The Church's One And Only Senior Pastor
1Pe 5:4 and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.
Notice the description given to the Lord Jesus Christ here in this verse. He is the Church's Chief Shepherd. In other words, the Senior Pastor.
Chief = Senior
Shepherd = Pastor
Notice also the definite article "the" before it---"THE" Chief Shepherd. He is not A Chief Shepherd, as if there are many chief shepherds in the Church, and He's just one of them. No, He is THE Chief Shepherd.
You see, apostolic Christianity knows no other Chief Shepherd or Senior Pastor other than the Lord Jesus Christ. We criticize the Roman pontiff of the RC Church for arrogating to himself titles that only belong to God or the Lord Jesus Christ.
We are not aware that we ourselves have practiced many unbiblical things in our own local churches. If we should learn our theology from the Bible ALONE then we should never recognize any man to function as the Chief Shepherd of the Church or local churches for that matter.
The New Testament teaches that there is only one Senior Pastor, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the rest are just under-shepherds below Him. They simply follow His lead. They get their instruction and direction from His Word. Their "job description" is also clearly laid out in His book.
True, there are more experienced pastors or shepherds than others, ahead over others in terms of experience in the pastoral ministry, and they share their wealth of knowledge to new pastors, but they are never called "Senior Pastors" in the Bible. They are simply pastors...period.
We always say "Bible alone," making others believe that we get our belief and practices only from the Bible, but in this aspect, we have terribly failed. Search the New Testament, Paul, Peter, John and other apostles never called themselves as "Senior Pastors," not even among the local churches they founded.
