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Ethics
Among Ministers
In
the first two lessons of the Leadership Manual, we learned about servant
attitudes and integrity along with a disposition to embrace suffering.
There is flip side to this coin.
According
to Scripture, God's ordained leaders have certain rights and privileges
which no one may disregard without due process.
Our current
culture tends toward independence, individualism and a distrust of
institutions. These attitudes may cause a disregard of the spiritual
authority God gives ministers. If church members submit to him, they
may do so because they like him, not because they respect his office
or acknowledge his spiritual authority.
Worse, we
as ordained ministers may inadvertently violate the rights of our fellow
ministers. We may end up treating our colleagues as less than what
the Word of God says they are. If we understand the rights of ministers,
we can avoid treating our fellow ministers unethically. Some of these
rights and privileges are:
The
right to respect
- 1Tim.
5:17."Let the elders who rule well be
counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the
word and doctrine."
The preaching
and teaching of the Word is so central to Christian ministry, we must be
careful to honor those called to it. This includes avoiding derogatory
comments about a fellow minister.
There are
exceptions, nevertheless. We have the right and mandate to speak against
heretics whether they call themselves ministers or not. In fact, these
are not fellow ministers. Rom.16:17-18
Disciplinary
cases involving ministers is another exception. So is evaluating a
fellow minister for consideration for future work. Negative evaluations
may be correct in such a setting.
We treat
fellow ministers as equals, because that is what they are before God.
(In Reformed Ecclesiology, there is no other rank higher than the ordained
minister in this dispensation. Some ministers have earned more respect
than others because of their experience or accomplishments. But under
no circumstance are we to treat any minister as less than a minister
of Christ.)
Conversely,
this means ministers have a right to defend themselves against abuses
from others, when necessary to do so for the honor of the gospel. This
is the entire point behind 2 Corinthians as well as 1 Corinthians Chapter
4. Paul had to defend against a disdainful attitude from the Corinthian
believers. He did this not for his sake alone, but for the honor of
the gospel and because their attitude was sinful.
Being a
servant predisposed to suffering, does not always mean a leader must
let himself be walked on. When the honor of the gospel is called into
question, he not only has a right to defend himself, he has that obligation.
The right
to one's own domain of ministry
- 2Cor.
10:16."...to preach the gospel in the regions beyond you,
and not to boast in another man's sphere of accomplishment."
- Rom.
15:20."And so I have made it my aim to preach the gospel,
not where Christ was named, lest I should build on another man's
foundation,"
Even the Apostle
Paul recognized the concept of 'territory' in ministry. Every minister
has his 'sphere' which we respect. If a minister is working in a certain
area, we avoid infringing. We refrain from building our church next door
to another legitimate evangelical work. We avoid evangelizing villages
where others are evangelizing. By the term 'another man's foundation,'Paul
recognized others have ownership of the ministries they found.
The right of authority over our own flock
- Acts
20:28."Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the
flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd
the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.(29)For
I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come
in among you, not sparing the flock."
The Holy Spirit gives a particular flock to each minister to shepherd.
From this we deduce certain ethical principles. -
- We do
not steal sheep from another minister's flock. Some consider themselves
and their denominations so superior they feel justified in taking
people from other legitimate evangelical groups. This is a religious
form of thievery.
Freedom from accusations without due process
-
1Tim.
5:19 Do not receive an accusation against
an elder except from two or three witnesses.(20)those
who are sinning rebuke in the presence of all, that the rest
also may fear.
The
right to be judged by one's own peers
Due process
means some a hearing before one's ministerial peers by which a minister
can answer accusations made against him. According to the above text,
this right includes at least two things.
No congregation
has the right to receive accusations against a minister. Timothy, not
the congregation, had the authority to receive accusations against
the elders. Even then, substantial eyewitness evidence is necessary.
The
burden of proof is on the accusers
The accused
minsters have nothing to prove. All burden of proof is on the accusers.
If they fail to substantiate their accusation, they have committed
slander and must be rebuked.
The
right of voice and vote in all matters concerning his ministry
We would
think this is self evident. It is astonishing how it is overlooked.
A Christian hierarchy will usually treat its workers more like employees
than fellow ministers. The rights and privileges the Bible guarantees
ministers get washed overboard in the maelstrom of bureaucracy.
Example:
A mission board was writing its policy manual. They considered how
to get a correct perspective of crisis situations on missionary teams.
Believe it or not, they actually adopted the following policy:"Perceptions
of reality shall be those of the team leader."
This absurd
statement assumes the leader could never be the cause of the crisis,
his perceptions are always accurate and the other ordained ministers
on the team may safely be disregarded.
We see in several instances how even the Apostles avoided imposing authority
over ordained elders. They recognized the right of others to be consulted
in matters affecting them. Examples:
- At
the Jerusalem council, Acts 15, all the elders present had voice
and vote, even though they were not apostles.
- To
Philemon, Paul says,"But without your consent I wanted to do
nothing, that your good deed might not be by compulsion, as it
were, but voluntary."Philemon 1:14
- As
an Apostle, Paul could have given orders. He didn't. Consistent
with Christian leadership style, Paul refused to by-pass Philemon's
domain of influence.
- Regarding
Apollos, Paul says,"Now concerning our brother Apollos, I strongly
urged him to come to you with the brethren, but he was quite
unwilling to come at this time;"1Cor. 16:12 Paul 'urged'him
but did not command him.
No one,
regardless of their rank in a hierarchy, has a right to by-pass an
ordained minister by making decisions affecting that man's ministry
without granting him voice in the matter. Doing so is discourteous
and immoral.
The
practice of parity: Tips for good relationships among ministers
-
A.
The 'Pact' among leaders
- Two
or more leaders can make an agreement among themselves to defend
each other when one is verbally attacked, especially in his absence.
This presents a united front which tends to silence critics.
They learn that if they want to verbally attack your colleagues,
they had better do it outside of your hearing.
-
What
if the critic is correct in his assertion? Tell him the other ministers
or leaders are capable of dealing with the matter.
God frequently
defends the leader even when the man is wrong in a decision. It seems
God defends His own honor in such cases because He is the one who
appointed the man. Leaders must beware of pride at this point. Some
leaders assume a positive outcome is God's stamp of approval on their
decisions. This can be self-deception.
B. Integrity, not control
- I do
not control other people nor allow others to control me. Is this
attitude arrogant and independent? Not if integrity is the foundation
of your relationships with those in authority over you.
-
- "Control"is
one way leaders might relate to people but it is not a godly one.
The godly way is on another basis:Integrity
C.
Keeping Agreements
-
- When
we give our word, we keep it even if it is inconvenient. The psalmist
says the man is blessed"who keeps his oath even when it hurts."Ps.
15:4. We keep our promises because we are made in the image of God
and He keeps His word.
Nothing is
wrong with asking someone to renegotiate an agreement because of unforeseen
factors. We do not, however, have the moral right to break it just because
we may have the power or 'authority' to do so.
This
is doubly true in relationships with ministerial colleagues. If you become
a Christian leader in a powerful organization, the temptation may be
to break inconvenient agreements simply because you have the power to
get away with it. The power to do a thing and the right to do it, are
different issues.
I
have observed how powerful organizations may view agreements as unilateral,
binding the weaker party only, allowing them to change it with immunity.
This is simply another form of the same arrogance we discussed in Lesson
Three.
Beware
of this human tendency if you become a leader in an influential
organization. If you make agreements, do your best to keep them.
Otherwise, it will erode your integrity which ultimately means
eroding your right to lead.
-
- D.
Accountability Groups
- Every
leader needs to be accountable to somebody, whether the system
they are in requires it or not. Pick out two, or at the most, three
friends who will agree to be an accountability group for you. This
means you will keep them advised of important issues affecting
you and will listen their counsel. Prov. 24:6"and in a multitude
of counsellors there is safety."(KJV)
-
- A
group may simply exist as an advisory committee to give counsel
when encountering difficulties in your ministry.
I have
an advisory committee of this sort, consisting of a pastor and
an elder. I formed this group a number of years ago while under
attack from abusive leaders. Since I knew my emotional involvement
might cloud my perception of reality, I chose two men to help me.
These turned out to be more than helpful. They were indispensable
in a tough situation I could not have handled on my own. They went
to bat for me when it counted.
The
terms of my agreement with my personal committee are simple: I
agreed to keep them advised of everything of importance that may
seriously affect my ministry. This includes potential crisis situations
as they may develop, along with any major changes in ministry.
I agreed to make no important decisions against their counsel without
very thorough consideration.
Tip:
Be very careful to chose just the right men for such a committee.
You want men with a certain indispensable quality: Uncompromising
moral courage.Without this trait, your committee is worthless.
- Summary
God's
ordained leaders have certain rights and privileges. These include the
right to respect, freedom from accusations without due process and authority
over their own domain of ministry. If we understand these rights, we
will be better prepared to avoid sinning against our colleagues by violating
them. Creating their own private accountability or advisory committee
helps keep them on track and ethically sound.
From
this article we learn:
1. Those
God appoints to leadership have certain scriptural rights and privileges.
It is unethical to ignore these.
2. Their
spiritual authority and office must be respected, even though they
are not always right.
3. They
have the right to voice and vote in all matters affecting their ministry.
4. Another
important right includes freedom from accusations without due process.
5. It
is advisable for every leader to be accountable.. This is a safeguard.
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