The Head of the Church

'But you are not to be called 'Rabbi', for you have only one Master and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth 'father', for you have one Father, and He is in heaven. Nor are you to be called 'teacher', for you have one Teacher, the Christ. The greatest among you will be your servant.' - Matthew 23:8-11

 

While I see the requirement for a lead elder, I do not believe in the over-emphasis of one. While I see the need for strong leadership, I do not believe in the predominance of a single personality over a collective. To me, the simple truth is that Jesus is the Head of the Church. How often is this not obvious in a local church?

 

You have only one Master, and you are all brothers. The local church has older brothers and younger brothers. But the eldest brother is not the father of the house. For you have one Father, and He is in heaven.

 

All too many local churches have an over-developed eldest brother who is tantamount to a father. Like in George Orwell's Animal Farm, the pigs with this sort of pride in their heart start trying to stand on their hind legs trying to look human.

 

I am prepared to lead a church of brothers. For a while, I am happy to be the eldest brother. But the family is always God's. It shall always belong to Him. He is the head of it. Not me. It is His entirely. The church has only one Originator, only one Proginentor. Far be it from me to usurp ownership of the family. I am one of brothers.

 

For every lead pastor who has publicly stumbled in adultery, there must be ten who have privately stumbled with a God-complex having believed the lie that they are the head of the local church and that mere brotherhood is beneath them.