How much authority should a pastor have over a church?
The church is called “the flock of God” (1 Peter 5:2), “God’s heritage” (1 Peter 5:3), and “the
church of God” (Acts 20:28). Jesus is “the head of the church” (Ephesians 5:23) and “the chief
Shepherd” (1 Peter 5:4). The church rightly belongs to Christ, and He is the authority over it
(Matthew 16:18). This is just as true of the local church as of the universal Body of Christ.
God’s blueprint for building His church includes using men in the office of pastor. The pastor is
first an elder, and, along with the other elders, the pastor is responsible to do the following:
1) Oversee the church (1 Timothy 3:1). The primary meaning of the word bishop is “overseer.”
The general oversight of the ministry and operation of the church is the responsibility of the
pastor and the other elders. This would include the handling of finances within the church (Acts
11:30).
2) Rule over the church (1 Timothy 5:17). The word translated “rule” literally means “to stand
before.” The idea is to lead or to attend to, with an emphasis on being a diligent caretaker. This
would include the responsibility to exercise church discipline and reprove those who err from the
faith (Matthew 18:15–17; 1 Corinthians 5:11–13).
3) Feed the church (1 Peter 5:2). Literally, the word pastor means “shepherd.” The pastor has a
duty to “feed the flock” with God’s Word and to lead them in the proper way.
4) Guard the doctrine of the church (Titus 1:9). The teaching of the apostles was to be committed
to “faithful men” who would teach others also (2 Timothy 2:2). Preserving the integrity of the
gospel is one of the pastor’s highest callings.
Some pastors consider the title “overseer” as a command to have their hand in everything.
Whether it’s running the sound system or selecting songs for Sunday or picking out drapes for
the nursery, some pastors feel it their duty to be involved in every decision. Not only is this
exhausting for the pastor, who finds himself in every committee meeting, it’s also hampering
others from using their gifts in the church. A pastor can oversee and delegate at the same time. In
addition, the biblical model of a plurality of elders, along with deacons appointed to assist the
pastor and elders, precludes the pastorate from becoming a “one-man show.”
The command to “rule” the church is sometimes taken to extremes as well. A pastor’s official
responsibility is to govern the church along with the elders, and his focus should be primarily
spiritual, attending to matters such as edifying believers and equipping the saints to do the work
of the ministry (Ephesians 4:12). We have heard of pastors who seem more dictatorial than
shepherd-like, requiring those under their authority to seek their permission before making an
investment, going on vacation, etc. Such men, it seems to us, simply desire control and are unfit
to rule the church of God (see 3 John 1:9–10).
First Peter 5:3 contains a wonderful description of a balanced pastoral ministry: “Neither as
being lords over God’s heritage, but being examples to the flock.” The pastor’s authority is not
something to be “lorded over” the church; rather, a pastor is to be an example of truth, love, and
godliness for God’s flock to follow. (See also 1 Timothy 4:12.) A pastor is “the steward of God”
(Titus 1:7), and he is answerable to God for his leadership in the church.
What is the Nature of Pastoral Authority? — Perspectives from a Methodist, a
Presbyterian, and a Baptist
A snapshot of pastoral authority in the Wesleyan-Methodist tradition is best framed in terms of
its source and goal. The source of the pastor’s authority is Scripture; the goal of the pastor’s
authority is holiness. Let’s take those one at a time.
Methodist founder John Wesley considered himself “a man of one book,” and that book was the
Bible. Wesley believed that essential doctrines must be grounded in scripture. His attitude
toward pastoral ministry was no different. This is clear in Wesley’s sermon, “On Obedience to
Pastors,” in which he exposits Hebrews 13:17. He introduces the sermon insisting that the nature
of pastoral authority can be understood if we “simply attend to the oracles of God” and
“carefully examine the words of the Apostle.” Later in the sermon he rejects views on pastoral
authority that cannot be proved from Scripture, and he refuses to “appeal to human institutions,”
insisting again on what “we find in the oracles of God.” Wesley also believed Scripture puts
limits on the pastor’s authority. He didn’t expect members of a congregation to obey the pastor if
that pastor instructed them to disobey Scripture. And when pastors shepherd the flock in a way
that accords with scripture, Wesley says, “we do not properly obey them, but our common
Father” (italics original). The point should be clear: faithful Methodists locate the source of a
pastor’s authority in scripture.
Wesley’s sermon, “On Obedience to Pastors,” also highlights the congregation’s growth in
holiness as the goal of a pastor’s authority. Based on his reading of Scripture, Wesley believed
the power of God’s grace in Christ and through the Spirit is far greater than the power of sin.
This means a Christian’s life should be decreasingly characterized by sin and increasingly
characterized by holiness. When this sort of transformation happens, God is glorified because
progress in sanctification is a work of his grace. Pastors are responsible for nurturing those under
their care so they grow in holiness. Pastors do this by explaining and applying Scripture to the
lives of individual believers and the community as a whole. This includes nourishing the
congregation; they teach doctrine, warning people not to turn from the faith and correcting those
who have strayed. Pastors also nurture holiness by earnestly watching over the flock with
patience and diligence ensuring they are equipped to grow in grace. For Wesley, it’s serious
business to be entrusted with shepherding those for whom Christ died, and pastors are
accountable to God for exercising their authority in a way that cultivates holiness in their lives.
In order to make progress toward the goal of holiness, both pastor and congregation must be
committed to self-giving love. Wesley insisted that embracing the pastoral vocation meant giving
one’s whole self to promoting the “present and eternal salvation” of those under their care, while
resisting the temptation to seek one’s own honor. For the congregation, submitting to pastoral
authority means obeying Jesus’ command to take up the cross and practice self-denial. When
both pastor and congregation honor Christ by taking this attitude toward one another, they’re in
the best position to increasingly embody Christ-like holiness that magnifies the glory of God.
A Presbyterian Perspective
Since the word count is limited, and I was asked to give a “perspective” not a “polemic,” I’m
going to focus on the nuts and bolts of pastoral authority as we practice it, rather than giving a
biblical, historical, and theological rationale for the Presbyterian system. If you want the skinny
on Presbyterian polity check out Guy Waters’ fine book How Jesus Runs the Church; and if you
want the fat pick up James Bannerman’s classic The Church of Christ. But I’m going to forgo the
why questions and get right to the what.
The pastor’s authority in Presbyterian polity is an authority shared with all the elders and
exercised jointly through the Session and the other courts of the church.
Whether a church has elders and pastors as two different offices (like most Reformed churches),
or teaching elders (i.e. pastors) and ruling elders as different designations within one office (as in
most Presbyterian churches), the net result is more or less the same. At the local level, the
authority to receive members into the congregation, exercise discipline, and establish rules for
the government, worship, and theological integrity of the church rests with the board of elders
(usually called the Session, or in Reformed polity, the Consistory).
In the Presbyterian Church in America, there are three “courts” in which this authority is
exercised: the Session (the pastors and elders in the local church), the Presbytery (the pastors and
churches—represented by the ruling elders—in a geographic area), and the General Assembly
(all the churches in the denomination). The nature of the pastor’s formal authority is simply this:
he has a voice and a vote in each of these courts. The Presbyterian pastor is not a bishop, nor the
de facto ruler in his own little fiefdom. He is a teaching elder, whose vote counts no more and no
less than the other installed teaching and ruling elders—whether that vote is for a member to be
excommunicated, to plant a church, or to pass a licentiate’s ordination exam.
This means the pastor’s authority may look big or small depending on your church experience.
Pastoral authority in Presbyterianism can look big because almost every formal decision resides
with the Session (rather than the whole congregation). Apart from calling a pastor and voting on
church officers, most congregational votes in Presbyterianism are only advisory. So, the pastor,
as a key member of the Session, can wield tremendous influence. On the other hand, the pastor’s
authority may be less than you think. He doesn’t always get his way. He can (and does!) get
outvoted. He has no more formal authority than any of the other elders. Furthermore, he must
submit himself to the Presbytery for spiritual care and accountability, and above that to the
General Assembly.
Of course, formal authority is only one part of the equation. The teaching elder who preaches
week after week to the same people will inevitably set the doctrinal, doxological, and
evangelistic direction for the church. In most Presbyterian churches, the pastor knows the people
best and speaks to them most. If the congregational dynamics are healthy, most people will
follow the pastor’s leadership (in a host of areas) and consider him the “buck stops here” voice
on whether dozens of little projects move forward or not. Moreover, as the moderator of the
Session (as stipulated by the Book of Church Order), the pastor will normally set the literal
agenda for the elders and preside over all meetings. In larger churches, the senior pastor is
typically at the head of organizational chart, with staff members ultimately reporting to him even
as he gives account to the Session and the Presbytery. Under the Session, the senior pastor
usually has the final determination in what takes place in the weekly worship service.
In short, the nature of pastoral authority in Presbyterianism is both informal (in dozens of areas,
from preaching, to casting vision, to having a broad understanding of the issues in the church, to
making lots of daily decisions), formal (as a member and moderator of the Session), and shared
(as only one voice and one vote when it comes to making the most important decisions facing the
courts of the church).
A Baptist Perspective
First, it’s clear in Scripture pastors have authority. Believers are expected to “respect,”
“honor,” “obey,” “submit,” and “be subject to” those who “labor,” “are over,” “admonish,”
“rule,” “preach,” “teach,” “care for,” keep watch,” or “devote” themselves to the work of the
gospel ministry as those who will “give an account” for the tasks entrusted to them (1 Cor.
16:15–16; 1 Thess. 5:12; 1 Tim. 3:4–5; 5:17; Heb. 13:17; 1 Peter 5:5).
The primary duties of pastors also communicate the fact of their authority. As teachers, they’re
charged with the task of proclaiming God’s Word authoritatively. They’re not merely offering
suggestions or voicing their own opinions but are declaring, “Thus says the Lord.” Consequently,
the congregation has the duty to obey not merely the words of the pastor, but the words of God,
insofar as the pastor accurately and faithfully conveys the gospel message. As shepherds, pastors
are given the task of leading and caring for God’s people (Acts 20:28; Eph. 4:11; 1 Peter 5:2). If
some are leading as shepherds, the assumption is others are following their leadership. Finally, as
representatives, they speak and act on behalf of the entire congregation (Acts 11:30; 20:17).
Second, the authority of pastors is derived: it comes from God (not the congregation).
Although the congregation affirms their calling and authority, it’s an authority with divine origin.
Paul tells the Ephesians elders the Holy Spirit made them overseers (Acts 20:28) and later
indicates leaders are gifts given by Jesus to the church (Eph. 4:11).
Third, the authority of pastors is limited in at least three ways.
(1) It’s limited by the Scriptures. Pastors do not have absolute authority because they stand under
the authority of God and his Word. Therefore, when they stray from the Word, they abandon
their God-given authority. Furthermore, the authority pastors possessFisFfoundFnot onlyFin their
office, butFalsoFin the duties they perform.FOn one hand, pastors should be obeyed because they
have been appointed by God for that particular office (ActsF20:28). Their authority is given by
God and is not inherent in themselves. When a person obeys or submits to a pastor, it could be
said that he is obeying or submitting to God. But, on the other hand,Fpastors should be obeyed
because they have the responsibility of shepherding and teaching the congregation.FAndFwhen
their shepherding and teaching stray from Scripture, their authority as shepherds and teachersFis
compromised and mayFno longerFbeFbinding on the congregation.
(2) It’s limited by the nature of shared leadership. The biblical example of church government is
not to set up an aristocracy or an oligarchy, but each local congregation should have a plurality
of pastors/elders. There’s no example in the New Testament where one pastor (elder) leads a
congregation as the sole or primary leader. There were a plurality of elders at the churches in
Jerusalem (Acts 11:30), Antioch of Pisidia, Lystra, Iconium, and Derbe (Acts 14:23), Ephesus
(Acts 20:17; 1 Tim. 5:17), Philippi (Phil. 1:1), the cities of Crete (Titus 1:5), the churches in the
dispersion to which James wrote (James 1:1), the Roman provinces of Pontus, Galatia,
Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia (1 Peter 1:1), and possibly the church(es) to which Hebrews was
written (Heb. 13:7, 17, 24). Thus, a pastor has accountability to the other leaders.
(3) It’s limited to their congregation. That is, the authority of a pastor does not exceed beyond
the local church. There’s no evidence in the New Testament that pastors exercised authority
outside their congregation similar to that of the apostles. As shepherds, they ministered to their
flock, but once they ventured outside their community to another congregation, they no longer
functioned authoritatively.
(4) It’s limited by the congregation. Congregations were involved in choosing new leaders (Acts
6:2–3), commissioning missionaries (Acts 13:3), making important theological decisions (Acts
15:22), and disciplining unrepentant church members (Matt. 18:17; 1 Cor. 5:2; 2 Cor. 2:6). In
addition, Paul always addressed the entire congregation rather than the leaders of the church
(Rom. 1:7; 1 Cor. 1:2; 2 Cor. 1:1; Gal. 1:2; Eph. 1:1; Phil. 1:1; Col. 1:2; 1 Thess. 1:1; 2 Thess.
1:1) and the New Testament undeniably affirms the priesthood of all believers (1 Peter 2:5, 9;
Rev. 1:6; 5:10; 20:6).
Therefore, key decisions—such as the addition of new leaders, the approval of the budget, and a
change to the statement of faith, constitution, by-laws, or official church documents—shouldn’t
be made only by the pastors. Instead, such changes should be brought before the entire
congregation for approval. Because the church is a body (and not merely a head or feet), all in
the church are important and should be allowed to be a part of major decisions. Because of this,
pastors are not only accountable to the Lord Jesus Christ, but also to each other and the entire
congregation.
Consequently, pastors must be those who are filled with the Holy Spirit and exhibit a spirit of
humility in their relations with others. As Jesus declared, “But whoever would be great among
you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all” (Mark
10:43–44).
