Thoughts

I was having some problems yesterday with my attitude as I was reading a book over ways to have a healthy Assembly. The book was replete with the pastor, new pastor, and the like. It was written as if a guide book for a single man leading an institutional church. I emailed the author and asked if he thought that the modern pastor and biblical elder were different roles. He emailed back and said that his ministry took the position that they were one and the same.

After further reading in the book, I did find affirmation that the author indeed believes in an elder-led Body. However, there was a HUGE caveat in his teaching on this subject: There is a deliberate distinction between Staff and non-Staff elders. The non-Staff elders (in his opinion) should rotate out of the ministry while the Staff elders do not rotate. Again, while affirming (in my opinion) the veracity of elder-rule in Scripture, he quickly re-establishes the (non-biblical) clergy-laity distinction. In-other-words, the Bible-school/seminary-trained Staff has a distinction over the lay-Staff. All of the arguments for rotating non-Staff members relate to Staff members, EXCEPT that Staff members get paid, and this would cause a hardship for them. "Follow the money!" is the rule even in the Church.