Can the House Church survive without leadership?

"Everything rises or falls on leadership."

Perhaps you have heard that statement. I heard it from a wonderful man named Lee Roberson who for many many years was the Pastor of Highland Park Baptist Church in Chattanooga TN. I don't know if it was an original quote with him but I do believe that it is a true one.

Can you name any entity that thrives or even survives apart from leadership? You may be able to name one or two but they would be the exception that proves the rule. Strong, healthy organizations of any kind are normally strong and healthy because of not in spite of the leadership. One of the troubling aspects of the house church "movement" is the anti-leadership attitude that seems to be so prevalent in parts (certainly not all) of the house church movement.

I know, I know they will all say that they are not against leadership, because Jesus is the Head of the Church and they need no other leader but Him. I agree that Jesus is the Head of the Church and he is the One who will provide direction to His church, and no human leader should even begin to try and replace him. But I believe that those who advocate a no leader but Jesus approach fail to consider the Biblical evidence that God has chosen throughout the history of Redemption to work through human leadership.

Yes the story of the Old Testament is the story of God's unfolding plan of redemption through the nation of Israel. Yet as God was working through a nation that nation had to be led and it was led - sometimes poorly and sometimes very well - through human leadership. Moses was a tremendous leader, Samuel was a tremendous leader, David was tremendous leader.

What about the New Testament, does strong leadership pass from the scene? What about Jesus he certainly was the greatest leader of all time. Didn't Jesus train leaders? What about the Apostle Paul? Certainly he was another strong leader. What did Paul spend part of his time doing? He trained other leaders and wrote training manuals (the pastoral epistles) for future leaders. To some degree I somewhat understand why some would like to stay away from leadership in the house church, or the simple church. Plenty of Christians have been abused and misused in the name of God by a strong leader. I've served with and under strong leaders and there are few things more difficult than serving under a strong leader when that strong leader is exercising that gift in the power of the flesh instead of the power of the Holy Spirit. But to throw off all leadership to me is like throwing out the Baby with the bath water!

The key is not to be anti-leader but to find out what the Scriptures require a leader to be and to hold the leaders accountable to biblical standards and qualifications for leadership. Can the house church movement or an individual house church survive without leadership? I think experience and the testimony of Scripture would say no! I do think that it is true that "Everything rises or falls on leadership." Including the house church