Some Factors Undermining Congregational Church Governance Several factors contribute to failure to achieve the biblical ideal of congregational church governance. One may be church members who are not truly born again. Persons who lack the experience of salvation by grace through faith will not embody the qualities necessary for effective participation in congregational governance. Effective congregational church governance depends on the congregation being comprised of persons who have not only been redeemed by Christ but who are also growing to healthy maturity in Christ. Persons who have not experienced Christian growth and discipleship in a meaningful way (1 Corinthians 3:1-23) may lack a servant attitude with a deep commitment to follow Jesus as Lord (Philippians 2:5-11). The effective exercise of congregational church governance requires that persons desire to follow the will of Christ for the church and that they seek insight and wisdom from other believer priests. Apathy and indifferencealso undermine congregational governance by contributing to small attendance at business meetings and other governance functions of a church. Such lack of participation creates a vacuum, allowing those who are willing to participate to control the life of a church. Efforts by a pastor, deacon body, or any group within the church to usurp governance by all the members obviously thwart congregational governance. A dictatorial spirit by a person or group undermines the role of members in decision making. The claim by one or more persons to have a better knowledge than anyone else of the will of Christ is counter to basic biblical beliefs which undergird congregational governance. Lack of knowledge about Baptist beliefs and polityhas left many persons with scant insight on the how and why of congregational governance. Thus the lack of true congregational governance may be due to the fact that many people simply do not understand how it functions. Why Congregational Church Governance Is Important The degree to which a church practices congregational governance says a great deal about the basic beliefs of that church. For example, to fail to follow what we believe the Bible teaches about polity calls into question commitment to the authority of the Bible. Lack of congregational governance may also demonstrate that a church is not committed to soul competency and the priesthood of believers; for one person or a handful of persons to govern a church undermines basic doctrines. Congregational governance contributes to the development of Christian maturity in the members. Failure to practice congregational governance can stifle the spiritual development of believer priests by taking away opportunities to exercise their soul competency
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