Commitment to Biblical Leadership 5.21.2026

 

    The Bible serves as the written, organizing document of the Church. We accept its authoritative guidance for both doctrine and practice. Biblical preaching makes that authoritative word accessible and understandable to the Church. Biblical leadership forms human, visible, and responsible framework for our ongoing work of ministry.  

    Much which goes under the contemporary name or description of “ministry” only appears to be in service to the Gospel. The Church has always been embedded in some historic, actual context. Incarnation is an indication that the work of salvation is accomplished in the created order. We are redeemed from sin in this setting, sometimes called “the real world.” Embracing memes or socially derived definitions of Biblical Authority and Biblical Preaching redescribes the expectations for both leading and following. It does not matter how many books are written or courses offered about servant-leadership unless preachers and other Church leaders primarily see themselves as serving both our Lord and the disciples to whom He has assigned us. 

When we discuss New Testament Leadership there are many relevant texts. Let us consider one and make a few abbreviated observations. (your writer is behind).

“Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.” (Acts 20:28 ESV)

Delegated 

    First, our leadership is delegated by God. He has chosen the Eldership the “Pastoral team”, in 21st century parlance to act for Him, in His authority as a chosen body of local leaders. While it is true that we may use specific methods to designate who these men will be, the choice of the congregation must be understood as demonstrating the mutual understanding that these individuals are delegates of God who work according to Scripture and the leadership of God’s Holy Spirit.

Representative

    Likewise, the work is representative. This function is twofold. First, leaders represent God to the people through the preaching and teaching of Scripture, enforcing of Biblical precedents for discipleship and discipline, and ensuring the reliable, routine observation of the Biblical ordinances. 

    Second, we represent the people to God as members of the local flock. We pray for them and with them. We address their needs and concerns in preaching, teaching, and counsel. We walk with them during crisis and celebration. We gather them into a comforting embrace during difficulties and speak patiently when they stray. And we function in this fashion as a representative of Christ, we are taken from within the body, to serve in the body—not over it. 

Collegial

    Not everyone called to these tasks does everything equally well. Some are better at representing Christ to His flock. Others excel at representing the flock to the Shepherd. That is why the work is always collegial. It is His flock and He calls a group of leaders to function together in this capacity. 

    Not only is there a greater capacity as a group there is safety in numbers. Consider this; as I was just fetching a triple-espresso it occurred to me, that the two most familiar incidents in the Gospels where we see Apostles alone, without any of the others, are when Judas betrayed Jesus and Peter denied Him. 

    Biblical ministry in the 21st century should be based upon the same model, the same framework of shared accountability. Spiritual gifts come with great responsibility. One of the ways that God has safeguard the work of the Church is to delegate oversight to a group of gifted and able individuals who both protect the flock and hold one another accountable. Preachers and teachers who chafe under such oversight have either misread texts they proclaim to others or have chosen to ignore the Biblical mandate to be embedded in a collegial group of leaders. 

Commitment to Biblical Preaching 5.14.2026

    No one’s goal is to be non-Biblical, un-Biblical, or anti-Biblical. The problem is not the concept it’s the execution. And execution often comes down to intentional habits that yield reliable results. Virtually everything I say in this space about preaching, what I write in other books and essays, what I teach when given the opportunity to address the issues around preaching and teaching the Scriptures, virtually every address in every context will speak about intention, process, and work ethic. A commitment to Biblical preaching is in a sense, less about theology than it is about ethics. I will not dwell on this unnecessarily as I am currently composing a book-length exploration of this topic but there are a few ideas worth repeating and some which I have not yet produced detailed copy. Let’s call these—in keeping with this month’s theme—basic frameworks for fulfilling our promise to be Biblical preachers. 

Priority of the Study

    I have said more times than I can count; “You can only have number one priority.” If you are a preaching minister and your number one priority is not preaching, you will rarely allocate the necessary time for study of the Scriptures and the attendant materials which help us to proclaim it clearly and accurately. 

    If that seems harsh—I will not apologize. Not everyone is equally smart, but everyone can work hard. Good preaching flows from good study and good study requires time and commitment. If you are not committed to determined and detailed study, if you or I refuse to keep reasonably up-to-date with developments in various Biblical studies disciplines, or if we simply question the commitment to Biblical authority of those we don’t understand, eventually our ability to pronounce “This is the Word of God for us today…” withers. 

    I am not foolish and I understand the complexities of modern ministry particularly for small to medium, rural, small-town churches. I often lament to friends that regardless of how detailed my study plans are I am basically falling a year behind every month, but the issue is not one of progress so much as process. It takes time, talent, and treasure to be adequately prepared. The whole project can be undermined by laziness. Plan to study. Execute the plan. Work hard. 

Priority of Hermeneutics

    Virtually every book I read about theology or the history of doctrine, or even the differences between various theological tribes eventually comes down to hermeneutics. How we interpret scripture, how we interpret our context, how we interpret our culture. These are all interpretive actions. To be a preacher is to be a practitioner of hermeneutics in virtually every life context. 

    Now, we don’t spell it out all the time. We won’t want to explain to people that as we peruse our social-media feeds or the news we are constantly assessing both the local and cultural conversation, but that needs to be what we do. Then, as we interpret Scripture using all the tools at our disposal, we can echo God’s divine voice into the real world we inhabit. 

    Some who declare the most loudly their fidelity to the Bible fail at this. Spectacularly. Sometimes it is a failure to understand Scripture. Other times it manifests itself a failure to understand contemporary culture. Frequently there is evident guilt of both. Preaching which does not bring Scripture to bear on the Post-Modern condition may be flamboyant, interesting, and entertaining. It will not likely be life changing. 

Priority of Composition

    If you know what the Bible says and if you are called to preach that message to our contemporary setting, and you fail to be understood—then you haven’t accomplished much. You must discover your voice, and that means writing clearly and speaking as much as you can. Don’t farm out any more than you must. If you teach Sunday School or a Bible Study, investigate the text or topic in detail and compose your own material. Write sermons you have not been called to preach. Don’t be afraid of your own drafting process. Work on your craft. Someone may be in your Church for the first time this Sunday and they need to hear the life-changing message of Scripture in your authentic voice. 

    Reading the Bible, interpreting the Bible, and writing out our conclusions clearly, concisely, and capably are the building blocks of good preaching and teaching. Without those basic skills any commitment to “Biblical Preaching” is merely an ideological formality without any meaning. 

    Pray incessantly. Work hard. Study thoroughly. Write clearly. Edit mercilessly. Proclaim with confidence. Trust God to bless the results. 

Commitment to Biblical Authority 5.7.2026

    The primary framework for faithful ministry is a commitment to Biblical Authority. All other frameworks derive from this starting point. Though this seems like a basic, even instinctual matter for believers it has become increasingly complicated. 

    Like many other matters I have discussed in these essays over the years let’s put an analytical grid over the top of the issue to help us come to grips with a topic which should be easier than it is. The three categories I commonly apply for this kind of analysis are: What the Bible says. Historical development. Theological extension. 

Bible: The Bible claims to be “inspired” and authoritative. Two cardinal NT texts:

“2Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 2Timothy 3:17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17 ESV)

“2Peter 1:20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. 2Peter 1:21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”(2 Peter 1:20-21 ESV)

Historical: How has the Church and culture used the Bible throughout history?

     We simply do not have the time to go through a thorough examination of how the authority of scripture has fared throughout history. The Bible’s place as waxed and waned both within and without the Church. Liberals and Conservatives alike have adhered meanings to inspiration and authority which are culturally driven rather than extensions of Biblical meanings. 

    I do think it is interesting that the current understanding of each camp is essentially the same. The history of interpretation has largely arrived at a position where each ideological camp looks to the Bible as a source of facts to either be accepted, rejected, reconfigured, or reimagined. Cultural assumptions of truthfulness, in the interpretation of Scripture have replaced Biblical assumptions based on Biblical words. This is an historical development in that it has taken around 600 years to arrive at this position. 

Theological: The politics of “pop”, “plural”, and polarized thinking.

    Theology in the 21st century is largely driven by popular culture (both in the Church and outside of the Church). For example, “Christian” or not, if you can listen to your favored artists on the radio, view Christian video content, or follow your favorite Christian influencer, your worldview is at that point only barely based upon either the Bible or History. It has become a pop-theology reducible to a “praying hands emoji”. Rather than being a considered, reflective process of integrating Scripture into the whole of life, theology becomes part of the game of psychological self-awareness, creating a contentless “Christian” self-identity.

    In keeping with its pop-culture devolution Post Modern Theology must concern itself with pluralism. And though there are different ways to use this term my point is that pluralism is neither new nor should it be intimidating. Pluralism is both a simple factual reality (racially, religiously, politically, and for Christians, doctrinally), and an ideological framework. The 21st century development is the positive or negative politicizing of, what otherwise, is a simple, accurate description of reality—there really are many different people, perspectives, places, and things. Diversity (also a pointlessly politicized term) is what makes the world interesting and challenging. 

    Popularity and pluralism, have fully coalesced around polarized positions, unhinged from actual Biblical or Historical realities, which “Christian” people use to stake out positions in the culture wars. The nature of the conflict? The true definition of “Christian” and (ironically) an accurate understanding of the content of the faith. Yet the contemporary conversation of pop, plural, and polarized conventions is incapable of answering those basic questions of identity and understanding.

    Ok then. That is a lot of diagnosis. We are aware of the challenges facing a commitment to Biblical Authority, now, what do we do to articulate and practice this disappearing discipline?

1. We must realign personal Exegesis with collective Exposition. And I don’t mean blogs like this or quick-hit social media fixes. I mean reading and study of Scripture in the Church, for the Church. 
2. We (the Church) must hold each other accountable for what we believe, think, and say. It is easy to claim that the problem is theological ignorance. The actual issue may be either irresponsibility or even intransigence. 
3. We must dispense with the nonsense about regenerative faith being separate from or even unrelated to incorporation into the Body of Christ. Yes, Christians follow Jesus. Christians are also answerable to the Church. The beginning of a commitment to Biblical Authority is a commitment to Biblical Accountability. 

    And this is a good place to conclude this week’s discussion. We need to extend this discussion over the next several weeks about how we come to know and understand scripture though the teaching office of the Church, sound leadership, and proper Church organization—things which in the last 150 years have been largely subsumed by insular, individualistic, consumer driven spirituality that has yielded our conflicted circumstances. 

    Biblical authority is essential to the well-being of the Church. A local congregation is part of the larger whole of the Body of Christ. Each congregation gathers in catholic solidarity with the Church throughout history. Current confusion over the direction of the Christian enterprise is largely the result of many who wear the name of Christ, while defining the content of their theology in selfish isolation rather than submission to the Christ who died to make our salvation and the Bible which informs it present realities.