Removing an Elder or Pastor

I have been thinking and trying to look back how churches remove their pastors. I want to look at from the Bible's point of view how to handle this. I personally never dealt with any local church that officially removes a pastor so this will be my first experience. "Do not receive an accusation against an elder except from two or three witnesses. Those who are sinning rebuke in the presence of all, that the rest also may fear. I charge you before God and the Lord Jesus Christ and the elect angels that you observe these things without prejudice, doing nothing with partiality" (1 Timothy 5:19-21, NKJV). When a local church lose their respect for their pastor, it is a sure sign that this pastor has outlived his usefulness to that congregation. It is important for us to relize that the pastor-church relationship is very sensitive and vitally important issue. For 3 years, Jesus taught His Disciples who became Apostles after His death. What kind of education did Jesus gave them? Reading all of the New Testament, I have come to conclusion that Jesus taught them Spiritual matters. The only Apostle that didn't follow Jesus was Paul however, Paul did have extensive education background regarding Jewish Laws that were very useful for God to use Paul when He wrote the letters of the New Testament. I believe the hardest part as a Christian is being like-Christ and try to live in a "blameless" life. We do not expect our pastors to be the only ones who are acting like-Christ and live in a blameless life. ALL members of the Church must live in a blameless life, be the shining light to the lost and bring them to Christ. The pastor should be known as a man of Christian character and conduct and there should be demonstrable evidence of his mature, Christian character. God is obviously concerned with the character of the men put in the office of pastor. Pastor/Elder qualifications: Titus 1:6-9 ".....must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. Since an overseer is entrusted with God's work, he must be blameless-not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. Rather he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it. The only authority any pastor or elder has is the Word of God. When you step beyond the Word of God, you’ve overstepped the bounds of your authority. God reveals Himself primarily through the pages of Scripture; that is why I believe the Bible as my absolute authority. 1 Peter 4:11 instructs me to handle biblical truth: "If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God." If the Bible is true, then it is also authoritative. As divinely revealed truth, it carries the full weight of God's own authority. A church must understand that Christ is the head of the church (Eph. 1:22; 4:15) and that He mediates His rule in the church through godly elders (1 Thess. 5:13-14; Heb. 13:7, 17). Removing a pastor should be followed by the following verses in 1 Timothy 5 (NIV): 17The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching. 18For the Scripture says, "Do not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the grain,"[b] and "The worker deserves his wages." 19Do not entertain an accusation against an elder unless it is brought by two or three witnesses. 20Those who sin are to be rebuked publicly, so that the others may take warning. 21I charge you, in the sight of God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels, to keep these instructions without partiality, and to do nothing out of favoritism. Love hopes all things and those who love their pastor should be very slow to believe a bad report about him. "And we urge you, brethren, to recognize those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake." In other words, because of the job that pastors are called to do, and the office they are fulfilling, the congregation is to esteem them "very highly in love." (1 Thessalonians 5:12). Paul wrote very precisely, "Do not receive an accusation against an elder, except from two or three witnesses" (1 Timothy 5:19). Just make sure the evidences are backed up before removing a pastor. Let's look from a Reformed view of removing a pastor from John Calvin. 1 Timothy 5:18 For the Scripture says, "Do not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the grain," and "The worker deserves his wages." In his Commentary on 1 Timothy 5:18, made a good example:

"For none are more liable to slanders and calumnies than godly teachers. Not only does it arise from the difficulty of their office, that sometimes they either sink under it, or stagger, or halt, or blunder, in consequence of which wicked men seize many occasions for finding fault with them [in other words, the pressures of the ministry sometimes get weighed down so much that the temptations become more formidable and the defenses are weakened and sometimes these slip-ups and sins do come in light of that]; but there is this additional vexation, that, although they perform their duty correctly, so as not to commit any error whatever, they never escape a thousand censures. And this is the craftiness of Satan, to draw away the hearts of men from ministers, that instruction may gradually fall into contempt. Thus not only is wrong done to innocent persons, in having their reputation unjustly wounded, (which is exceedingly base in regard to those who hold so honourable a rank,) but the authority of the sacred doctrine of God is diminished. And this is what Satan, as I have said, chiefly labours to accomplish;… Not only so, but as soon as any charge against the ministers of the word has gone abroad, it is believed as fully as if they were already convicted.… We need not wonder, therefore, if they whose duty it is to reprove the faults of all, to oppose the wicked desires of all, and to restrain by their severity every person whom they see going astray, have many enemies. What, then, will be the consequence, if we shall listen indiscriminately to all the slanders that are spread abroad concerning them?"

The elders have been recognized by the whole congregation as men of integrity and trustworthiness--men who have made commitment to themselves and to God that they are to serve the church by following as best they can the principles of God's Word and giving leadership and direction to the procedures of following that Word, no matter what the consequences or where it will lead. The elders are obligated to make a very careful and detailed investigation of the whole issue, to research it and go through the evidence, to hear testimony and bring in witnesses, to see what is going on, how it has arisen, and get to the bottom of the issue. That is their duty and their responsibility before God for the welfare of the congregation. If the charge or charges can be proved and the situation does appear to be serious, then the matter is not to be over-looked because Paul says, "Those who are sinning rebuke in the presence of all, that the rest also may also fear" (1 Timothy 5:20). If the investigation concludes that yes, there is doctrinal or moral sin of serious nature, then the pastor should be addressed and rebuked publicly by the congregation. While we ALL understand that pastors (as well as Elders) are not above sin as well as they are not above the temptations, which are both doctrinally and morally. When a pastor is guilty of doctrinal or moral sin in a way that hurts the local Church, then this pastor should be dealth with in a biblical way.