If your church has gone astray, do you
a.) Try to get it on track?
b.) Leave?
It is almost impossible to persuade one person to get “on track”. To persuade a church would be impossible.
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I would first meet with the pastor, perhaps for lunch or dinner, and discuss my concerns. If I saw that there was no change, I would research it myself. See if perhaps I was wrong. If all is the way it should not be, even after all that, then yes, I would leave. But that would be the last result.
Peter
Are there any perfect churches?
Is it all up to the pastor?
First double check what you believe and what the church is teaching.
Do you understand both.
Is this a primary belief or a secondary issue. A question about the gospel or a theological nitpicking like kj only or how to baptise?
Then talk with the minister, ensure that you understand what he is teaching and where he gets it from.
Quietly talk to others in the church, are you the only one with an issue with the teaching?
If you are triple check step 1.
If others have concerns get them to raise their concerns with the minister.
Is there a church with better teaching and practises within travel distance or is this a matter one can agree to differ on because of the large issues that one is in agreement with.
No such thing as far as I know.
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Well, that is a question. I do not believe it has one answer. Let me use my personal belief. The church is not a democracy, nor is it a dictatorship run by a pastor. It is a theocracy led by Jesus.
Ephesians 1:22 states that God
“And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church”
See also Colossians 1:18.
“And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.”
Human leaders are merely “under-shepherds” reporting to the Chief Shepherd. 1 Peter 5:4.
In the local church, the New Testament consistently points to a plurality of leadership. You rarely see a single “Senior Pastor” running a church autonomously in the scriptures. Instead, you see a team. The New Testament uses three different Greek words interchangeably to describe this single office: Presbyteros (Elder): Focuses on the maturity and wisdom of the leader. Episkopos (Overseer/Bishop): Focuses on the function of management and watching over the flock. Poimen (Pastor/Shepherd): Focuses on the functional care, feeding, and protection of the people.
Whenever the Apostles established a church, they appointed elders (plural) in every church (singular). For example, Acts 14:23 says, “Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church.” This created a system of mutual accountability.
As the early church grew, the elders needed help handling the practical, physical needs of the community so they could focus on teaching and prayer. This birthed the office of the Deacon (from the Greek word diakonos, meaning “servant” or “table-waiter”). This is widely seen as beginning in Acts 6, where the Apostles selected seven trusted men to handle the daily distribution of food to widows, ensuring no one was neglected.
Deacons are the execution arm of the church. They handle finances, logistics, benevolence, and physical property, freeing up the elders to shepherd the people spiritually.
Perhaps the most unique aspect of the biblical formula is that qualifications are almost entirely about moral character, not talent, business acumen, or charisma. The two primary blueprints for church leadership are found in 1 Timothy 3:1–13 and Titus 1:5–9. If you look at those lists, there is only one skill required for an elder: they must be “able to teach.” Everything else is about their life.
Is there a perfect Pastor? Absolutely not. This is why it is important to have Elders to be accountable to.
Peter
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