The following "Question" was asked by an attendee at the 2003 Shepherds' Conference (a ministry of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California), and was "Answered" by John MacArthur Jr. It was transcribed from the CD, #SC1007, titled "General Session #5 John MacArthur - Q&A."  A copy of the CD, cassette tape, or MP3 can be obtained by going to:  www.shepherdsconference.org  ©2003. All Rights Reserved. Grace Community Church.

Questioner

I heard your answer yesterday about the question posed about the plurality of elders and I understand that the plurality of elders did not necessarily equal the egalitarian model; there are strengths and weaknesses with this that are different to the body. But my question is, in the contemporary congregation, as you know, they have the notion or the title of senior pastor—how is that? How can a church that believes in the model of biblical—the plurality of elders—how do they harmonize or justify even the title of senior pastor in light of that teaching?

John MacArthur's Answer

Well, I would answer that by saying, you know, the title is really immaterial. It’s a way to designate someone’s role. I mean, it could be a title that means you’re the oldest guy around. It also could be a title to signify that you have the longest term ministry there. It’s another way to identify someone as the leading teacher in the church. I mean you can pick any title you want. Senior pastor is better for me than bishop or cardinal or pope or king or emperor or anything else. I mean I think it’s a sort of a modest and mild way to designate a man who is recognized as the chief spokesman in some ways.

But again, you don’t want to get caught up in titles. I’ve always been known as pastor/teacher. That doesn’t identify me as anything other than what I do. I would rather be identified by what I do than by some official title. So, the people here call me John, and I’m the pastor/teacher. That’s the way I’m designated here. There are many other pastor/teachers as well. I’m just the pastor/teacher named John, and I do most of it in the public services.

You can save yourself some grief by toning down the titles, but I think at the end of the day, it’s helpful to be able to designate and identify roles that people play. And I think it isn’t so important that we judge a ministry on those titles as we judge the ministry on how it functions.

Questioner (continues)

I’m not so much hung up on the terminology as I just think the practical outworkings that the title implies. For example, my friend’s church, the pastoral staff all become interims once a new senior pastor steps in, whether or not he’s going to hire or keep them on staff.

John MacArthur's Answer (continues)

That’s an old deal that used to be just sort of, I don’t know—it wasn’t biblical, but that was the old thing. Years and years ago, I remember—my dad’s era—if a new pastor came to church, everybody on the staff put in their resignation on the basis that the guy wanted to pick his own team.

In the first place, you know, “musical churches” is pretty appalling to me as a general principal. There may be a place for it. But, just the idea that people are just migrating all over everywhere is foreign to my understanding of the church, which is a place where you go and nurture and build your leadership from within. For somebody—whoever—comes to this church after they carry me out, I really don’t think they’re all going to resign. Our people wouldn’t—that would be absolutely bizarre because they’ve all grown up out of this fellowship. This is their life, their church. That would be devastating to the congregation!

So, that’s an old model that I think is not a biblical model. What we need to be doing in our churches—and you all know this—is raising up men underneath us to carry on ministry, to carry on leadership, to step into the pulpit. Eric and I were talking about that yesterday. He had a man in his church who was there, I think, 20 years at least. Sinclair was a member of your church as you ministered to him in Glasgow, and when Eric stepped aside in ministry, Sinclair Ferguson—who’s not a bad guy to come in for you—became the pastor of St. George’s Tron Church in Glasgow, having been shepherded and pastored under Eric’s ministry as well as being a formidable theologian on his own.

And I think that is the ideal situation. It’s not always going to happen. I understand that. But whatever kind of professionalism or whatever kind of non-biblical formats we can get out of the church and work on a more biblical basis, the better off we are.

Added to Bible Bulletin Board's "MacArthur's Questions and Answers" by:

Tony Capoccia
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