authority of leadership

The Roman Catholic Church teaches that from the time of Christ the Church is preserved through passing on faith, the sacraments, and the hierarchy of ministry. This hierarchy is bishop, priest, and deacon. The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, the head of the Church. Then the hierarchy proceeds downward through other bishops, then priests, then deacons, and then lay people. Authority rests in the order of this authority.

The Catholic Church teaches that Peter was the first Pope. They use the biblical support of Jesus’ emphasis on Peter’s leadership (e.g. Matthew 16:18; John 21:15-17) as their main reason for this hierarchy, passed from Peter to successive leaders, being chosen by other bishops. A technical term for this passing on the mantle of leadership is “apostolic succession.”

For Protestants, it is the teaching of the apostles that is passed down, not the validity of the leaders that follow. Anglican Protestants, however, have a similar hierarchy of ministry of bishop, priest, and deacon. Other Protestants may use the model of elders and deacons. All Protestant churches have leaders, though the authority of the leaders varies. For many Protestants, the concept of “priesthood of all believers (1 Peter 2:9),” reemphasized through the teachings of Martin Luther, places the authority of the Church in the people. From out of the people, leaders are called to lead, usually under the oversight of the senior pastor working with or under the authority of a board or council. Decision making in most Protestant churches ultimately rests with the entire congregation, though some Protestants have connections to a wider church emphasis in denominations. Denominations set up guidelines that their churches follow, though authority rests in the local church. If there is disagreement about teachings then congregations who voluntarily join denominations may be disciplined or expelled.

A good rule of thumb to follow in considering authority is the authority rests in the hierarchy in the Roman Catholic Church and authority rests in the local church in the Protestant church, understanding the voluntary arrangements made in denominational churches. How this authority is carried out will be the next post.