It is such a joy to be working alongside Paul Anderson Walsh… at last! I look forward to getting to know you better and hopefully contributing something worthwhile towards a greater understanding of the whole counsel of God viewed through the eyes of Grace; God’s wonderful agape love.

First, let me say that I have, and always will, more questions than answers. Twenty-five years ago I knew almost everything, but now at 60 I know hardly anything at all; hence all the questions!

Years of service in Pentecostal churches has brought me to a place where I need to question where the movement is now and where it is going. I see things that need to be challenged. I believe the Pentecostal/Evangelical church is far from healthy and needs to re-evaluate everything from doctrine to methodologies to leadership structures.

I have used the term ‘New Episcopalian’ before. It comes from the Roman Catholic/Eposcopalian/Church of England concept of the ‘monarchical bishop.’ I am having trouble distinguishing much of the new apostolic style of church government from the old authoritarian leadership it was supposed to be replacing. I am perplexed and worried about this tendency because the New Testament has a multi gift focus; it is more inclusive, it reveals the priesthood of the believer as a voice to the church,

Much of today’s teaching would lead me to believe that unless I attend multiple church meetings, give until it hurts, submit to everything whether I agree with it or not, I will somehow lose out on God’s blessings and be a second class Christian. This begs the question: is grace conditional! Has the new vibrant Pentecostal/charismatic/evangelical church somehow regressed to the Old Testament concept of priesthood? We teach that every believer is a minister yet we run our churches as if the senior minister is the priest: is the senior minister the first among equals or simply the first?

conditional grace

A friend of mine cannot get over the joy of release from the guilt he experienced as a Roman Catholic. His efforts to stay saved led him into a constant unease about his position with God. He could only hope that he would one day go to heaven, but had no assurance.

Are we hearing a similar message of bondage, albeit wrapped in different clothing from our Pentecostal/ evangelical pulpits? We receive a list of requirements in order to incur the favour of God, but surely, the things we do should come from a heart of love towards Jesus? We should come home from church feeling encouraged or even convicted by the Holy Spirit but not condemned! Can we ever give enough to ‘the vision of this church’? Has the building, the new building programme, the movement, the coming revival (that we must all be ready for, or it will not come) replaced the simplicity of the gospel of grace?

covering?

I hear it said that we must come under an apostolic covering in order to be set correctly in the body of Christ and to enjoy God’s blessing and protection… and perish the thought if we wish to join another church… and come out from under the ‘covering’ of our pastor apostle/bishop! – yet I find no biblical evidence for such an idea.

have we got it right?

On thing I learnt a long time ago, is that just because everyone does something or believes something it is not necessarily correct. I wonder if the way we are governing our churches is really what God wants? Certainly, prior to the rise of the monarchic bishop in the last quarter of the first century, the people were more involved in the governmental process.

If we are to believe that the ‘anointing’ or God’s blessings’ flow from the apostle into the church then we have returned to sacerdotalism (a high priest/bishop concept). If we are to believe that we must do everything we are told to do from the pulpit in order to receive God’s blessing then again we have returned to the era of the priestly hierarchy. If we are to believe that the church we attend is the only one that has got it all right then we have failed to allow for the variety of expressions addressed by Paul (1 Cor. 12:4f.)

Is the formula that we set for church Government a correct one? I have been involved in church government for nearly all of my Christian life. For the past fifteen years, I have been a member of various senior ministry teams. In every one of those situations, with one exception, I have been informed by the pastor apostle/bishop as to what the church is going to do rather than being asked.

I am worried about the power vested in these men when the New Testament model is for an eldership that is involved in the decision making process. Sure, the senior minister is given a vision, but it still belongs to God, but no man is a law unto himself and no man hears from God all the time.

If this short article can give us a new framework of thought that gives dignity to the gifts that God has placed, so that they can be part of a listening church government. If it can inculcate a mindset that will welcome a new reformation in the church: then I have not wasted my time.

This article may have blessed you, infuriated you, or raised more questions. Let me know. It’s good to talk…

Dr Peter Rowe