Responsibilities of a Church Member: Relate Properly to Your Pastors

This might seem a bit self-serving. A pastor writing to say that members in the church out to relate properly to their pastors. So, is it self-serving? 

It is for Your Advantage

Hebrews 13:7 says,

Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.

The idea is that there is an advantage to rightly relating to your pastors. Even more specifically, to obeying and submitting to them. If your following them is characterized by godly submission, it will bring them joy rather than frustration and be an advantage to your soul. Pastors that don't have to spend excessive time dealing with unruly sheep can better shepherd the flock so that they thrive rather than merely survive. If all the pastor's work is remedial, it is impossible to build up the body and help you make progress in your knowledge and obedience to God. 

What Does it Mean to Obey and Submit?

To submit is to voluntarily place yourself under their authority and leadership. To be clear, the pastor's authority is the Word of God. So your submission to your pastor is governed by your submission to God. No human authority, which has delegated authority, ever supersedes God's authority in a person's life. So, if you pastor says to lie about something, you say, "You know I can't love you and God if I do that. I must obey God." 

Obeying your pastors doesn't mean

1. You can't ask questions
2. You follow them into sin
3. They have authority over you in areas in which the Bible gives no doctrine or practice to observe. 

Let me give an example of the last point. You do not need to paint your house a specific color because your pastor says you should. Rod might say, "I like salmon for that front door, so paint it that color." You could, and should(?), rightly say, "Thanks for the suggestion, but I'm going to paint it white."  Now, if you decided to spray paint derogatory words towards your neighbor on the side of your house, your pastor rightly has the authority to tell you that Scripture requires you to remove them (of course there would be a further dialogue about what is going on in your heart and how to repent). 

The Goodness of Authority 

In a world that seems to have no concept of good authority, notions of authority and submission are quickly dismissed as power grabs and domination. However, in practice, we all know that authority exercised for the good of others is a great blessing. For example, children receiving the instruction and discipline of a godly parent keeps them from dying young and forms the training grounds which will enable them to grow into mature adulthood rather than out-of-control, self-destructive animals. 

God has designed it so that almost every person will be in positions of both authority and submission. We ought to exercise our authority with humility and the fear of God, knowing we must give an account to him. And we ought to submit to proper authorities with humility and trust in God knowing that we and those in authority will have to answer to God. 

When Authority is Abused

Sadly, in a fallen world authority does get abused. Jesus warned his followers not to be like the ungodly who often exercised power for their own gain (Mark 10:42-43). In addition, the elder qualifications prohibit a man from serving as an elder if he is "arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain," etc. (see Titus 1). 

We are given instructions for how to handle a pastor who is abusing his authority. Matthew 18 outlines church discipline and 1 Timothy 5:20 says that if an elder persists in sin, he should be rebuked in the presence of the church. 

A Church Member Submits to His or Her Pastors

So, as a church member, you are voluntarily placing yourself under a specific set of pastors. You can disagree at times and ask questions. But, be sure to submit to them. They must give an account to God for the state of your soul. Don't resist their leadership when they are godly men who are seeking your spiritual wellbeing and God's glory. If necessary, confront them in biblical ways.