Ethnic Qualifications for Church Officers?
A.D. Robles is a vlogger and former pastor in Vermont, who is known for voicing concerns over the Social Justice Movement. In a video from a couple of months ago (I think), he mentioned the idea of a kind of "affirmative action" in church searches: that a congregation might seek out a person of a particular ethnicity or give preference to a person of a particular ethnicity in choosing a pastor/elder. Robles spoke strongly against this, declaring that such consideration is adding to the biblical qualifications for elder, undermining the doctrine of the sufficiency of Scripture.
When I first saw the video, I thought that Robles was making a compelling point. I certainly desire to be fully committed to the sufficiency of Scripture. At a previous church (many years ago), I was on a pastor search committee, and I've seen how God-dishonoring the process of selecting a pastor can be once we stray from the biblical model for choosing leadership.
However, on further consideration, I think that I disagree with Robles. Ethnicity (or cultural considerations that go beyond the bare requirements for church officers as found in Scripture) might sometimes be a factor that a congregation would be wise to consider in choosing someone for a particular church office/role. Scriptural examples that lead to this conclusion may be seen in the Jerusalem church's appointment of the original seven deacons and in Paul's choice (and circumcision) of Timothy versus his later choice (and refusal to circumcise) regarding Titus.
In Acts 6, the Jerusalem church appointed seven men to serve the congregation so that the apostles could remain focused on prayer and ministering the Word. The occasion of choosing these men was that the widows among the Hellenistic Jews [Jews from a Greek cultural background] were being neglected in the distribution of food to the poor. As most commentators note, the names of the seven men who were chosen (listed in Acts 6:5-7) indicate that they themselves were Hellenistic Jews. Given the likely dynamics of the Jerusalem church, it is hard to believe that the ethnic identity of the seven was merely a coincidence. Instead, it seems like the congregation thought it wise, due to the particular circumstances, to choose Hellenistic Jews in particular.
In Acts 16, as Paul was about take Timothy on a missionary journey, he circumcised Timothy. On this missionary trip, Paul was emphasizing Timothy's Jewish background (through Timothy's mother), rather than his Greek background (through Timothy's father). Paul was apparently motivated to do this due to his missionary strategy at the time, in which he was often visiting synagogues (or other Jewish places of worship, as in Acts 16:13). Later, when Paul's ministry was being conducted more among the Gentiles, he had Titus (a Greek man) with him, and Titus was not compelled to be circumcised (see: Galatians 2:2-3).
Now, nobody would say that being a Hellenistic Jew is a qualification for being a deacon. Obviously, a person's Jewish or Greek status (or any other ethnic status) does not in general qualify or disqualify that person from being a missionary. However, it does seem like the New Testament offers examples of wisely taking ethnicity into account in specific ministry contexts. If this is correct then, in a particular situation, a congregation MIGHT decide it wise to take ethnicity into account in choosing a pastor WITHOUT necessarily violating the doctrine of the sufficiency of Scripture.
When I first saw the video, I thought that Robles was making a compelling point. I certainly desire to be fully committed to the sufficiency of Scripture. At a previous church (many years ago), I was on a pastor search committee, and I've seen how God-dishonoring the process of selecting a pastor can be once we stray from the biblical model for choosing leadership.
However, on further consideration, I think that I disagree with Robles. Ethnicity (or cultural considerations that go beyond the bare requirements for church officers as found in Scripture) might sometimes be a factor that a congregation would be wise to consider in choosing someone for a particular church office/role. Scriptural examples that lead to this conclusion may be seen in the Jerusalem church's appointment of the original seven deacons and in Paul's choice (and circumcision) of Timothy versus his later choice (and refusal to circumcise) regarding Titus.
In Acts 6, the Jerusalem church appointed seven men to serve the congregation so that the apostles could remain focused on prayer and ministering the Word. The occasion of choosing these men was that the widows among the Hellenistic Jews [Jews from a Greek cultural background] were being neglected in the distribution of food to the poor. As most commentators note, the names of the seven men who were chosen (listed in Acts 6:5-7) indicate that they themselves were Hellenistic Jews. Given the likely dynamics of the Jerusalem church, it is hard to believe that the ethnic identity of the seven was merely a coincidence. Instead, it seems like the congregation thought it wise, due to the particular circumstances, to choose Hellenistic Jews in particular.
In Acts 16, as Paul was about take Timothy on a missionary journey, he circumcised Timothy. On this missionary trip, Paul was emphasizing Timothy's Jewish background (through Timothy's mother), rather than his Greek background (through Timothy's father). Paul was apparently motivated to do this due to his missionary strategy at the time, in which he was often visiting synagogues (or other Jewish places of worship, as in Acts 16:13). Later, when Paul's ministry was being conducted more among the Gentiles, he had Titus (a Greek man) with him, and Titus was not compelled to be circumcised (see: Galatians 2:2-3).
Now, nobody would say that being a Hellenistic Jew is a qualification for being a deacon. Obviously, a person's Jewish or Greek status (or any other ethnic status) does not in general qualify or disqualify that person from being a missionary. However, it does seem like the New Testament offers examples of wisely taking ethnicity into account in specific ministry contexts. If this is correct then, in a particular situation, a congregation MIGHT decide it wise to take ethnicity into account in choosing a pastor WITHOUT necessarily violating the doctrine of the sufficiency of Scripture.
Labels: Bible study, Christian worldview
posted by Andrew Lindsey | 1:40 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home