Biblical Church Leadership

I thought I would write a summary of Mark Dever's understanding of 'Biblical Church Leadership' as explained in his book Nine Marks of a Healthy Church. 

Dever notes that in the discipline passage found in Matthew 18 that the final appeal is made to the congregation (if he refuses to listen to them, tell the church).  'What court has the final word? It is not a bishop, a pope, or a presbytery; it is not an assembly, a synod, a convention, or a conference.  It is not even a pastor or a board of elders, a board of deacons or a church committee.  It is, quite simply, the church - that is, the assembly of those individual believers who are the church.'

He points to the appointment of the seven in Acts 6 where the apostles handed the responsibility over to the congregation.  It 'almost seems that they were recognizing in the church assembly the same kind of ultimate authority, under God, the Jesus had recognized in His statement in Matthew 18:15-17).'

Dever argues that in Paul's letters we see that the discipline (e.g. 1 Cor. 5:4-5) and doctrine (e.g. Gal. 1:1-5, 2 Tim. 4:3) is finally the responsibility under God of the congregation.  'It is significant that, in combating the false Gospel, Paul didn't simply write to the pastor or elders, to the presbytery, to the bishop or the conference, to the convention or the seminary.  No, Paul wrote to churches.'

He points out that 'All churches have had individuals who preformed the functions of elders even if they haven't used that word for them.'  'The Bible clearly models a plurality of elders in each local church.'  He points out that a pastor is fundamentally an elder.  He then suggests that in the New Testament we find hints of the main preacher being distinct from the rest of the elders.

The final thing I want to pick up from this chapter is his use of the mnemonic BOSS.  '"BOSS" represents four roles that Jesus filled as a leader and that he calls those of us who are leaders to fill:

Boss: Paul 'instructed elders to decide what should be taught, though to do this with gentleness (2 Tim. 2:24-25) and with patience and endurance (2 Tim. 4:2) ... church leaders - like any leaders - must sometimes command, making decisions and taking the responsibility.'

Out Front: This refers to taking initiative and example-setting.  'Much of church leadership is in example setting and initiative-taking.'

Supply: 'Much of what is done in good leadership is strategically working to give shape and focus and freedom to the work that others are called to do.  Leaders direct the traffic of the church, cutting up ministry into bite-sized bits that others will be able to do.'

Serve:  'This is perhaps the most distinctively Christian kind of leadership.' 

I am wrestling at the moment with Tidball's idea that church leadership in the New Testament may be more flexible than we have made it and designed to suit the specific needs of the congregations in question.  What does seem clear to me is that the concept of elders does seem widespread in the New Testament.  What I found illuminating in Dever's chapter was the idea of the congregation being the final arbitrator.  I didn't find his explanation of a main teaching elder being called a pastor particularly convincing, not that I am against the idea.