Many churches and home groups have taken the idea of “body ministry” seriously… so seriously, in fact, that they have come to the conclusion that the church no longer needs leaders.  “If Jesus is the Head of the Church”, as the reasoning goes, “why do we need a Pastor or some other guy telling us what to do or leading us?”

The outcry against leaders is often welcomed by those who are tired of being led- and too often, in my opinion, takes on the tone of rebellion, sounding a bit like the people who complained about Moses:

“This is the same Moses whom they had rejected with the words, ‘Who made you ruler and judge?’ He was sent to be their ruler and deliverer by God himself…”  (Acts 7:35)

Now don’t me wrong, I am NOT saying that God places leaders in the church to be “rulers and judges” over His people, what I am saying is that God has placed leaders in His church:

“It was HE who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers…”  (Ephesians 4:11)

I don’t believe for a minute that He wants us to reject leaders and have a leaderless church because He’s the very one who gave us leaders!

Are there God-given “positions” in the church, or only “functions”?

In their effort to rid the church of hierarchy some are teaching that the list mentioned in Ephesians (Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors/Teachers) aren’t positions- they are only functions.  We’re to go about “pastoring” for instance, not being “Pastors”; it’s all about the function and not the position, according to some.

Have you noticed, however, in Paul’s letters that he refers to his position?

“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God…”  (Ephesians 1:1)

He does NOT say,”Paul, a man who does apostle-ing by the will of God”!  He calls himself “an apostle”.  Pretty simple to understand actually: Doctors practice medicine, songwriters write songs, chefs cook meals- all positions that result in functions!

We are going too far in ”deconstructing the church” when we can no longer acknowledge “positions” in the church!  Positions signify unique talents, giftings, calling, authority, etc., that not everybody has, and that is exactly why some in the church would like to eliminate positions- they want us to believe that ALL of us are equal.  While we may all be equal in Christ, we are NOT all equal in calling!  This disturbs some people, but it’s true.

“This is why I write these things when I am absent, that when I come I may not have to be harsh in my use of authority—the authority the Lord gave me for building you up, not for tearing you down”  (2 Corinthians 13:10)

Paul was called to the position of an Apostle in which he was given authority by the Lord.

The question of authority in the church

I believe some are calling for a leaderless church out of a reaction of having seen and experienced a misuse of authority.  We cannot, however, throw out “authority” simply because it’s been wrongly used.  In seeking to throw out positions, and any kind of authority in the church, it is now being taught that we are all in a sense “pastors” because there are moments when we will be in situations where we will in essence be “pastoring”, or perhaps the Lord will use us in prophesy, and we are therefore ”prophets” and so on.  But scripture does not allow for such broad interpretation:

“It was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers…”  (Ephesians 4:11-12)

Notice, God gave SOME to be Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers… not ALL.  These are positions given by God to SOME, not to everybody, and the calling carries with it authority from God just as Paul himself acknowledged.

Building up the Body of Christ and preparing God’s people

Scripture tells us that God gave the church those with special callings “to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up…”  (Ephesians 4:11-12)

It’s being widely promoted today that we don’t need leaders to prepare God’s people for works of service or to help build up the Body of Christ to maturity.  The verse most often quoted to support this view is:

“As for you, the anointing you received from Him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as His anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in Him.”  (1 John 2:27)

With this one verse many have sought to erase out of existence the idea that anybody could have been given by God to help them grow up in their walk with Him, and yet scripture clearly tells us in Ephesians that God gave the church leaders “to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up…”  (Ephesians 4:11-13)  Clearly it is not God’s intent that we should get rid of leaders and teachers in the church!

Have you been “called by God”? 

The idea of a “leaderless church” fits perfectly with the online age we live in: We like to think we’re all experts!  Everyone and their mother has a blog!  But the question that no longer seems to be asked is, “Has God called you to do what you’re doing?”  Many of us have various gifts and talents that we could simply use at our own will, but the greater question is whether or not God has directed us and called us to a certain task for Him.  None of us should be out there doing stuff for the Lord just because we happen to think it’s a good idea!  What is God’s call?  What is God’s plan for your life?  What does God want YOU doing for Him?  Each of us should be seeking to answer those questions, and be doing the best we can to walk it out before the Lord.

Clearly, not everyone is called to be a Pastor.  There are some very good public speakers and compassionate people, but that does not mean these men should just assume that they can appoint themselves as a Pastor- that is up to God.  Likewise, it’s often assumed that just because someone has a gift with music we should make them a worship leader.  But has God called the person to that?  These are the questions we should be asking.  With God’s calling, comes God’s anointing.  We can “do it ourselves” in our own understanding and talents if we want to, but should we?  In the church we’re to be directed and called by God!  This is especially true of “leadership” in the church: God gave some to be Apostles, Prophets, etc., NOT everyone!

Casting off leadership fits well with the world we live in- it appeals to the flesh and our pride, and makes us feel important.  The attitude of the flesh is, ”we don’t need leaders, WE can do it ourselves!”  But can we?  Should we?  Not if God hasn’t called us!  

Leaderless church sounds good, but have you ever tried it?

Jesus is the Head of church, and He is the one who chose to give the church leaders!  We are not being “spiritual” if we cast off those He called and appointed.

Think what the early church would have been like had there been no leaders… It’s not hard to imagine, I can recall a few times I’ve gathered where leadership was weak or nonexistent and it wasn’t a good thing.  Even the simplest bible study or gathering in the home can easily go off into all sorts of disorder.  And whether we like it or not- whether we’ll admit to it or not- there’s ALWAYS a leader, even in the groups that say there’s none.  I came across a very practical post called “Are we done- the myth of a leaderless church“.  You may want to read it- it certainly expresses the very real practical side to all of this.  I’ve experienced what the author’s talking about plenty of times, and you probably have, too. 

Meet the leaders of the leaderless church!

I find it fascinating that those in the house church movement advocating for “leaderless” church are actually the new leaders!  They write books and lead from their blogs!

In his book, “Reimagining Church”, bestselling Christian author Frank Viola spends many chapters “reimagining” everything from church leadership to authority.  It is not lost on me that one of the chief advocates arguing against positional leadership in the church wields an extraordinary and far reaching influence on the church in his position as an author!  The church is being massively reshaped by people like Viola and we’re to believe that this isn’t “leadership”?

It’s time we start thinking in terms of “influence”, and that we begin to realize that there are many ways to exercise authority and power over the church and exhibit the “top down” hierarchy that Viola speaks against.  The truth is “Christian media” in it’s various forms, such as Christian music and Christian books, has had a profound effect on the church.  If it’s Christ’s Headship we’re worried about (the reason some give to support their view of leaderless church) perhaps we should be asking ourselves some hard questions on how Christian media is influencing the life of the church!  We are no longer living in a world where “leaders” need to be in a church building or home church to be leading and impacting the Body of Christ.

I do not question Frank Viola’s love for the Lord or his love for the church, but I do call into question what he and others are teaching concerning leadership and authority in the church.  Viola has expressed dislike for the idea of “authority” vested in certain individuals or “positions” in the church, but one thing cannot be denied- he, along with others who hold his view, are” leading” and exercising a very powerful influence on the church which is essentially being told to be ”leaderless”.

A better way to lead- “not lording it over” others in the church

I will close this post with this thought: The entire bible from beginning to end is filled with individual people that God called and chose to use.  Leaders are NOT a bad thing.  We simply need good leaders… we do not need to get rid of them altogether.

“Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.  And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.”  (1 Peter 5:2-4)

One of the main things missing in the traditional churches is “body participation”.  I have held this view for a long time and have thought about it at great length for many years.  As one who as traveled extensively the last 25 years among the churches singing and preaching I have come to a firm conclusion: we are robbing the body of Christ of one of the key elements to growth, maturity and joy in the Lord by failing to allow true PARTICIPATION.

Anyone who’s ever served in some kind of “ministry” capacity knows exactly what I’m talking about.  The one who’s doing the ministry gets the most excited and the most out of it!  Why do you think the guy that’s standing up front can go on for an hour while those in the pews are drifting into sleep?  The one who’s doing the ministering is actively engaged.  The one who is actively engaged is actively engaging God!  THAT’S when things become interesting!  I know what I’m talking about… I’ve done plenty of sitting in the pew, and plenty of standing before the church “ministering”.  It’s when we get active with God and active in the church that things began to heat up and our faith begins to get real.  How can we get excited about a God we’re not engaged with, or a church we’re not allowed to participate in?

God gave the church “leaders” not for the purpose of “doing everything”, but rather to “equip the body of Christ for works of service.”  Ephesians 4:11-14 is as clear as the noon day sun when it comes to the subject:

“It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.  Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching…”

Notice, the role of leadership… God gives leaders to the church “to prepare God’s people for works of service.”  When leaders take on the role of “doing everything” in the church they effectively rob God’s people of the joy, growth, and maturity that comes from serving the Lord: the clergy/laity class system has made God’s people perpetual infants when God’s Word tells us we’re to produce mature adults in Christ.

It cannot be overstated how important every member participation is to the body of Christ…

“What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church.”   1 Corinthians 14:26

How do we justify ignoring what scripture says about these things?  Serving as a “greeter” or serving coffee, or any number of other created church positions does not fulfill what God has in mind here!  When are we going to let God’s people play a major role in our gatherings?  The clergy/laity distinction is engrained in the thinking of virtually every traditional church including Charismatic and Pentecostal groups.  Simple organic expressions of church life are at the forefront of returning this lost dimension of body participation to the church.  In my opinion, it can’t come soon enough!  I’ve seen Christians come out of their shell, thrive and grow, when simply given the opportunity to actively participate.  Do we want to see the body of Christ come alive?  Then let’s quit robbing God’s people of the God given call to actively be a functioning member of the body of Christ.