Who is your pastor?

One of the questions we are usually asked is, "Who is your pastor?" Just as there are two answers to the question, "Where is your church?" there are also two answers to this question.

Our Pastors:
Most of the people who ask the question, "Who is your pastor?" expect us to answer with the name of one man. The members of Messiah Baptist Church - after studying Scripture and spending much time in corporate and personal prayer - decided that Scripture models a plurality of men to be pastors or elders (we consider these terms to describe the same individuals). The members looked among themselves and recognized four men as qualified to be pastors according to Scripture (1 Tim 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9). Therefore, we currently have four pastor/elders. There is no hierarchy among the pastors.

Our Senior Pastor:
Messiah Baptist Church does have a Senior Pastor. That person is the most qualified to lead the church. He is also the most effective in making decisions for the body. He consistently teaches us Scripture by the Holy Spirit. He loves the people of the church more than anyone else. He also models perfectly what it means to be a child of God. Finally, He holds us to a higher standard than anyone else is capable of doing. His name is Jesus Christ. He is our Chief Shepherd and our Overseer (1 Pet. 2:25; 5:4).