First of all I would like to add that I feel a Pastor should lead out of love for God and love for his people. I always seek God in any decision, and I usually seek advice from the men of the Church, but rarely do I put things up for a vote.
Here a some things to consider, and I sincerely mean this for other Pastors and also for people who think that deacons are Scripturally required in small Churches, or that Church government should be democratic.
1.) Consider the outcome in Scripture when votes were taken. Example: The spies that were sent into the Promised Land by Moses. Moses should have said, "We're going in," but he allowed a vote to take place, and they voted not to go. Then the people wandered in the wilderness for forty years. I wonder how many Churches today are "wandering in the wilderness" because they took a vote and got it wrong instead of listening to the man of God? Also, in Exodus 14:11-12 the people would have voted to go back into Egyptian bondage if Moses had given them the opportunity to vote. Of course, this also has application when considering Church members who are not happy with their leader or current situation.
2.) Deacons were not placed in the Church at Jerusalem until it had a very large membership. In Acts 2:41 there were 3000 souls added to the Church, then in Acts 4:4 there were 5000 men and untold numbers of women, and then in Acts 5:14 there were "multitudes" of both men and women. A very conservative estimate would be 10,000 people in the Church before it was deemed necessary to have deacons. I doubt there are very many Churches represented here that have more than 10,000 members to show a necessary need for deacons.
3.) Deacons were added to do tasks that were too time consuming for the Pastors, but the tasks were delegated by the Pastors nonetheless. In Acts 6:3 the Pastors told the people to choose 7 deacons to "appoint over this business." What business was this? It was the business from Acts 6:1 of seeing to the daily ministration of Greek widows. Notice that there is no mention of them doing anything else, and the Pastors considered this the equivalent of serving tables (Acts 6:2). Only later, when one of the deacons (Stephen) began to preach the Gospel (Acts 6:8-10) was he stoned.
4.) The Pastor has an accountability to God for the congregation.
Hebrews 13:7 is speaking to the Church about their Pastor when God says to us: "Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation."
On down in v.17 it says, "Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you."
Notice the Pastor will have to give an account to God concerning the Church, and the people, they Pastor. I am not interested in letting people vote on things, or having deacons tell me how to manage things, that I will have to answer to God for. This is far too serious an issue for Pastors to take lightly.
Pastor Mark.
