Lin

I agree with Paula on this one. One of the things I saw up close and personal in many situations was a ‘leader’ who over time came to expect to be followed. This is what happens when you use terms like ‘leader’ instead of servant. Servant is what is used in scripture.

Another problem is that folks do not understand that all authority between believers is Jesus Christ. Not another human. We are not to be like the world. But we are. There is a great danger that we do not grow past whoever is the leader. We see that happen all through history except for a few brave souls like Luther and even those who went against Zwingili and Calvin hiding in caves for the doctrine of believers baptism and a church of true believers…not a state church.

I think it is instructive that most Epistles are written to the church and not the ‘elders’ of each church. If this hierarchical structure were as many teach it, then why would Paul dare allow the entire Body to be involved in carrying out the instructions in his letters? He would have written to the elders to handle it.