We believe in pastoral authority within the church and again any church under the nomination
does not believe in pastoral authority.
Any church that has a deacon board that tells the pastor what to do does not believe in
pastoral authority.
Any church that has an elder board that tells the pastor what to do does not believe in
pastoral authority.
One of the biggest things I have to do, you know, with new people and new believers when
they come into church like that, one of the first things I need to teach everybody is
how this church runs and that we are a pastor-ran church, because it's just so unique to people.
Because most people are used to having a pastor that's being told what to do by the elders
or being told what to do by the deacons or being told what to do by the superintendent
or just being told what to do by the women of the church or whatever.
You know, it's like, no, no, this is a Baptist church.
The pastor actually runs the show.
The pastor, it's a pastor-led church.
It's part of the autonomy of the local church.
You know, the Bible says that pastors are the overseers of the congregations.
And it's not some pope, it's not some representative of your region.
You know, the Bible is very clear that the pastor is the one that oversees the church.
The Lord Jesus Christ is the head of the church, and the pastor would be the under-shepherd.
When the whole protest happened in 2016, people kept calling and saying, we want to speak
to whoever is in charge of Pastor Jimenez, we want to submit our complaints to him.
Who's your superintendent?
Who's in charge of the sacramental region of the Baptist Convention?
They had this form.
They were petitioning the Southern Baptist Convention to fire and remove the retirement
of Roger Jimenez, the Southern Baptist.
Now, here's the thing.
I feel really bad if there's a guy named Roger Jimenez in the Southern Baptist Convention.
He's like, what?
Three weeks from retirement, you know, whatever.
But they were petitioning, and people would call here, and they're like, we want to speak to his boss.
And, you know, I'd be like, well, here's how you do it.
You get on your knees, and then you put your hands like this, because that's my boss.
Because I don't have anybody telling me, oh, you shouldn't preach that, you shouldn't do that,
you shouldn't go there.
It's local churches, pastoral authority.
Acts 20, 28 says this, take heed, therefore, unto yourselves and to all the flock,
over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseer.
To feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
Hebrews 13, 17 says this, 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.
Right there in 1 Peter 5, look at verse 1.
The elders which are among you I exhort.
The word elder there is talking about a pastor, spiritual leadership.
He said, who I'm also an elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ,
and also a portaker of the glory that shall be revealed.
Verse 2, feed the flock of God which is among you.
Notice what he's telling the elders.
He's telling the elders, right, verse 1, the elders which are among you I exhort.
Here's what he's telling them, taking the oversight thereof.
What? What does that mean?
That means the elders, the pastors, they run the show.
They take the oversight.
Now, they're not to do it to the point where it becomes like a cult.
Notice what he says, not by constraint, but willingly, not for filthy looker, but of a ready mind.
Verse 3, neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being in samples to the flock.
So look, my job is not to lord over you.
I don't walk into your house and tell you, you know, how you should, you know, how your wife should dress,
or how your kids should dress, or how you should, where you should live.
You know, my job is not to lord over you, but my job is to be the overseer of anything that falls under Verity Baptist Church.
You say, why are all these churches so liberal?
Here's what happens.
Some Southern Baptist pastor gets up, preaches a sermon somebody don't like, so they call the superintendent.
Now, listen, superintendent, I'm brother so-and-so.
My wife was offended, and you know, I give this much money every week.
And the superintendent calls pastor and says, don't ever preach that again, or you're fired, and they control them.
And that's why God says, hey, not for filthy looker, not for filthy looker.
He says, look, you're supposed to be, as a pastor, you're supposed to be able to run the show.
And that's actually something that makes us uniquely Baptist.