Saved Without A Pastor??

[Evang.Benincasa]

Originally Posted by Tithesmeister

I think this is more or less accurate, when understood through the filter that there was no sole authority in any individual church, or even in the Council of Jerusalem. If you consider this meeting (that we have more or less dubbed the Council of Jerusalem) it is very similar to the church. While I have asked the question repeatedly, "who was the pastor of this church of that one in the New Testament church, nobody has been able to answer. I think it is pretty obvious to those of us that are active in this discussion that the leadership model for the NT church was a plurality of elders. The same seems to be true at Jerusalem. Who was the sole solitary leader? Some say Peter (the RCC certainly does) others say James. My point is that there is no solid scriptural evidence, either at the local church level, or the Hazelwood Missouri level.

James and Peter address Paul and Barnabas. James is definitely have a level of leadership of elder which gave him the ability to tell everyone to shema unto him, Acts 15:13-18. Submit yourself one unto another as far as ministry can only be achieved through ability. Not talking about how we are all brothers in the Lord. But eldership cannot operate when you are connected to full blown knuckleheads. Imagine you TM if you were in an eldership who were diametrically opposed to what you believe? You wouldn't be able to operate. Or if you were in a submit yourself one to another plurality of elders who were spiritually immature, or mentally immature, you would be greatly as restricted as being under a despot. Unless you walk a mile in another man's Tony Lamas you just can't imagine the actual difficulties of what we believe a doctrine "Should Be"