church who has no accountability is a disaster waiting to happen! To top all of that off, we have the advantage of the Holy Spirit giving us wisdom and discernment as we appoint, monitor and hold accountable the leaders of the church. We can never be 100% sure that we as humans won’t get it wrong at some point, but that should not stop us from obeying God and following His direction in all of this. The other thing that I must say is to point out where our authority as Elders in the church comes from…The Word of God! When we at any point go outside of that in teaching or practice then we no longer have authority from God!”
Accountability should not be a difficult, onerous or optional practice in the Body of Christ. It should become so natural that it is quite obvious when it is not in place. This accountability when practiced with the right spirit and attitude will be welcomed by leaders as an important safe guard for themselves and the congregation. So, God’s design is not just for any men in the church to lead, but that the leaders should be qualified, spiritual and gifted men who are willing to submit to accountability and follow their head, the Lord Jesus, in everything.
This coming Sunday we will wrap up the series and try to address some of the other issues which are important to us as we seek to Recover God’s Design for Men & Women. I know that we have given a lot of information in a short time, but I trust that you have all benefitted from this time in the Word together. Sunday night at our coffee shop we will be discussing the series and its implications for our lives. Come and share that time with us! Please post any questions or comments you may have so that I can know what you are thinking! I’ll close with some of the words of Paul as he fare-welled the Elders at Ephesus…
Acts 20:28 28 “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.”
Your Shepherd,