Where Everybody Knows Your Name
August 30, 2010
Carl, thanks for the thoughtful post. As usual, there's always food for thought--and I always want just a bit more nuance here or there!
What do you think about how this all relates to a plurality of elders? It seems clear to me that the NT ideal is a group of qualified, godly men who lead the church--not a Hans Solo-type "senior pastor" who calls all the shots (even if there is a sort of "first among equals" principle).
I don't know anything about the situation you reference other than what you've relayed. But in addition to the problem of pastors becoming inaccessible, there is sometimes the issue that parishoners only want to talk to the "senior [read: real] pastor" and not to some lowly lay-elder.
I think your larger point is correct, but I want to work against the idea that it is the job of one man to do everything and to be everything to everyone in the church.
What do you think about how this all relates to a plurality of elders? It seems clear to me that the NT ideal is a group of qualified, godly men who lead the church--not a Hans Solo-type "senior pastor" who calls all the shots (even if there is a sort of "first among equals" principle).
I don't know anything about the situation you reference other than what you've relayed. But in addition to the problem of pastors becoming inaccessible, there is sometimes the issue that parishoners only want to talk to the "senior [read: real] pastor" and not to some lowly lay-elder.
I think your larger point is correct, but I want to work against the idea that it is the job of one man to do everything and to be everything to everyone in the church.
