@Sue J Love - long and rambling thoughts following. Writing this down has helped me sharpen my own thoughts. I'm not putting this forward as a final statement on anything - this is as far as I have got to date.
Acts 15. A dispute rises up in Antioch with people travelling from Jerusalem to persuade the church “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” There is clearly an out and out row about this. This is Paul's first missionary journey and he has not yet written any of the epistles, so he is still probably not that well known in the church. Certainly he would not have the reputation that he has now.
They take their dispute to a higher authority - the apostles and elders in Jerusalem.
Paul and Barnabas submit the decision to James and the rest of the council. It looks like the debate might have been a pretty close-run thing. I wonder how confident Paul and Barnabas were of success, and what consequences they forsaw if the council ruled against them.
I think this has some principles worth taking note of.
- Be accountable to authority.
- Collective decision
- Church authority listens both to the lead of the Holy Spirit and to those they have authority over.
Paul and Barnabas know they are right in what they are teaching. So why take the risk of going back to Jerusalem, where the decision might go against them? Because the unity and health of the whole church is paramount.
You might well disagree with Chester Wenger's position, but the way he
An open letter to my beloved church challenged his own Mennonite Church, and resigned his creditentials as a missionary and pastor are a model of profound disagreement meeting humble submission.
You asked about how I go about it?
Paul, Barnabas and Chester Wenger all had a recognised role in their church. I don't. I preach occasionally in my home congregation of around 40 people, support worship leaders and generally run about helping make sure the wheels don't fall off.
In our church we have people coming from very different parts of the Church: Caribbean Pentecostal, African Anglican, conservative evangelical and so on.
Our church leader is commissioned and approved by the wider church. That means we are not a stand alone congregation, but a part of a wider family. Part of his commissioning is to promise to stay faithful to the word of God and to the teaching of the church.
Week-by-week we have conventional preaching at Sunday services and a mid-week bible study during which we have more opportunity to talk about the bible passage, discuss its meaning and pray through its application to our everyday lives. For me, this is the key opportunity to question, challenge and debate. If there is something we disagree with or are unsure about this is our opportunity to raise it.
This works well enough in learning together, and we can talk through difference of emphasis.
If I think something in the church is wrong, it is better to go directly to the most appropriate leader and talk about in a straightforward way.
A few years ago, I grew very concerned that our church was becoming a bit cosy and insular - very caring and supportive to members, but weak in its concern for the world. It came to a head in the week that the UK parliament was voting on military action action in Syria (2013) and there was no mention of this or prayer about the situation at any point of the service.
I went directly to the church leader afterwards (angrily, to my shame) and made my case. He listened, calmed me down and we talked about how the church could do better. I think he did well in listening and being accountable.
My view is that if I discern that something is wrong in my church, then it is my responsibility as a part of the body to respond so that the whole church does not suffer or is not made ineffective in spreading the gospel. Everybody else, no matter what their role in the church, has the same responsibility.
Last, there is one principle that is absolutely vital, the only thing that stops the church from sliding into autocracy on one side or a toothless democracy on the other:
The head of the church is Jesus Christ.