What Attitude should Church Members Have Towards their Pastor? – Dave Seivright

Many people who are considered as “mature Christians” and even some “church leaders” are very critical of their pastors. Instead of respecting, building up, and supporting their pastors, they spend most of their time criticizing and tearing down their pastors — they call this “holding him accountable”. This is very common but is this Biblical?

We should always start with Scripture:

1. ONLY SCRIPTURE HAS THE AUTHORITY TO GIVE THE GROUNDS FOR REBUKE,   REPROOF, OR CORRECT ANOTHER CHRISTIAN.

2. HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO PASTORS, ELDERS, AND CHURCH LEADERS?

For the Scripture says, “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain,” and, “The worker is worthy of his wages.” 19 Do not entertain an accusation against an elder, except on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 20 But those who persist in sin should be rebuked in front of everyone, so that the others will stand in fear of sin.…” 1 Timothy 5:18-20

Here are some of my thoughts on this subject:

1. THE ONLY TWO BIBLICAL GROUNDS FOR CRITICIZING A PASTOR ARE FOR UNREPENTANT SIN AND/OR THE TEACHING OR PREACHING OF WRONG DOCTRINE.                                               

2. THE ONLY PEOPLE WHO ARE BIBLICALLY REQUIRED TO DO THIS ARE BIBLICALLY QUALIFIED AND BIBLICALLY APPOINTED ELDERS OF THE CHURCH.

It is of utmost importance to safeguard innocent men from false accusation. Jewish law required the agreement of two witnesses before a man might be called upon to answer a charge (cf. Deut. 19:15), so it must be in the church (cf. Matt. 18:16; 2 Cor. 13:1). However, in the case of an elder we see in 1 Timothy 5:18-20 that “two or thee witnesses” are required. This tells us that God takes bringing a charge a pastor (who is an elder) very seriously.

No charge should be brought against an elder except for unrepentant sin, or for the unrepentant teaching of heresy which is contrary to Scripture. In the context of evangelical churches this means teaching a doctrine with is contrary to the orthodox beliefs of Bible-Believing Protestant Evangelical Christianity as contained in the great Confessions of faith of the Reformation such as the Westminster Confession of Faith, the Apostles Creed, and of course the Statement of faith of the particular evangelical church or denomination which the pastor would have promised and vowed to uphold at the time of his ordination.

Yet it is open season in many churches to constantly slander and libel pastors both to their faces and being their backs. When they are confronted for doing this the standard answer given is that pastors need to be held “accountable” and that they are exercising “accountability”.  My question to such a person is “where in Scripture is an individual member of a church given ‘authority’ over a pastor or elder?”  On the contrary, Scripture teaches that because God has spoken through the Bible, the ultimate authority, and thus the pastor and other elders are given “authority” to hold church members accountable for how they live and what they teach.

Hebrews 13:7,17   “⁷ Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God…¹⁷ OBEY YOUR LEADERS and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning [as a burden], for that would be of no advantage to you.”

God states that a godly pastor shares precepts from God’s Word because he desires not only to serve God but to feed the flock the spiritual food that will result in their experiencing the abundant life Jesus promised (John 10:10b). Pastors are hurt deeply to see people ignore the counsel of God which they share in sermons or Bible teachings. Some people “blow off” the Word of God, doing so not only to their own hurt but also to the hurt of those who are around them. Some people especially have the tendency to ignore the counsel of God’s Word, making the mistake of trusting their own wisdom as well as their own heart and emotions.

If a church member has a personal problem with the pastor or a church elder, then there are very detailed ways of dealing with this laid out in Scripture in MATTHEW 18, AND OTHER PASSAGES, some of which are listed below.**

Yesterday in my blog, I pointed out that Dr. Francis Schaeffer, when he was abused by constant criticism by his denominational leaders of the church, decided to give the church back its money and start an independent ministry by faith alone, which God used to change history. 

The Biblical model is rule by church elders, NOT rule by the congregation‼ In the USA it seems to me that our secular democratic American culture has been so absorbed by the church that church members adopt “Congregationalism” and make the culture take precedence over the Bible itself. YET THE CHURCH IS NOT A DEMOCRACY where the leaders are accountable to the people, nor is it a corporation run by a board of directors who are accountable to the shareholders. The church is much more similar to a “theocracy” where the leaders are accountable to God and His Word, the Bible!

Scripture also prohibits “bearing false witness” against another person, and gossip is a sin listed in the same group of other heinous sins such as murder! This is the Biblical basis of libel and slander laws in Western civilization.

However, in the USA we also have ridiculous libel laws, which make it virtually impossible for a “public figure” to successfully sue for libel or slander. Americans rarely see the President or any public figure bringing a libel or slander suit against anyone so they forget that libel and slander are sins. Just today I heard of a pastor who was asked to step down because he was accused by a woman of an inappropriate sexual advances alleged to have happened more than twenty years ago. This should never happen without “due process” and in my particular denomination (the PCA) we set out in detail these procedures in our Book of Church Order, and some churches such as the PCA follow the Biblical principle of having a “statute of limitations” after 7 years (based on the Biblical principles of the “sabbatical year” and the “year of jubilee”).

The justice of a church court (the Session of elders or the Presbytery) should exceed the justice of a court of a country or state, it should uphold the principle of innocent until proved guilty, and of giving “due process” to those accused of unrepentant sin or unrepentant heresy.

Biblically, Scripture prohibits Christians suing one another in secular or state courts, for it does not profit Christ or Christians bringing actions against each other before the state. See:  1 Corinthians 6:1-20   Disputes should be resolved before the elders of the local church or the larger bodies of elders regionally or nationally, similar to the Council of Jerusalem, referred to in the book of Acts, now called the Presbytery, Synod, or General Assembly. Pastors should use these Biblical procedures to root out the sins of libel or slander in the church as well as the unrepentant sin or heresy of ungodly pastors.

However this critical attitude of pastors and church leaders can also be seen in many countries worldwide. My father throughout his life, long before he became a regenerate Christian, was very upset by the critical spirt which existed in most churches in Jamaica towards their pastors who had sacrificed so much just to be pastors. He thought that it was wrong, sinful, bad-manners, and low class! He was right, it is all of those things. Do you think that because pastors don’t sue people for libel or slander that it is OK to slander and libel or gossip about a pastor and his reputation? Is it also OK to constantly verbally abuse him, if he has not asked for your opinion?

Do you regularly pray for your pastor? If a member of a congregation doesn’t like a pastor or a local church their best option to avoid schism in the church and to avoid committing the sins of  slander or libel or gossip, or hypocrisy, is to  find a new local church! Most pastors that I know regularly pray that God will remove such “Christians” from their churches. 

On the other hand, if the pastor is genuinely guilty of unrepentant sin or teaching doctrinal heresy, congregational members have a duty to very carefully follow the Biblical procedures, as laid out in Matthew 18 and other passages of Scripture.** If they get no satisfaction after talking to the Pastor LOVINGLY AND PRIVATELY, instead of gossiping to others, they should PRIVATELY take the matter to the church elders, or the Presbytery or Synod, who are AUTHORIZED by God to deal with such matters. 

Yet sinful humanity thinks that because they drop a few dollars in the collection plate it gives them “authority” over the pastor. On the contrary. church membership gives the Pastor and the elders “authority” over the congregation, but even then, their authority is limited to matters of “doctrinal heresy and/or personal piety”: ie. sin. 

For more on this matter listen to the excellent sermons by famous preacher Albert N. Martin on the duties of a pastor to the congregation and the duties of the congregation to the pastor. I think these sermons will be a HUGE eye opener for anyone who takes the time to listen to these expository sermons from the Bible. They can be found online on the links of the “Resources Page” of my website seivright.com. John Piper has also preached on this subject: 

1. Obey Your Joyful Leaders, Part 1.

2. Obey Your Joyful Leaders, Part 2.

Ephesians 4 teaches that Apostles, Evangelists, and Pastor-teachers are “gifts” of God Himself to the church for the equipping of the body of Christ for doing works of ministry. As such it is a clear conclusion that they should be given utmost respect.

“And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11-13)

Did you know that you risk God’s severe discipline if you mock God’s anointed prophets or leaders?   2 Kings 2:23-24   (NASV)

 “Then he [Elisha] went up from there to Bethel; and as he was going up by the way, young lads came out from the city and mocked him and said to him, “Go up, you baldhead; go up, you baldhead!” When he looked behind him and saw them, he cursed them in the name of the Lord. Then two female bears came out of the woods and tore up forty-two lads of their number.”

For a full commentary on this passage see: https://www.gotquestions.org/Elisha-baldhead.html  Also never forget that although David knew that he was appointed by God to be the next King of Israel, he refused to lay a hand against Saul, even after Saul turned from God, because he recognized that Saul had been anointed by God and ONLY GOD should remove him. (See: 1 Samuel 24).

This principle of “lifting one’s hand against the Lord’s anointed” extends beyond an anointed king to any of God’s servants. God warns Abimelech king of Gerar not to harm Abraham (Genesis 20:7). He warns Laban not to harm Jacob (Genesis 31:24). The psalmist refers to these warnings: “Do not touch my anointed ones; do my prophets no harm.” (Psalm 105:15; cf. 1 Chronicles 16:22)

Last but not least a Pastor is not a “hireling”, someone who can be hired and fired as if he is an employee of the church a Pastor is “called” to be pastor by God, and confirmed by the elders and the congregation, and ONLY GOD through his Biblically appointed means can remove Him. In cases where the church has been “planted” by a pastor or evangelist, and there is no Presbytery, and no elders have yet been appointed, the pastor is accountable only to God and the Denomination or Christian Organization who commissioned him to plant the church. Apart from him being guilty of unrepentant sin or preaching heresy, the congregation have no power to remove him whatsoever, and their only recourse is to leave the young church if they are not satisfied with the pastor. Based on Scripture, as cited above, they will certainly face God’s sure and certain discipline if they engage in inciting a church schism.

In Summary: The church is not a democracy nor is it a business to be run by a board of directors. The church is a part of the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom is run by a benevolent King, and according to the Bible, the church should be run by a benevolent oligarchy made up of God-given Apostles, Evangelists, Pastor-teachers, and duly appointed Elders. 

“Obey your [spiritual] leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not [as a burden] with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.” (Hebrews 13:17). 

Also see Ephesians 4:29 and many other verses about the use of the tongue:

“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear”.

CLICK HERE  TO SEE IS A LIST OF IMPORTANT BIBLE VERSES PROHIBITING GOSSIP, LIBEL, AND SLANDER

             +++++++++++++++++++++++

**However there are times when a pastor (or any Christian brother or sister) is indeed guilty of practicing unrepentant sin or teaching doctrines contrary to the Bible. How should we handle these situations?

Here is a simple checklist which can help individuals know when it may be necessary to rebuke any SINNING Christian. 

We should never be hasty or rash in a rebuke. We should evaluate each situation carefully and prayerfully and ask ourselves these questions:

1. Is my life free from similar sin? (Romans 2:1)

2. Do I have a relationship with this person that allows me to speak into his life? (Galatians 6:2)

3. Is my motive that of restoration rather than condemnation? (Galatians 6:1)

4. Would I be willing to have someone rebuke me in the same way? (Matthew 7:12)

5. Do I understand Scripture well enough to know how and why this person is violating it? (2 Timothy 2:15)

6. Am I prepared to go to my pastor or elders on this person’s behalf if he refuses to listen to me?

7. Am I willing to commit to praying for this person’s healing and restoration before and after I confront him? (Matthew 26:41)

8. Is this offense truly a sin or simply an act of immaturity or preference? (Ephesians 4:2)

9. Am I acting in love? (1 Corinthians 13:1)

Galatians 6:1 tells us, “Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.” 

When we are called to confront or rebuke a fellow believer, we must always do so in an attitude of love and humility, knowing that we too are prone to sin. We can follow Jesus’ golden words in this and every other situation: “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you” (Matthew 7:12). 

“Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity.” (1 Timothy 5:1-2).