Male Eldership is not about hierarchy

In my own studies of different views regarding women elders, one thing I have noticed is this issue of hierarchy in the church. While it is definitely true there has been and still is hierarchy in the church, this is often used as a battering ram or critique towards a proper understand of complementarian views on women elders.

For a start, leadership is actually meant to be about service. In fact, that is the basis of the meaning of the word 'minister'. It is the basis of Jesus' leadership, in that he served the needs of others to the point of death in the cross. It is also, whether it is applied or not, a proper theology of leadership in the church-service. If leaders are actually meant to be servants, then hierarchy has nothing to do with leadership.

Secondly, Biblical leadership is also meant to be family. As brothers and sister in Christ believers are meant to be a family, each working in service for the good of others according to natural and spiritual gifts. Biblical leaders are not meant to be untouchable glorified leaders, put there by followers or putting themselves there by big personalities, but family, reachable people, honest and humble people. As part of a family, eldership is not again, about hierarchy. Being on top is not a competition something to be grasped. But about being head over a family and being part of that same family where love flows to and from leadership as it needs to in our biological families.

Thirdly, Biblical leadership is about responsibility. If God asks you to do something, it is not meant to be about lording it over others and being their boss. It is meant to be about humble submission to God's will and purposes. God in scripture calls men to eldership, to a specific type of humble service in the church. He has given them, since Adam and Eve, that level of not being the boss, but of responsibility. If God has given men responsibility it is up them to live up to it according to God's word.

By tearing down the idea of hierarchy many of those promoting women eldership are missing the point completely. Hierarchy is not what God was creating through church leadership. But responsibility, given by God to men, which we need to learnt to respect, value and appreciate regardless of what our culture dictates. It is our culture, our sin, our habits that have made it about hierarchy, not scripture. It is also our culture and sin when men shun, undermine and devalue the responsibility of Godly eldership.

Often what people fight against with male eldership is not actually a biblical view and biblical practice, but rather, unbiblical practice-such as hierarchy. When we see that it is not about hierarchy but responsibility many of the arguments for female elders fall down. I listened to a lengthy discourse from Bridgetown Church on this issue and time and again they came back to this issue of hierarchy, and every time, I was like 'guys you are missing the point'. They reshaped the entire complementary perspective as being about hierarchy, which missed the point completely. They even went as far as redefining complementarian views as 'hierarchical'.

Don't get me wrong, some complementarian views and individuals still can apply it in a hierarchical way, but when we come back to scripture and try to find answers we need to be careful that what we are asking is based on a solid understanding of the issues and not on our imperfect application of them. By criticising hierarchy you are actually only criticising human imperfect application, not proper biblical interpretation.

While this view will always lead to other questions, as is the nature of discussion, it is important to remember that ultimately we always need to be careful to come back to scripture on any view and unpack it for ourselves. Criticising hierarchy when biblically, it is not about hierarchy doesn't help, but it does remind us to ask questions if you are in or even leading a complementarian church to check that you are not leading through being a boss, but through being a humble servant and a reachable, relatable family member.