Pastors move to withhold/lessen SFC offerings in protest of NAYC

[BobDylan]

Originally Posted by LadyRev

I guess this is why you are "independent". At best, you want only ONE person to have spiritual authority over you, as you have made quite clear above. However, according to SCRIPTURE, those that "rule over us", watching for our souls are plural, meaning more than ONE.

Heb 13:17 -
Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.

As a licensed UPCI minister, my pastor is not the only one that has spiritual authority over me. There are other leaders within the organization that have spiritual authority as well. They don't function in the same capacity as my pastor and may never exercise their authority but they are still spiritual authorities nonetheless.

An example of this is my district board. Sure they have administrative authority. But if the need arises, they also have spiritual authority.

According to scripture, we are to be subject to the "higher powers" for there is no power but of God and the powers that be are ordained of God. If you don't believe this includes church leadership beyond the pastor, you have serious issues.

Enjoy your so-called "independence". Even if I wasn't part of an organization, I have no desire to be so-called "independent".

Can you please show me how you interpret Heb 13:17 as defining a district board, or prespytery system, or some other form of heirarchical organizational system? Can you give an example in the bible where a district board has authority over another pastor? The "them" in Heb 13:17 is referring to the many pastors over the several congregations that have been established throughout the world. Paul (or the writer of Hebrews), is instructing the constituents of the various local churches, to be subject to their (plural) own pastors (plural) of said various local congregations (plural), NOT the district board. The use of the "them" (plural) is simply in keeping the proper grammatical consistency in number.