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Dave Black linked to a good article called “Should Pastors Be Salaried?” The author of the article (Darryl Merkel) covers all of the related passages of Scripture, even some that are not normally considered. He concludes that Scripture does not support paying a salary to a pastor/elder. Since I agree with his position, I won’t say that I think he interprets the Scriptures well. However, I do think he does a good job pointing o...

I came across an interesting quote concerning the following passage in 1 Thessalonians: Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.  We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you,  and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.  And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, hel...

I like this passage from Matthew McDill’s dissertation “The Authority of Church Elders in this New Testament” where he discusses the meaning of the phrase “keeping watch over your souls” from Hebrews 13:17: Not only is this the reason given for the believers to submit to them, it describes the sphere in which they provided leadership (cf. 1 Thess 5:12, “those who lead you in the Lord”). Several helpful parallels ...

In my research on the topic of mutuality, I’ve recently come across an article by Mary Miller called “Transformational Leadership and Mutuality.” (Transformation 24.3-4 (July-October 2007), 180-92) This is the abstract of her article: What does leadership research and literature have to say about the mutuality of transforming leaders, and is being transforming synonymous with being charismatic? Transforming leadership and charis...

Dave Black posted this on his blog this afternoon (Monday, February 15, 2010 at 3:10 pm – emphasis in original): Pastor friend: You can’t care for the flock yourself. The demands are too many. The needs are too diverse. Pastor friends (note the plural; I am referring to a church that has multiple elders/pastors): You can’t care for the flock yourselves. The demands are too many. The needs are too diverse. Whether your church has...

The church is not a place for people to hear the gospel, but a people who have been changed by the gospel. If a pastor (or other leader) is “doing the work of 2-3 people,” then others are not doing their part, and the church will not grow as it should (regardless of how great the pastor or leader may be at doing stuff). The growth of the church is not dependent on pastors doing everything (or even most things) great, but on all believ...

Matthew recently provided his full PhD dissertation on his website. The title of his dissertation is “The Authority of Church Elders in the New Testament.” I’m still reading through the dissertation, hoping to better understand Matthew’s position on elders and authority. But, I came across this very exciting conclusion from Hebrews 13:17: Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as ...

Lionel at “A Better Covenant” has written a great post full of thought-provoking ideas called “You Need A Leader And God Has Called Me To Be Yours.” The entire post is about a desire to follow a leader’s example (his life) and not following because of his position. This is Lionel’s conclusion: Everyone wants someone to submit to them, but nobody wants to serve. Everyone is called (I am not saying this calling i...

Recently, my good friend Lew wrote an interesting post called “Words Not Found in Scripture – Pulpit.” (By the way, this post is part of a series in which he traces words/concepts that are not found in Scripture. If you haven’t read it yet, then you should.) Lew begins his post like this: What is said and done behind a pulpit is serious business to the average churcher. Sometimes you might hear someone say, “Can you beli...

I’ve read several books and blog posts that mention 1 Timothy 3:5 as an indicator that elders/overseers are to “manage” the church – with “manage” meaning “be in charge of” or “direct the affairs of”. First, let’s look at that verse in context: The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore an overseer must be above reproa...