Our Church diagnosis...

So when we go to the doctor and he examines us because we’ve come with a cough that just won’t go away.

So he examines us and then based on a series of tests, he gives us the diagnosis. Right? He identifies the problem or disease.

The first thing that we saw last week is that only God Himself can give this life.

So what we want to do is have the Great Physician come and examine us and diagnose us.

We need an assessment of our current status. Not what we once were, not what we wished it to be, but a realistic and accurate appraisal of where our church is right now and maybe how it might have gotten there.

We will have to evaluate ourselves in several key and crucial areas as we navigate through the revitalization process of our church.

Authority...

The first and arguably the most important of these critical areas is: authority.

Who’s in charge? Let me be clear on what I’m asking. I’m not asking who the by-laws say is in charge. I’m not asking who moderates the members meeting or leads the deacons meetings. I am asking, Who has the greatest influence in the church? Who do the church members listen to the most? Who do the church members go to when decisions need to be made?

Who do the church members listen to the most? Who do the church members go to when decisions need to be made?

Just because a pastor gets paid a salary and preaches every week doesn’t make him the man in charge. You must first determine where the authority in the church really lies. Only then can you compare your answer to Scriptures answer.

There is a key passage that reveals important aspects of the authority structure of the New Testament church and it’s found in the letter the apostle Peter wrote where he exhorts pastors to be faithful in their appointed task from God:

The Bible is clear about who’s in charge: Jesus Christ. Peter calls Him the Chief Shepherd (v4). His authority is mediated to us through His Word. If the church willingly submits to the authority of Christ, there is no confusion about where the final word lies.

Peter also gives us guidance about those to whom that authority is given. Pastor‘s (elders) are exhorted to shepherd the flock exercising oversight (v2). Pastor‘s accomplish this by the authority of Christ through the means of His written word. They exercise oversight in a godly humble manner on behalf of the Chief Shepherd until He returns for His people.

Committees, Deacons, trustees, and Bible study teachers all play in important role in the local church. But none of these are called to exercise oversight for the Chief Shepherd as those will give an account (). Only pastors are given that charge. In light of this template which Peter gives us the basic authority structure in a local church is clear:

GOD

Authority begins and ends with the Creator of the universe, the all-wise and all knowing God. Paul describes Him to Timothy as the “king eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God”. God the Father rules on high and answers to no one. It is God who is the supreme authority and only ruler in the universe. All authority structures must begin and end with the Lord most high, especially His church made up of His redeemed people. (, , ).

JESUS CHRIST

He is the Son of God, the Chief Shepherd, our great High Priest, the sufficient sacrifice for our sins, and the one to whom the Father [THE] ruler of the universe has given all authority. Jesus now rules on behalf of the Father at His right hand and this includes His bride, the church. Jesus’ perfect life, atoning death, and glorious resurrection that brought salvation of God‘s people has uniquely qualified Him to rule over humanity and all the nations of the earth (, , , , ).

GOD’S WORD

The person and work of Jesus Christ and his authority are now known and revealed through His inerrant, infallible word, the Scriptures. Through His word we see and know Jesus is authority over all things. Through His word pastors are thoroughly equipped with everything needed to be ministers of the power and grace of the gospel to the church and abroad. God’s word is living and active, and inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, reproof, correction and training in righteousness, and is to be preached in the presence of God in Christ Jesus in season and out of season (, ).

PASTORS

Pastors are biblically qualified leaders, appointed by God to be under-shepherds of the Chief Shepherd to minister God’s word to himself & God’s redeemed people and to protect the flock, all of which is accomplished with patience, grace, and humility and a knowledge that they will give an account to the Chief Shepherd for the flock under their care. Pastors do not have any authority in and of themselves, but only that which is given by God, through God‘s word, on behalf of the Chief Shepherd (, , ,, , , , ).

CONGREGATION (THE FLOCK)

The congregation possessing authority in a autonomous local church is probably the most unique mark of Southern Baptist churches. Most of the congregation’s authority in scripture is given to discipline and restore those in the church. Jesus establishes a process to confront sin with the whole church as the final step to removal. Paul confronts the members of the Corinthian church for not removing some in there midst who were involved in gross, public sin. The clearest biblical evidence pointing to the congregational voting process for which Baptist churches are known for, comes from Paul’s instruction to the Corinthian church regarding one who has been removed from the church by a determination of “the majority“. This final authority in matters of the local church life is given with the understanding of a willing submission to the authority of the pastors, God‘s word, and ultimately God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ (; ; ).

Most churches have other supplemental rolls to whom some form of authority is given. Examples include staff, Deacons, committees, trustees, and many others. In light of this, a local church needs to evaluate its authority structure to determine whether someone or some group in the church has been given an authority on warranted from Scripture.

Churches that have lost life and become hostile towards each other and divided, commonly had pastors at some point that abused their authority. They had leaders that decided to rely on the wisdom of the world instead of the truth of Gods word. In the absence of strong, godly pastoral leadership, other less qualified leaders or committee members took that authority over time and did not steward the Chief Shepherd‘s given authority properly.

Overtime congregations lose sight of the fact that their authority is given from above and as for the sake of the purity in the church, not so everyone can get their individual say on every matter in the church.

Every church needing revitalization can assume at some point in the ups and downs of their existence that they lost sight of this biblical model and structure of authority and must begin to recover it if any other patterns of dysfunction can be addressed to ensure a healthy direction for the future. Authority matters. Who is in charge of our church? Jesus is the Bridegroom of His bride. He is in charge. He is the one to whom the church must submit if it is to have life and experience the unity that only He can bring. For it came at the cost of His own life ().