Pastoral Power Plays: Why Congregational Government Could’ve Saved Joel Tudman.
Yesterday, shockwaves were sent through the Faith Center Church in Sunrise, FL, after Bishop Henry Fernandez announced the mysterious departure of Senior Pastor, Bishop Joel Tudman. Tudman, a former assistant pastor at The Potter’s House Church in Dallas, TX, was tapped to succeed Fernandez after his retirement from ministry.
Apparently, this transition ran into some difficulties, and in an announcement before the church on Sunday, Bishop Henry Fernandez said, “Pastor Tudman is no longer the senior pastor of the Faith Center.” Many people took to social media to express their outrage, sadness, and disgust with the entire ordeal. Droves of observers decried the secrecy and shroud of mystery surrounding the departure.
Bishop Fernandez anticipated this response. In his prepared statement before the church, he said, “ I know many of you may have a lot of questions. But, for 34 years, I have led this church as God has led me, and I can assure you that God will continue to direct us. Now, I’m going to ask all of you to continue to trust my leadership.”
Amidst the speculation, we have an opportunity to have a deeper conversation. What is church polity, and why does it matter?
American evangelicalism’s vapidity and lack of deep thinking has crept into other expressions of Christ’s church. Conversations around church government are rarely had, and parishioners certainly aren’t encouraged to think deeply and Biblically about these things. Therefore, when situations like this erupt, there’s temporary outrage, but there’s often no thought given to the systemic and institutionalized dynamics that create such situations. We are empowered when we know more and develop positions that are Biblically-informed and carefully considered.
There are various models of church government:
-The Moses Model
-The Congregational Model
-The Presbyterian Model
-The Episcopal Model
…and other hybrid models.
It’s incumbent upon us to understand these models and align ourselves with those we find to be most Biblical.
Catch the full conversation here.