THE AUTHORITY OF THE PASTOR
An Article Written by Dr. Neil Chadwick
Definition of Pastoral Authority
Pastoral authority is a combination of personal and spiritual qualities which make it likely that people will listen to what the Pastor says, and follow his leadership. It is based upon certain characteristics or expertise that the Pastor has, or that the church members believe he has. Without it, very little will be accomplished through the leader, or through the church he leads.
There are forms of authority which are more appropriate, and there are forms of authority which are less appropriate. Even with proper, or legitimate authority, there is the possibility for abuse, or wrong use of that authority.
There are three different forms of authority - Traditional, Rational/Legal, and Charismatic. Pastors seldom function solely according to one of these forms of authority, most of the time there is represented a combination of two, or perhaps all three.
I. Traditional Authority is that which is passed down according to family and tribe.
II. Rational/Legal Authority is beauracratic authority, based on what is written in a Constitution or set of Bylaws.
III. Charismatic Authority is that which is acknowledged as a gift of God.
IV. Comparing and Contrasting the three types of authority.
V. The Abuse of Authority.
VI. Decision Making and "Charismatic Authority".
I. Traditional Authority is that which is passed down according to family and tribe. The oldest member of the tribe (usually male) is the leader - he is the Patriarch (or, in rare cases, the Matriarch) - seniority is what counts. This is a common type of authority found in older societies which haven't realized fast paced change.
A. David being initially passed over when Samuel went to Jesse's house to anoint Israel's next king, is a demonstration of "Traditional Authority". (I Samuel 16:10-12)
In this regard, notice the number of times God seems to intentionally pass over the elder in favor of the younger, i.e. Abel, Jacob, Joseph, Ephraim. This is emphasized by Jesus in the saying, "But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first." (Matthew 19:30)
B. When Paul said to Timothy, "Let no man despise thy youth" (I Timothy 4:12), he was acknowledging the presence of "Traditional Authority".
C. The understanding that women should not be in authority is based on Traditional Authority.
"But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence." (1 Timothy 2:12) (Remember, Peter gave the same instruction to the male Pastors of his churches. In God's work, no one is to exercise authority over others simply because of his position in the society.)
D. The early church, for a while, followed the Jewish ("Traditional") pattern of government, the pattern of the synagogue. "Suppose a man comes into your meeting (synagogue). . . " (James 2:22) "Perhaps little attention was given to organizations in the Early Church, they were so similar to the Jewish precedent of the synagogue, as opposed to the priesthood..." The brother of Jesus became the ruling elder/spokesman. But this could not survive. The scattering through persecution saw to that, moving the church into non-Jewish societies.