(ARTICLE) Is The One-Pastor Church System Biblical?

[creationliberty]

This has been completely re-written; I've been working on it all week. I originally wrote it 8 years ago, so it needed a lot of work. I hope this will be more helpful to understand the problems with, and dangers of, the one-pastor church system, and that there is no New Testament justification for a pastor to be the head ruler over the church.
http://www.creationliberty.com/articles/onepastor.php

[anvilhauler]

This has been completely re-written; I've been working on it all week. I originally wrote it 8 years ago, so it needed a lot of work. I hope this will be more helpful to understand the problems with, and dangers of, the one-pastor church system, and that there is no New Testament justification for a pastor to be the head ruler over the church.

That's going to be excellent Chris.  I finally got my waterproof "business cards" completed a while back and one of the things I comment to people is that God's church is not at all like what they are usually led to believe.  Just to make them more interested I comment that there is no such position as a pastor or a church minister.  I do mention there are elders and what their role is.  This new teaching will fit in perfectly.  I haven't given out any cards yet but I narrowly missed a couple of opportunities.

A couple of the guys I catch up with on Sunday evenings at the pool are in to valve amplifiers and other valve gear.  One of the guys grew up as a Roman Catholic but he doesn't dare mention that anymore but he does mention "The Church" and numerous times I have asked him what he means by "The Church" as he still has this idea ingrained in his mind that there is some big over-arching big corporation board of directors with queer hats on that is in charge of all churches in the world.  So every time now he mentions "The Church", I mention the Federation of Amplifier Enthusiasts that all gatherings of people interested in amplifiers must be a part of. 

Wilbert:  There's no such group as the Federation of Amplifier Enthusiasts that we are a part of, we just like talking about amplifiers.

Kevin:  Yep, that's right Wilbert.  And there is no such group as "The Church".  The church I am a part of there is just 18 or so of us and we just gather together regularly and discuss Biblical things etc.  God's real church are small gatherings of people who have no affiliation with big corporation type "churches".  That reminds me, you haven't paid your fees to the Federation of Amplifier Enthusiasts but if you give me the money I'll make sure they get it. They don't operate like a church where everyone's money is their own and nobody else has any claim to it.

The guys laugh, but all the time I'm breaking down the misconceptions they have about what God's church is and how it operates.  Wilbert is 67 yrs old and is a retired motor mechanic.  It was Wilbert's wife who dropped around and took me to the hospital when I had my severe gout problem.

[creationliberty]

There is a role of a pastor, and even in the old article, I pointed that out. The Bible does talk about that, and even God said He would send pastors unto the people. I was pointing out that if you took money out of the equation, there would be FAR fewer pastors than we see today.

[anvilhauler]

There is a role of a pastor, and even in the old article, I pointed that out. The Bible does talk about that, and even God said He would send pastors unto the people. I was pointing out that if you took money out of the equation, there would be FAR fewer pastors than we see today.

Yes, I agree in whole.  It is the pastor and money connection I am always exposing.  The same as in the USA, we have false pastors here in New Zealand and they are well known right throughout the country.  Hence for me also I need to cut through the financial dishonesty and corruption barrier when talking to people about Christ.  Brian Tamaki is the most well known in New Zealand.  Here are some news clips that show what is also happening here.

Cash for preaching lifts Tamaki's pay to $1m
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10631789

Bishop Brian Tamaki is paid an average of $3000 each time he preaches at a Destiny Church outside of Auckland.

This helps boost his income to more than a million dollars a year.

The speaking fee is paid by the 20 church branches in New Zealand and Australia.

Individual payments range from $1000 to $12,000 depending on the size of the church.

The Weekend Herald understands the speaking fees would average $3000 a week, or $150,000 a year.


Gloriavale and Destiny Church millions revealed
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11680258

Gloriavale is one of the top three big-money churches. Its wealth is spread over property, deer and dairy stocks and 'vehicle and aircraft' assets, topped up by cash injections from its loyal flock.

Secretive Christian community Gloriavale has built up over $40 million in assets - including aircraft for its charter flight service - through a charity that pulls in millions every year.

The Herald on Sunday has examined the reports of 33 charities linked to eight Christian goups - Gloriavale, Destiny Church, Victory Church, Life NZ, C3 Church, Equippers Church, Arise Church and City Impact Church.

Combined, the religious charities have amassed assets worth more than $214m.

Gloriavale, Victory Church and City Impact Church carry the most valuable books.


So, for me too, I am forever having to explain what a pastor is, and what a pastor isn't and I always go to lengths to explain to people that all of their money is their own and that God does not make any demand on people's money.  Many people in the "Destiny Church" are living in poverty while the self proclaimed "bishop" is living in luxury and that is shown all over television here.

[jtoubeaux]

I have had recent conversations with my family about the money/pastor issue and churches operating just like a 'for profit' business.

[creationliberty]

Do you want to give the details of that conversation?

[jtoubeaux]

Sure. I was reminiscing with my mom and dad about the church we all attended for many years and my dad said he became an elder right before they left that particular church. He said some of the issues they had was the pastor’s salary, how much they gave to Baptist missions and why their high school did not work out. He said once he learned the inner workings of that church he was very disappointed. He said they had multiple pastoral issues and their last pastor began teaching Calvinism. I said I was not sure how much of their issue was from money but maybe some of their problems were because they operated the church like a business and not a place to gather, worship the Lord, encourage one another, teach, etc. I could see the wheels turning in my parents’ head but I don’t think they were fully ready to process it all.

[creationliberty]

I also find it interesting that the pastor is paid, but the elders are not in most cases. It's generally this unspoken thing that no one ever questions. Instead of funding those who labor in the Word, which is what the New Testament teaches, they fund those who have the title of pastor, and everyone else is left out to dry.