Congregational Authority pt 4 of 7

What About Open Opposition?

That said, it is certainly reasonable to argue that a church may exercise democratic authority in opposition to its pastor, as long as the opposition is made in a Biblical way. If the opposition to the pastor or his policies is legitimate, so then are the mechanisms to coordinate such opposition, as long as those mechanisms are not un-Biblically used. These mechanisms include the exchange of factual and contextualized information, group meetings to discuss strategy, and attempts to persuade others of a particular point of view. Again, all these mechanisms must be used in a Biblical manner only: the exchange of information is not to be confused with gossip, group meetings are not be accusatory sessions, and attempts to persuade are not to be based on hearsay, propaganda, or scare-tactics—truth; reason; and, above all; Scripture must carry the day.

Going further, coalition building is a necessary element if ideas are ever to evolve. Without the ability to speak amongst themselves and attempt to persuade others of their opinions, individuals would never be able to compare or refine ideas. The net result would not be high thinking piety but a lowest common denominator of thought—only those ideas coincidently shared by the majority would be considered legitimate. If this were the case, the marketplace of ideas, and with it the quality of any idea, would wither and die.

Of course, the right to exercise the powers of inquiry, persuasion, and opposition does not mean they should be exercised at any and all opportunities. Again, the pastor is God’s shepherd for His flock. He is vested with authority and leadership in the temporary physical absence of the true Head of the Church. This being the case, any opposition, and certainly any actions born from such opposition, should be espoused and executed with the utmost care. A church continually overriding a pastor’s authority would be by definition ungovernable and most likely un-submissive to the Father.

God’s proxy is not one to be foolishly and capriciously opposed. To do so is to oppose the Father Himself. Thus, ecclesiastical overrides of pastoral authority should only be used in serious circumstances and then only with great discretion and reverence. Wisdom must predominate in any instance of the church exercising its ultimate veto power.