Our Leadership:

An Elder-led Church

What is an Elder-led Church?

There are various forms of church government in use today, with three models being the most common:

The Pastor-led model where the church is led by one person, usually a Senior Pastor.
The congregational-led model, where the congregation, in regular business meetings, votes and decides on issues affecting the church.
The Elder-led model, where the church is led by a plurality of qualified leaders, to provide oversight and direction for the church.

Why an Elder-led church?

Background:

In 2007-2008, when the church was about seven years old, a set of events signaled God’s desire for the church to reconsider its approach to leadership and governance.

Faced with this situation, the Elders’ prayers, study, and discussion led them to the conclusion that God desires his church to be Elder-led, as modeled in the New Testament, rather than being led by a single paid professional. This approach is defined by the following pre-conditions:

The Church is to be led by a fully committed team of qualified and capable men, working together to satisfy God’s mission for his Church by providing “servant leadership.”
The biblical qualifications of these men to serve in the Elder capacity must be carefully scrutinized.
The composite capability of this Elder Team, formed by men with varied experiences, skills, and callings, will be greater that of any individual professional.
While some Elders may be paid by the church for their service, due to their unique situations, all Elders will be of equal importance to the church.

When this conclusion was initially announced to FPCC, it caused discomfort for many in the congregation, because it is contrary to the culturally based approach of modern churches in the western world. While it is clear that the level of this discomfort has subsided, the issue has yet to be fully resolved for some.

In response to these continuing concerns and to provide a clear statement for those seeking to understand our churches approach, the Elders are providing this written explanation for the Elder-led model, its biblical foundation, and its application for FPCC.

This document is organized in a “question and answer” format in order to directly address questions which are most often asked.

Q 1. What does being elder-led really mean?

A 1. The term “elder-led” means that the spiritual ministries of the church will be led by a group of men, called by God, dedicated to and responsible for the task of shepherding, protecting and building up the church. The elders serve as the primary ministers as opposed to a “pastor-led” model where a professional minister is the primary shepherd of the church.

Q 2. What led FPCC to apply this model for church governance?

A 2. There are several reasons which are summarized below:

The church had reached a clear transition point, as defined by the following events.
- The church had been in a downward slope for over 12 months in both giving and attendees. People were no longer being fed.
- The church was completing an exhaustive nine-month Lead Pastor search which failed to locate an available qualified candidate from over 250 applicants. We actually found our desired candidate and had made him a job offer, but at the last minute, when he shared his intention to depart for FPCC, his board convinced him not to leave. We then renewed our search, and found our second desired candidate. As we were preparing to make him a job offer, he informed us that he had committed to another church.
- The Elder Team conclusively asserted the need for the church to fully comply with the Bible’s direction.
Careful study and discussion of the New Testament revealed that elder-leadership is the biblically-based approach for our church.
Prayer and deliberation produced the Elders’ conviction that elder leadership of FPCC is God’s desire.

Q 3. Specifically, what is the biblical basis for this decision?

A 3. The Apostle Paul planted churches but he did not assume leadership of the church for an extended period of time or serve as a lead pastor (scholars believe in some cases that Paul only stayed for a period of about 3 months). Once he gathered a group of leaders and provided training, his pattern was to appoint elders (not a single pastor) to lead these churches.

Q 4. Isn’t there a biblical requirement that a church have a lead pastor?

A 4. To the contrary, there is no clear case in the New Testament of a church being led by a single pastor. Here are four instructive cases for consideration.

Ephesians 4:11-16 provides a wonderful purpose statement for church leaders. Jesus provided five spiritual gifts for the purpose of equipping God’s people for works of service. The spiritual gift of “pastor” is only one of those gifts and it is not distinguished as more important than any other gift listed in the passage. Jesus didn’t first give pastors to lead the church and then other gifts after that. He gave 5 different gifts for leading the church and “pastor” is one of the 5 gifts.
In 1 Corinthians 12:28, the gift of pastor is not mentioned, and teacher is given 3^rd priority: “And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers . . .” If God’s commanded model for church leadership was the pastor, why would there be no clear establishment in the New Testament?
In Acts 20 the Apostle Paul called for the elders of the Church at Ephesus and when they met he warned them about the future of the church. If Paul had appointed a pastor in Ephesus, why would he not have called for the pastor?
In Titus 1, Paul instructs Titus to appoint elders in every church where Paul had sent Titus. If the churches were to be pastor-led why didn’t Paul have Titus appoint a pastor and then have the pastor appoint elders?

As established in the New Testament, the elder-led model increases the probability that the ministry needs of the congregation can be met from all 5 gifts listed in Ephesians 4:11 because all 5 gifts are given for the purpose of leading the church and not just the pastoral or the teaching gift.

Q 5. Why do almost all other churches have Lead Pastors when FPCC doesn’t?

A 5. The concern behind this question seems to relate to our being “different” from other churches and that our “difference” would be so far from the mainstream that we are not orthodox in our beliefs. Please refer to the “A4” above which establishes the normality of churches in the New Testament that were elder-led and not led by a single pastor.

Also, see 1 Samuel 8 where the Israelites rejected God’s leading of Israel through its elders and God telling Samuel that Israel had not rejected him but had rejected God as their King. The story points out that Israel was uncomfortable with being different from others even though God had prospered the nation without a man as their king until that time. God still blessed Israel for periods of time when they had kings but the history of Israel clearly shows that just having a king does not guarantee God’s blessing and the health of a group of people.

The following points provide additional information related to this question:

From our observation of western culture and of our own church’s experience, it’s clear that the primary outcome from having paid staff is that the church’s members are not required to be as deeply and broadly engaged as they are when they accept accountability for leadership, on God’s behalf. In today’s culture, where there are overwhelming financial, familial, and social stresses, it’s often considered an advantage to not be “burdened” by day-to-day obligations to one’s church.
Most of us in the western culture view our churches to be partitioned from our daily living. The services provided by paid professional ministry staff enable that approach to living.
The knowledge requirements associated with the spiritual leadership of a church is overwhelming to most of us. The risk of not knowing “everything” needed to lead a church, on God’s behalf, seems very high, and provides a compelling incentive for hiring the job to be done by professionals.

In full contrast, the elder-led model “drives” directly against the “traffic” of these cultural norms. It requires that God’s church is a center-piece of a Christian’s life and that his/her personal investment in its effectiveness is a crucial form of worship. Further, it calls on all of our resources to insure that we thrive and grow together, in close personal relationship with God and with each other.

Q 6. How can people trust the doctrinal validity of a church without an ordained pastor in the lead; particularly the church’s teachings?

A 6. There are several points to be considered in answer to this question.

As clearly established in this document, the Church is committed to sustain its biblical foundation. Supporting and protecting this foundation is the Elder Team’s most fundamental objective.
The Elder Team includes an ordained minister, men with seminary degrees and over 30 years of ministry experience.

As it relates to FPCC, the doctrinal statement of our church was developed by the 5 couples who started this church. These statements have endured the scrutiny of a professional pastor, during his seven year tenure, as well as the examination of dozens of biblically knowledgeable and educated congregants. No changes have been made in these statements as a result of the shift to Elder leadership.

It’s the Elders’ desire that those who have questions about the validity of its biblical foundation will invest in their own examination of the church’s biblical foundation. The Elders welcome the opportunity to address any specific challenges.

Q 7. How can people be confident that the Elders know how to lead the church?

A 7. The following approaches should be helpful:

By investing in a thorough examination of the Elder selection criteria and process.
By observing the church’s operations and seeking insights from other congregants.
By meeting with Elders to evaluate their knowledge, skills, and commitment.

Q 8. How can I trust that the church’s finances and operations are being effectively managed when there isn’t a pastor responsible for looking after them?

A 8. The “checks and balances” provided by an Elder Team of at least five members, provides much higher assurance of financial and operational quality and control than most situations where a single individual pastor has control. The responsibility for every key operation/function is planned to reside with an Elder and a volunteer Deacon or Director.

A very good example at FPCC is the Deacon of Finance who is a professional auditor and has extensive finance and accounting experience. This function is also the responsibility of an Elder who has over 40 years of general management experience in large businesses. These two individuals regularly report their results to the full Elder Team and then to the congregation. Further, any congregant is welcome to question and examine the results of any operation.

Q 9. One of a pastor’s main responsibilities is to care for his “flock”; who cares for people without a pastor?

A 9. The following considerations answer this question:

The Elders are the primary ministers of the “flock” and between them, according to their spiritual gifting and capabilities; the needs of the congregation will be met.
Implied within this question is a concern for the Elders’ ministry capabilities. At the time this document was written (2009), the elders share almost 30 years of combined full-time ministry experience.
While the Elders are a primary source of care for the body of FPCC, it’s clear that small group relationships provide a wonderful source of caring support.
The question implies that a Lead Pastor could best handle the needs of the congregation. In reality, pastors, like all of us, have varied and diverse callings which may not include effective relationship skills.
While a single pastor cannot directly care for the needs of everyone in a congregation of hundreds or even dozens, the combined capability of the Elders and of small group participants can “reach” everyone who seeks support.

Q 10. Why should I choose to participate in a church without a pastor when there are so many other options available?

A 10. It’s our desire that every person build a lasting relationship with Christ. If an individual determines that FPCC can help build, grow and maintain this relationship, then it is an excellent choice for him/her. We welcome everyone who believes he/she shares in this goal.

Here are some of the FPCC attributes that might be valuable in a Christian’s “walk”.

An unrelenting commitment to the Bible as God’s word.
Exceptional Sunday music worship and teaching in a casual setting.
A network of small groups for building personal mentoring and caring relationships.
A chance to exercise one’s calling in a broad choice of ministry and service opportunities.
An active youth program for middle school through high school.
A supportive child education and care program for children from nursery to middle school, on Sunday mornings.
An active prayer and care program to support the needs of our body.

Q 11. Can a church be elder-led and also have a professional Senior Pastor?

A 11. It is logically possible to have such an arrangement. However, as a practical matter, such an arrangement would require a very “seasoned” Elder Team and an extremely mature Lead Pastor.

On-the-one-hand, the human convenience factor is certain to come into play. The potential for the Pastor to be called upon to serve an expanding set of ministry and support responsibilities could vastly reduce the roles of the Elder Team, eventually resulting in a fully subordinate Elder Team. On-the-other- hand, the willingness of a paid professional to be subordinated to a team of seemingly less “qualified” Elders is a challenge few would desire.

In the end, the vital question is what might be accomplished better on God’s behalf if such an arrangement were made? It’s clear that Paul didn’t envision any advantage to such an arrangement. It’s also very clear from the Old Testament that the “professional” priesthood, even though initially mandated by God, did not serve the Israelites effectively. In fact, it was the arrogance of Jewish priests which ultimately led to the events of the New Testament.

Q 12. Will Four Peaks ever have a lead pastor?

A 12. There is no current plan to establish a Lead Pastor at FPCC. We believe that the Elder-led model supports God’s desire, and are certain he will bless the church according to the strength of our commitment.