Many church misunderstandings come from the decision-making process. We will look at three principles of biblical church leadership, especially as it was practiced in the New Testament church. These principles are:

  1. God speaks through a leader.
  2. God speaks through a team.
  3. God speaks through His people.

It is these biblical principles applied together that form a proper leadership and decision-making method. 

Jerusalem Council

In Acts 15, a passage often referred to as the “Jerusalem Council,” there was a disagreement in the church about circumcision.

  • Paul and Barnabas were sent to Jerusalem to help resolve the issue (verse 2).
  • They first interacted with the congregation (verse 4).
  • They then met with the apostles and elders (verse 6).
  • The head apostolic leader of the church in Jerusalem, James, listened while everyone talked, and then he made a decision about what God was telling them to do. He gives the final verdict (verse 19).

A leader must try to focus on the strengths of all three decision-making principles in order to make balanced, godly decisions. Only the Lord can give wisdom to make decisions. (See Proverbs 3:5-6.)

Head, shoulders, and body decision-making  

We often refer to this kind of decision-making as “head, shoulders, and body” decision-making. For the process to be balanced, the head (primary leader) needs to be properly attached to the shoulders (others on the team) and the body (the people) through a God-ordained relationship of trust and affirmation. When this is the case, there will be unity, and God will command a blessing as indicated in Psalm 133.

A wise head (leader) will listen to what God is saying to him/her, listen to the supportive shoulders, and listen to the body. Leaders are called to get under people and support them, but to also make decisions for the whole group.

Principle 1: God speaks through and appoints a leader to oversee His work

God always calls and anoints someone to lead the way. This person is often called the “primary vision carrier” or “overall leader.”

Primary leaders are in positions of authority, but they must not lead as domineering chief executive officers (CEOs) might do in the business world. Spiritual leaders serve those whom they lead (see Mark 10:45).

In Numbers 27:15-20, Moses gave authority to Joshua to lead the children of Israel. Other examples of God-appointed leadership can be found in James 3:4, Acts 13:13, and Acts 21:8.

In Acts 15:36-41, the disagreement over John Mark might have been avoided if there had been a clearer picture of who was the head of the team.

Note: When someone leads solely through this type of decision-making, it can foster an autocratic, controlling style of leadership.

Principle 2: God speaks through and calls teams who labor together to fulfill His purposes

We see many examples of teams who discern God’s voice together in the New Testament.

  • In the book of Exodus, Moses, Aaron, and Miriam worked together as a team.
  • In Titus 1:5, Paul told Titus to appoint elders in every church.
  • In Acts 14:23, Paul and Barnabas appointed elders in every church and worked with them as an elder team.
  • Acts 16:4 explains that decisions were reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem. This indicates that they made a team decision.

Everyone on a team must be convinced that God has called him or her and everyone else to be on that team and that each role is of God.

Agreement (general agreement or consensus, depending on the type and gravity of the decision being made) is preferred over voting. The difficulty with voting is that someone always wins and someone always loses. But within God’s Kingdom, that shouldn’t be so.

Note: When decisions are made by applying this leadership principle only, a decision might be delayed or impossible if a team cannot come to a unanimous decision. This leads to “the rule of the negative” whereby those who do not agree with a decision “rule” or make the decision because the proposed decision is not approved.

Principle 3: God speaks through His people

Wise leaders will listen carefully and prayerfully to what God says through His people. Leaders must value the people whom they serve.

In Acts 6:1-7, leaders we sometimes call “deacons” were chosen. Scripture says the people chose these leaders and the apostles appointed them.

Acts 15:22 says, “Then the apostles and elders, with the whole church, decided to choose some of their own men and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas” (NIV). 

It is a biblical principle to receive input from those you serve before making a decision that affects them. Wise leaders will openly share information and receive godly input to leave no room for doubt and discontent among the group.

If those serving under a primary leader disagree with a decision, it is appropriate to honor the anointing that is on the leader and appeal openly and in love regarding a decision.

Note: When we rely solely on a group of “followers” to make decisions, one group nearly always feels like they lose, and the other group feels like they win. Decisions that are based on “everyone’s” opinion may bring confusion and deny the appropriate role of leadership.

Summary: Balanced, biblical decision-making requires that

  1. the leadership team listens to what the Lord is saying through the body
  2. the primary leader listens to what the Lord is saying through the team
  3. the primary leader speaks what the Lord is saying, and others affirm the Lord’s direction.

The decision-making process

  1. Pray and listen to God.
  2. The “head” needs to hear from the shoulders, and the head and shoulders need to get input from the body.
  3. Come to a place of agreement. If there is no agreement, take some more time to pray.
  4. The final decision is then up to the leader. He or she discerns what the Lord is saying through the shoulders.

Examples

A passenger airplane has a pilot, co-pilot, and flight crew. This is a picture of head, shoulders, and body decision-making.

A natural family has a father, mother, and children. The father leads, the father and mother form the leadership team, and the children are the body. Wise parents in this scenario get input from the children but do not leave the final decision up to them.  

Related principles

  1. If the head stretches itself away from the shoulders too much or is pushed down onto the level of the shoulders, it creates a pain in the neck. This is to be avoided.
  2. Relationship, trust, and honor are key and necessary factors.
  3. The head does not have absolute authority, but rather final authority in decision-making.
  4. To have authority, we need to be under authority.
  5. All leadership teams need an “outside court of appeal.” Small-group leaders have elders, and elders have apostolic leaders to help them in case of unresolved disputes or an impasse on decision-making.

Bible colleges and seminaries teach the following three kinds of church government by the following names.

  • Episcopal (head)
  • Presbyterian (shoulders)
  • Congregational (body)

The church is ruled through theocracy. Jesus Christ governs through qualified leaders that He has ordained for the task.

 

Questions to ponder

  1. How do we make decisions?
  2. Do we do what everybody says?
  3. What decision-making process is scriptural?