We are planting and sustaining traditional churches, even when we use untraditional means at the beginning of a church plant. In many church plantings, we are using biblical methods, e.g. small groups, house churches, simple churches, neighborhood networks, etc., but as soon as we have a viable base, we are establishing traditional churches. In using the term, “traditional church,” I refer to a church with certain characteristics: (1) a building or identified location; (2) institutional organization (CEO, administration, etc.) as opposed to family or informal structures; (3) a corporate top-down leadership model (whether in a single pastor or in a pastoral board of elders) as opposed to a flattened model of responsibility, authority, and action; (4) a dispenser of religious goods both for the members and for non-members who happen by (but primarily for the members); (5) church function primarily focused inward, hoping to draw other in when they see the benefit of being in; (6) isolationism, with little genuine relationship or ministry in the world outside the church; and (7) with ministry focused primarily “at the top” and a limited view of the responsibility of the membership for involvement church function.
This kind of church has little hope of doing very much away from the building and actually answering the missional call to be “sent ones” into its community. The traditional church is controlled and controlling. The institutional leadership, using a top-down organization and having a tendency against delegation of any real responsibility with attendant authority, expectation, and confidence, keeps the church from functioning as an organism, living in integrated, continuing relationships, capable of functioning according to God’s purpose. (What we usually refer to as accountability is really a culturally-informed way of saying, “I will remain in control and to make sure that it happens, so you will clear everything with me, take your orders from me, make sure I am in agreement before you do anything, report to me, ask for any resources from me, etc. etc. etc.”)
We seemingly have little concept of the New Testament model that would let the church to function as God intended the church to function, as demonstration and representation of the presence of God’s kingdom in the world through the functioning of kingdom people. The plan is for the church to provide its own needs. Leader were appointed from within the church. Leaders arose from within the church.
Paul left Titus on Crete (temporarily) to deal with a problem. It is not at all clear that Timothy was in Ephesus for a long-term ministry with the church, serving as minister or in a pastoral function. He obviously was teaching and training others (2 Tim. 2:2). In fact, his work may be understood, although such is a guess, as a continuation of the work Paul was doing in Ephesus from the school of Tyrannus.
We have “pastor-ized” the church to death. We have developed a view of church among the members that expects everything to be done for them. We can deny that the preacher is a pastor, but in function, he is exactly that, in large part due to the expectation of the members. He is to provide support in a host of situations, and often least in view is equipping the saints for ministry. We have ignored the Ephesians 4 model of ministry. May God help us get out of the box we ourselves have constructed!