There are two models that churches follow: the democratic model or the kingdom model. Most churches have, over time, become democratic churches. That is, the power in the church resides in the people. Everyone has a say in what the church does, the direction it takes, who its leaders are, etc. On the surface this seems to be a good model because it appears to be "fair" and equitable. However, as soon as there is a difference of opinion the group or individual who wield the greatest influence invariably get their way, regardless of what is right according to the Bible. In essence, a church following the democratic model devolves into a situation where the people are allowed a vote in the affairs of the church. This is evident in churches that conduct so-called business meetings because they have no or ineffective leaders. Churches following this model always fracture because they have become churches that are filled with members who use their personal influence to effect the direction of the church. These churches have become self centered and ego centric.
The kingdom church, on the other hand, retains power in, and only in the King. In the case of the church that is Jesus. There are no votes in the kingdom church, only the directives of the King. When people begin to formulate their own opinions of what should be going on in the church their opinion is always trumped by the instructions of the King. Kingdom churches always grow because they have a singular purpose, a singular mission which is to conquer more territory for the King. The Kingdom church is an empire whereas the democratic church follows the autonomous, self-governance paradigm.
As we sow the seed of the Kingdom, we must be committed to being a Kingdom church, otherwise we will become fractured like the democratic churches are. The scripture is plain: the King expects His subjects to follow Him and not formulate their own methodologies for operating the church. Those who insist upon being democratic can not be in fellowship with those who follow the Kingdom paradigm: the two are following different leaders. The Kingdom church follows the King, the democratic church is governed by its own desires.
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