Over the years Mark Dever, senior pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist
Church in Washington, D.C., has seen plenty of opportunities to accrue
authority, some of which he keeps, many of which he passes out. And the
way he passes out authority has shaped the culture of our church in
countless ways.
Here are 20 ways he distributes authority, followed by 10 ways this
shapes our church culture. Some apply just to lead pastors; many apply
to all of us.
1. Build the church on the gospel. No matter who's teaching,
the gospel must be front and center. Mark has established this pattern.
When relationships and power structures are grounded in the gospel,
people use their authority not to lord it over one another, but to serve
one another (Matt. 20:25-28).
2. Establish a plurality of staff and non-staff elders. On an
elder board composed exclusively of staff elders, each man may possess
one vote, but the staffing structure imposes a hierarchy. Adding
non-staff elders to the board disrupts and flattens that hierarchy.
3. Limit the percentage of main-slot preaching. Mark, with the
elders' agreement, limits himself to preaching 50 percent to 65 percent
of Sunday mornings. That way, other voices have the chance to grow and
gain authority. And the congregation depends more on the Word than on
one man. Continue at Jonathan Leeman
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