How do congregational votes square with submission to elders?

I preached Sunday morning on 1 Peter 5.1-5. Verse 5 tells members of the congregation to ‘be subject to the elders.’

I made the point that Peter tells the flock to be subject only after devoting four verses to setting the bar very high for the elders’ leadership. It is godly, humble, sacrificial leadership that the flock of God at PCF is called to submit to. And the rest of 1 Peter makes it clear that the flock is never to submit to elders who encourage them to sin.

This raises the question: how do congregational votes square with submission to elders?

In other words, if the elders support a certain decision, and hold a congregational vote on that decision, are you obligated to vote the way the elders want you to in order to be fully obedient to 1 Peter 5.5: ‘be subject to the elders’?

No, you’re not.

The reason is that, at a church-wide vote, the elders are asking for you to vote your prayerful, considered, conscience-bound decision. One good way to lead is to ask those you are leading to make a good decision. Good leaders do this sometimes. A good husband, though he is the leader of his home, will not make all the decisions. He will allow his wife to make some important decisions, too. As she makes that decision, a godly wife will of course confer and pray with her husband and show respect for his opinions.

Similarly, one way you can submit to your elders in a congregational vote is to take their thinking, praying, and leading very seriously. They are working hard for you, and they care passionately about the church. As you vote, you can ask yourself why they are moving in the directions they’re moving. This is one way to show respect to the under-shepherds God has placed among you.

Why do we even have congregational votes at PCF? Because we believe that, while God has instituted elders as the leaders of local congregations, God also intends for the church as a whole to be responsible to him, and to make decisions that please him. One example of this is in 1 Corinthians 5, where Paul addresses the entire church (not just elders), and commands the church to take urgent action in obedience to God.

Bottom line: I’m excited to be moving forward with all of you as we seek to live out Peter’s instructions in 1 Peter 5.1-5. The promise Peter makes in v 5 is very desirable: grace from God.

Posted by Stephen Witmer on Feb 23, 10:21 AM