Authority Without Abuse

Authority is a difficult word in the Church these days, and sometimes for good reason.

Some people have experienced spiritual leaders who manipulated, controlled, protected themselves, or used Scripture to justify behavior that looked very little like Jesus. Scripture doesn't ask us to minimize those experiences. In Ezekiel 34, God Himself confronts shepherds who used the flock for their own benefit while neglecting the weak, wounded, and wandering.

God takes bad shepherding seriously.

But Scripture doesn't respond to bad authority by eliminating authority altogether.

Jesus tells His disciples that leadership in His Kingdom must be different. Peter tells elders to watch over God's flock without lording authority over anyone. Hebrews says spiritual leaders “watch over your souls”—and then immediately reminds those leaders that they themselves are accountable to God.

That balance matters.

Healthy spiritual authority does not ask us to replace Jesus with a pastor. It continually points us toward Jesus. It doesn't protect leaders from accountability; it places leaders underneath it. And it doesn't use people to build someone's ministry; it spends itself building Christ's people.

That also means healthy shepherding will sometimes include something we don't particularly enjoy: correction.

There is a difference between someone trying to control your life and someone who loves you enough to tell you the truth about your life. Sometimes love comforts. Sometimes love protects. And sometimes love sees something dangerous developing and cares enough to say something.

Ultimately, however, our confidence isn't in perfect pastors. There aren't any.

Our confidence is in Jesus.

When Israel's shepherds failed, God promised in Ezekiel, “I myself will search and find my
sheep.” Centuries later Jesus announced, “I am the good shepherd.”

Every faithful pastor is only an undershepherd of Him.

So the answer to bad shepherds isn't shepherdless sheep. It isn't authoritarian Christianity, and it isn't autonomous Christianity.

It is shepherds and sheep together under the authority of the Good Shepherd.