I do understand that in the US Church we do pick our own shepherds/pastors, it was just worded so blatantly that if the pastor doesn’t do what we want, teach what our itchy ears want to hear, and stroke our delicate egos, we will get another one who will. (and in the case that triggered me, it was just the Board doing it, A lot of Boards get too used to the power, or something, probably a human condition

I’m A/G, and we also form a search committee, usually with help from our district leadership, pray, seek candidates, interview, possibly a visit to hear the candidate, an invite to preach or “try-out”. (it is better to use the whole weekend) Then we vote on one candidate at a time. If the vote is negative, it all starts over. There is a congregational vote after a year, as a confirmation, then every 3 years, a confirming vote. It’s pretty hard to vote out a pastor, if things are run on the up & up. (and it will not be just up to the Board to do it) (This might not be typical for every A/G church as they are almost all autonomous)

I personally have the opinion that if you can’t put yourself under the authority of your Pastor, you might not be under the authority of God. (of course there are wacked out pastors out there, but a little submission doesn’t hurt, usually)

Heb 13:17 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.

Blessings to you.

Go iMonk!

If we are not doing this, as members, are we really even members of the Church? I don’t mean a registered member at some local congregation, I mean a Member of the Body of Christ. How can we call ourselves disciples if we don’t do what He called us to do – “go and preach” or to word it another way, “go and evangelize.” Sad is the day when the members pass off their Christ-given mandate to evangelize, to bring people closer to Him. We are nothing more than country clubs with less stringent membership requirements if that is the case.

In the Baptist world with which I am familiar, the sheep always hire the shepherd. There is a “Pastoral Committee” elected who go visit other churches under cover of “visitor” to select “candidates” they can recommend to the congregation back home. Each selected candidate comes and preaches a sermon some Sunday. Then, after the congregation has had a look at all of them, they have a business meeting at which the deacons or the pastoral committee state who they prefer, then anybody else who wants to can get up and state who they prefer and why, and who they don’t prefer and why, and after the dust settles then everybody votes and then the church congregation officially “calls” a new pastor, who has the option of accepting or declining.

At least, that’s the way it used to work in my circles.

You mean, everybody doesn’t do it that way????

1. All ideas compete on an equal footing.
2. Contribution counts for more than credentials.
3. Hierarchies are natural, not prescribed.
4. Leaders serve rather than preside.
5. Tasks are chosen, not assigned.
6. Groups are self-defining and -organizing.
7. Resources get attracted, not allocated.
8. Power comes from sharing information, not hoarding it.
9. Opinions compound and decisions are peer-reviewed.
10. Users can veto most policy decisions.
11. Intrinsic rewards matter most.
12. Hackers are heroes.

How about the title CVO — Chief Visionary Officer?

http://spadinofamily.wordpress.com/2009/03/30/uneven-ground-and-showing-grace/

“We have lumped too many gifts, callings, and offices, and their respective responsibilities and authorities, into one all-encompassing office, gift, and calling, with all responsibility (but little authority) lumped into that one office and then wonder why the poor pastor seems to be overwhelmed and incapable. And, having forgotten the ancient (and Scriptural) divisions, we wonder why that one office is again being split into so many titles and offices.”

Add to this the phenomenon of clergy “burnout” which is not only a spiritual malady, but also the result of being overwhelmed by an office that has absorbed virtually every duty of the parish for which no one man could possibly be gifted or capable.

So as to not take too much space on this site, here is a break down of that time.

Rather, in this I agree with charismatics, or rather, I should say, charismatics agree with the ancient church. We have lumped too many gifts, callings, and offices, and their respective responsibilities and authorities, into one all-encompassing office, gift, and calling, with all responsibility (but little authority) lumped into that one office and then wonder why the poor pastor seems to be overwhelmed and incapable. And, having forgotten the ancient (and Scriptural) divisions, we wonder why that one office is again being split into so many titles and offices.

Unfortunately, in some ways our Church is not much better in that it retains the titles but has tended to centralize the functions just as much as the rest of Christianity. But, to this day, we have both the “minor orders” and the “major orders.” We have tonsured readers and subdeacons, as well as deacons, archdeacons, priests, archpriests, bishops, archbishops, etc.

No, I am not saying you should adopt all these titles. Rather, I am saying that–too often in frozen form–the Church retains a memory of different people having different places in the Church according to their gifting, their calling, and their ministry. The levels of responsibility, and even the levels of commitment required, varies with each one of the “orders” named above.

In the ancient scheme, not everyone is required to be a pastor-in-charge in order to fulfill their ministry and calling. Frankly, the responsibilities of a subdeacon are rather light when compared to those of the parish priest. But, there are worthy people in that slot doing very helpful things in the Church. My subdeacon started an intercessory prayer group of four people. I go to them and “sick them” on problems and needs in our mission parish.

I think the fear of clericalism or of too much hierarchy have often blinded us to the ancient wisdom that different levels of responsibility and public recognition for that, yes with a title and even liturgical privileges, and different levels of required commitment are healthy things that help a church to grow. And, note that not everyone needs to be seminary trained in order to hold some of these positions, although all who hold positions need to be educated to a level appropriate for the amount of responsibility they will have for other people.

I could go on, but you get the idea.