people from an interdenominational church in texas are being taught that you cannot have a ministry unless you have a church covering, spiritual authority, or accountability. where is this in the Bible?

-- Anonymous, April 12, 2001

Answers

Penny, do some research on the "shepherding movement." That is what this sounds like. I don't know alot about it, but those are their "buzz words."

-- Anonymous, April 12, 2001

Ok, I did some looking and have a better answer for you. Here are some web sites that give more information (interestingly enough, they are predominently Church of Christ oriented):

www.vcnet.com/measures/TDD.01.html www.discernment.org/shepherd.htm www.piney.com/shepherding.html

What I get is that this concept is not completely scriptural, but another case of using very sparse scriptural evidence to back up a major doctrine.

-- Anonymous, April 12, 2001

The term 'covering' for pastoral/elder leadership, as far as I can tell, has no basis in scripture. i think some people try to extract that concept out of women wearing veils and having husbands in I Cor. 11.

This type of thinking is probably influenced by the shepherding movement from the 70's, as someone pointed out.

In the Bible, there seems to have been a city level of chruch government. There were also house churches. In the churches Paul and Barnabas planted, they appointed a group of elders. In a plural eldership, there can be mutual accountability among leaders. There should be mutual accountability within the congregation, leadership included.

Paul and barnabas initial planted churches and left them without elders. Think about that- no formally appointed leaders- just maturing gifted saints ministering to one another.

If we read Paul's letters, we see that he didn't just boss the churches around. If he really pushed an issue, it was an issue related to righteousness, not just his own opinion. For example, he didn't demand that they submit to their covering and go for his choice of carppet for their meeting place (Aquilla and Priscilla's house.) He did try to persuade them, so that they would obey the Gospel from the heart.

Within Paul's own team, he treated the yount men we was training for ministry like a father treats a son, and he would given them jobs to do.

Jesus warned the disciples that the rulers of the Gentiles lorded over them, and called themselves benefactors. But he said it shall not be so among you. The top-down, Roman Empire military system of church government is not what the Bible teaches we should ahve.

-- Anonymous, April 12, 2001