The Nr. 3 Indicator that You Might be in a Dysfunctional Church

You might be in a dysfunctional church if everyone follows a different leader. The Apostle Paul puts it this way in 1 Corinthians 1:11-17 (NIV):

My brothers, some from Chloe's household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, "I follow Paul"; another, "I follow Apollos"; another, "I follow Cephas"; still another, "I follow Christ."

Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul? I am thankful that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, so no one can say that you were baptized into my name. (Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don't remember if I baptized anyone else.) For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

Everyone was claiming a different leader. They actually seemed to have slogans that they would use in their discussions (arguments?) with one another. We do need to understand that the church had not split. It was just filled with different factions depending on who the "followed." Actually they weren't really following anyone because the leaders weren't divided, the followers were. They weren't going anywhere.

Since Paul wasn't in Corinth at this time, how did he know that this was going on? He received a report from "Chloe's" people. Who was Chloe? We don't really know, but we can infer some things about her:

• She was a woman of independent needs in a "man's" world,
• She evidently traveled,
• She had servants, slaves or extended family.

It is interesting that none of the leaders were present (except Christ -- but we will discuss this below). Paul was the founder of the church. He had impressive credentials, but he wasn't a great speaker. The Corinthians liked speakers who were great expositors of "wisdom". Some felt that they should be loyal to Paul, the founder, but others liked Apollos better; he was an orator. Actually Apollos wasn't there any longer because he didn't like being pitted against Paul. Cephas (Aramaic for Peter) probably had never been to Corinth. People had come in the name of Peter claiming that the only way to become a Christian was to first become a Jew. This appealed to those who wanted to be right according to the letter of the Law. The last group mentioned sounds like they have it right. Jesus Christ may not be there in the flesh, but He is the Lord of the Church. The problem was that this group said that they were followers of Christ as a "put down" of the others. They were all at odds with one another.

Paul goes on to talk of Baptism. Was Paul against it. Of course not! But, he wants to make a point. First, Jesus can't be divided -- so neither can His body, the church. According to Matthew 28:18-20, we are baptized in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, so who does the baptizing is irrelevant. Paul didn't come to baptize of gain a following. He came to preach the gospel. Oratory isn't the issue. The issue is the power of the cross. This should bring unity, not division.

What is the role of church leadership? First and foremost, it is not to create a personal following! I am the pastor of Bayview Baptist Church, but it is not "my" church. It is the church of Jesus Christ. I am there fulfilling my function which is to pastor the church. All are called to minister in the church using their gifts to do so. My gifting and anointing and call is to pastor the church. We should all be following Jesus. The purpose of Pastors is to help people see the vision for that church as he is able to discern Christ's purposes for that church. Woe, to the pastor that thinks it is all about his great skill. We are to present Christ. To that extent, we must follow church leadership. Division within the church is not an option.