I recently visited a church where the best parking spots were marked “reserved.”  These spots were not reserved for visitors, widows, orphans, the poor, or visiting missionaries serving heroically in faraway lands.  Nope.  They were reserved for the senior pastor and his wife (whom the church refers to as the “First Lady”).

Michelle and I got such a kick out of it that I discreetly took a picture of the parking spaces before I left.  While it struck me as funny at the time, the more I think about it, the angrier I get.  I know that reserving the best parking spots for the pastor and his wife may seem like no big deal, but what it represents is a huge biblical misunderstanding that leads to a lot of problems in the church today.

As I read my Bible (which by the way is the same as yours!), I can’t find anywhere anything about a hierarchy in the church.  Nowhere does the Bible instruct churches to be led by a “senior” pastor along with his “first lady.”  As a matter of fact, the church is not supposed to be led by any man or any woman.  Instead, according to Ephesians 5, Jesus Christ is to be exalted the “head” of the church, and those that serve the church under Him are called elders and deacons.  Without a proper understanding of the way churches are to be ordered biblically, serious problems result that often lead to spiritual disillusionment and a mass exodus of church members and dangerous pride and an abuse of power by the clergy.   (Read Who’s In Charge of Your Church?)

When I was hired by my church, the position I was offered at the time was “senior pastor.”  While I was tempted to keep the title and enjoy my position of ultimate power and authority (mwah ha ha!), I couldn’t do it.  So, one of the first things I did upon being hired was to change my title to “lead pastor.”  This may not seem like much of a change to most, but to me, the elders, and my church, it’s huge.

The title “lead pastor” recognizes my position of leadership, but hopefully removes the false idea of church hierarchy.  I serve as an elder with six other men, and while I’m recognized as the primary teaching elder, I’m trying to show the church that I’m leading with six other equals.  The seven of us elders recognize that Christ is the head of our church, and we lead together under His authority as the Scriptures teach.

So, among other things, this means that the best parking spots at my church will continue to be reserved for visitors.  I’ll continue to park on the loading dock among the weeds, and Michelle will continue to park next to the dumpsters.  No “first lady” treatment for her!