Dying Church Red Flags - The Elder Or Elders Are Treated Like Employees Or Hired Hands
Countless times we are told that people in a dying church want to see it revived but they are typically not willing to do what is necessary to see that life come.
Nobody wants their church to die. Or, do they? Granted, when I speak of those who are either indifferent to death or actively seeking it, I am dealing with a very small percentage of people in any given church. However, in a church that is progressively dying, it is not uncommon to find individuals or a small group of people who would rather have the church die under their control than for it to live outside of their control.
In light of this, here is a major red flag of a dying church. Keep in mind, this is not the only red flag. This is just the red flag in view for this post.
Dying Church Red Flag - The Pastor Is Viewed/Treated Like An Employee That “Works” For The Congregation
First of all, Elders are accountable to the people they shepherd, but only in the ways that Scripture outlines. That is a subject for another day. Elders are biblically prescribed as the overseers. Whether people’s sinful inclinations like that or not, that is what Scripture prescribes. But it does not stop there. Scripture does not just prescribe Elder oversight willy-nilly to anyone who wants to be an Elder or is “elected” to be an Elder (don’t get me started on the nonsense that is church elections). No, it prescribes oversight to QUALIFIED Elders, which is vitally important.
Nowhere in Scripture do you see Elders “working for,” “employed by,” or submitted to oversight by Deacons or the congregation. Now, this is where folks either ignorantly or intentionally fail to think in categories. This does not mean that within the function or leadership, Elders can’t or won’t learn from non-Elders or that they are “better” than non-Elders. It also doesn’t mean that Elders will never demonstrate humble submission to another’s leading or gifting especialy if a group of Elders has assigned and delegated oversight over a particular area to an individual or group. Clearly, Elders do not need to be micromanaging because that does not produce maturity, unity, or progress.
When an Elder or group of Elders is treated like employees or someone that answers to the whims of various maturity levels, biblical knowledge, and salvation statuses of church members, what they are saying is that the Elders are not “part of us.” What they are saying is that the Elders “work for us.” They are not equals. They are servants who are not a part of us. This is outright sinful. When proper biblical Eldership is in place, both the Elders and non-Elders are all equally unified in Christ, and each person has a role to carry out as a part of the same team.
What this really comes down to is that people want to be in charge when they are not. They want control over things, and their sinful pride won’t let them release that desire to have a say in everything. Granted, any group of Elders worth the title will always seek input on important decisions, and Elders should never move forward on anything where a majority of the congregation is against it unless it is specifically prescribed in Scripture.
However, Scripture does not vest oversight in Deacons or in the congregation in terms of ensuring that the church is operating properly and the correct decisions are being made. God ultimately will not bless any church that is specifically and intentionally operating counter to His prescription. This is why so many congregationally ruled churches split over the color of the carpet and always have some level of infighting.
I was told once that “This is our church, and you need to realize that. You work for us, and whatever we want you to do, you need to do it.” I immediately told this person to their face that I wanted a record of every single penny the church had ever paid me, and even if it took me the rest of my life, I would pay back every cent and would never take another penny from them because they would not wield money as a weapon to manipulate me in any way. I was there to serve God, and they were too.
Treating the Pastor like an employee, where the congregation is seen as the “employer,” is a dangerous recipe. This creates a level of consumer-based church members who operate as if the local church were a country club where members pay dues for certain outcomes.
If a qualified Elder or Elders are put in a position where they must answer to church members as if it is a place of employment, then they will constantly be in unfair positions, having to decide whether to obey God or man.
This is why an ideal situation would be a plurality of qualified Elders who do not take any compensation from the church, so as to remove that burden. However, it is not wrong or sinful for a man to be compensated for his time, especially if it keeps him from using that time to provide for his family elsewhere. However, compensation does not give a congregation any “power” over an Elder. Otherwise, one will hear as I have heard, “We pay your salary. You'd better do what we want.”
This type of sinful thinking has no place in God’s church. Should Elders be qualified before engaging in oversight? Yes! Should Elders be disqualified and removed if they violate those qualifications? Yes! Because some Elders become disqulified does this mean we know better and need to enter our version of how the church should be run? No!
As one who has lived this unbiblical experience for 2.5 years at my first church, I can assure you it is not fun mentally, spiritually, or physically. It wore me down over time to the point that I finally had to give up and resign for my health. One can only handle so many secret meetings behind your back, people openly telling you in a meeting that “we have deaons, why do we need you?”
I stayed longer than I likely should have, but when you are called to be an Elder, you love it and never want to leave. However, the Lord made it clear to me one day that it was time, and I obeyed His will. When I went into the church and realized the locks on the sound booth had been changed to keep me out of it, I knew the Lord was releasing me from that assignment. I can still see myself in that sanctuary turning the key several times before I realized it was not going to open the door.
It was the final straw. I had endured long enough. Granted, as a younger Elder, I did not always endure the way I should have. I certainly had areas of growth that were needed.
Looking back, I pity the Christians who are there because they are in a dying church that shows no signs of repentance or willingness to submit to God and remove the power groups that are ruling them all in the name of “saving the church.” They will have to answer to God for that one day. I did all that I could do at the time I was there.
The situation both humbled me and thickened my skin and spine (metaphorically speaking, of course). I now have greater patience for things, but I also have less tolerance for that type of dysfunction and sin when I encounter it.
Power groups in a dying church love to claim that they want to “save the church” or see it “grow.” However, I am convinced that they would rather see the church die under their collective grasp rather than see it truly thrive, released from their clutches.
Your Pastor is not your employee. To think this about him is utterly sinful. Your Elder is there to be an under-shepherd for Christ. The group of men, if you are fortunate enough to have multiple Elders, are there for the reason of helping you grow in the faith, learn to be discipled, and make disciples.
Elders are there to oversee the church and make the important decisions. Deacons are there as assistants to the Elders, focusing primarily on the physical needs of the church, visiting sick people, taking care of the grounds, etc. The congregation is there to discover, develop, and use their gifts to edify the body. The congregation is also there to be discipled and learn to make disciples. The Deacons are not prescribed oversight. The congregation is not prescribed oversight.
