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What is the purpose of church government?  I believe it is to discern the will of God and get it done effectively.  That being the measuring stick, how is your church doing?  Are you accomplishing the will of God, or is your church government accomplishing the will of the people?  One more question: Is your church government accomplishing anything at all?  It’s a harsh question, but, in the spirit of honest reflection, it’s worth the ask.

From a consulting point of view, Church Government is something every church needs to investigate.  It is a stumbling block for many churches and it can derail a church from its future.  More on this at the end of the post.

The challenges of church government are systemic; meaning church government can be hindered by different, yet interconnected subsystems.  The scope of which is more than this post can support.

There is, however, one subsystem that seems to be the connective tissue of all the others.  It is more a practice than a system, but recognizing and dealing with it is perhaps one of the greatest steps a church can take in building an environment conducive to growth.  It comes down to control and accountability.

High Control / Low Accountability: This is the most common practice I see in churches today.  Most church governments are built upon a control platform; meaning the function of boards and committees is permission giving and denying - mostly denying.

Ask people of these churches about church government and they will likely tell you the purpose of church government is to keep the pastor from getting out of line, or to hold the pastor accountable.  All the while, real accountability is non existent.

Control oriented people are free to do what they do best - manipulate and control “in the name of Jesus.”  They come across as very righteous people, yet their actions stink to the core.  Gossip runs rampant, yet nothing is done to hold people accountable.  No one confronts the inappropriate behavior.

By the way, difficulty in finding and keeping leaders is one of the most common symptoms in high control/low accountability churches.  Asking someone to invest hours into something only to have it shot down by a control oriented committee is the fastest way to lose good leadership.

So what’s the solution?  Flip it upside down!

Low Control / High Accountability: In this structure, the leadership of the church practices and models true, Biblical accountability.  They don’t hold the pastor accountable to the will of the people.  Rather, the pastor and the lay leaders hold each other accountable to their relationship with God, their relationship within the body of believers, and their relationship with unchurched people.

When it comes to governance, their primary purpose is to seek the will of God for the church.  These leaders - who are hand picked - need to be people of high spiritual maturity.  They are known within the body as people who actively search the scriptures and to be people of prayer.

At the risk of sounding like an alarmist, every church needs to examine their current form of church government.  Why, because within the next 10-15 years, every church will either change the way they make decisions or they will collapse under the weight of their own hierarchal machinery.

I realize that’s a harsh statement, but if you care enough about your church to be reading the posts on Church Central, you care enough about your church to risk investing into its future.



Alan Chandler is a Consultant Partner with Church Doctor Ministries, a full-service church consultation ministry dedicated to helping Christians and churches become more effective for the Great Commission, to make disciples of all people.  Alan can be reached at alanchandler@churchdoctor.org