The many varied circles that I find myself interacting in all seem to be having the same debate, over an extended period; What is the biblical model for church leadership. This area is of obvious interest to me because I feel ‘called’, for want of a better word, to church leadership…eventually. I am a ‘leader’ of sorts within my church now, but what is the model for overall leadership?
Some people argue for CEO style, some against. Some argue for egalitarian leadership, some against. Some argue for eldership run church, some against. And all these groups seem to argue their mode is based on scripture. So what is the truth?
I’m interested to hear your thoughts. I have been reading a lot about early church practise in one of my bible college units and have read some interesting arguments, which I will add later when I can find the quotes. But until then, what do you think is the biblical model, do you think there IS one biblical model or several, and do you think it matters significantly which model is used?
Good topic Middo. I don’t have the answers
. One thing I have been surprised about is members at my Church concerns over having women in leadership positions. And this isn’t simply older people, but some younger females as well.
We have also had people very resistant to the Church being an “organisation”, instead saying it should be a family.
I personally think it should function as both, but it needs to be well organised to function effectively when there are more than just a couple of people together.
I’ll wait for someone with some smarts to put in their 2 cents worth to learn something
ciao
Thanks Pete!
The topic of women in leadership, like baptism, is very devisive sadly. A book that touches on it in an interesting way is ‘Sex God’ by Rob Bell.
Basically Bell suggests that both in Judaism and in NT times, women’s status was ‘better’ as a Jew/Christian. In the OT, when God insists a man marry a woman that he lays with, or if she is raped, this is actually raising her status. We read this today and say ‘that is so unfair, the woman gets rape and then is FORCED to marry him.’ But, Bell suggests in OT times this actually gave her status higher than should had otherwise, so in this act she was being lifted up.
Now today when people read the NT they see women told to ‘be quiet’ or stay out of leadership, that is the place of a man, but Bell suggests much of what is said for women in the NT, once again, actually raises their standing IN THEIR CONTEXT.
In fact, and I just read this yesterday(not from Rob Bell but another text but I don’t have the direct quote), I think it is the emporer after constantinople, he made a law governing AGAINST people talking to women who were not yet Christian because ‘too many were coming to the faith’ because their status as a Christian was better and it was rocking their worldview!
So Bell’s argument is ‘why do we today, in the church, hold people BACK from the position the rest of the world now affords them?’ Basically Bell suggests everything that happens in the bible is about giving people MORE rights, not taking rights away. Bell suggests that the church should be at the forefront of women in leadership, as although the world ‘allows’ it, they still aren’t QUITE in equal proportions.
It is an interesting argument. I have basically always stayed away from the topic…because it scares me! I’ve been scared because I have wondered what would happen if i DID hold that women shouldn’t be in leadership, however I am now forcing myself to grapple with the issue and I would have to say I lean towards Rob bell’s argument.
*ugh* don’t get me started on the issue of women in leadership. But I will just say one thing, it isn’t necessarily leadership but mainly pastoring – which I believe encompasses being an elder that I have an issue with. And I don’t believe that it is tearing ‘rights’ away.
But, as I said, don’t get me started.
“what do you think is the biblical model, do you think there IS one biblical model or several, and do you think it matters significantly which model is used?”
I don’t know about ONE model, and I think that the Bible is pretty flexible about how we do church. Different models work for different churches. I think sometimes we need to find what fits in our different churches. It’s kind of like taking a square shape and trying to make it fit all the different gaps. They may be different shaped gaps and it simply doesn’t work trying to force one shape onto another shape…it just doesn’t work.
But then you could argue that all churches should be the same, and that one model should fit all.
‘one size fits all’.
Not sure…maybe we are all stuffing church up real bad and therefore we have all these different models??
Sorry, I dont think all that made much sense.
Interesting comments guys.
I’ve never really had much to do with the women in leadership/eldership. I do at this point have to agree with you Middo (and Rob by the sounds of it) that I see no reason why women shouldn’t be leaders or elders.
I beleive the subjugation of women in bible times is more a context of the time and society, rather than God implying that’s the way it should be. And Jesus and the NT mob do seem to have been pretty pro women and moving their status up.
At some stage someones gotta do a blog on women in leadership or pastoral care. I’ll learn something
(I’m not looking at you bek)
Ciao