Elders Who Refuse Accountability
When Pastors Shield Themselves from Correction, They Usurp Christ
The Problem of Unchecked Authority
One of the most dangerous distortions in the church is when those called to shepherd the flock of God make themselves immune from correction. Elders and pastors who insulate themselves from scrutiny are not protecting the church, they are protecting their pride. Such men often quote Hebrews 13:17 (“obey your leaders and submit to them”) as a shield against every question and challenge, while ignoring the many commands in Scripture that bind them to humility, correction, and accountability.
This is not shepherding in the pattern of Christ, but a mimicry of Rome’s great error: placing leaders above the Word of God, above rebuke, and above the people they are called to serve.
The Biblical Pattern of Accountability
Scripture never presents elders as untouchable men. Instead, it insists that correction is not only permissible but necessary when leaders err. Paul told Timothy,
“Do not receive an accusation against an elder except on the basis of two or three witnesses. Those who continue in sin, rebuke in the presence of all, so that the rest also will be fearful.”
(1 Timothy 5:19–20, LSB)
Far from being insulated, elders are explicitly held accountable before the congregation. Likewise, Paul records how he confronted Peter publicly when Peter’s conduct betrayed the truth of the gospel (Galatians 2:11–14). If the apostle Peter himself was not above correction, what elder today could possibly claim exemption?
Proverbs reminds us:
“Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but deceitful are the kisses of an enemy.”
(Proverbs 27:6, LSB)
Correction is not cruelty but love. And Peter exhorts elders to shepherd willingly, not “lording it over those allotted to you, but being examples to the flock” (1 Peter 5:3). The biblical vision of shepherding is one of humility and example, not insulation and pride.
Rome as the Warning Example
The medieval church’s corruption flowered from one root: the claim that its leaders were beyond correction. The papacy and magisterium placed themselves above the Word, and in so doing, enslaved Christ’s sheep.
The Reformers rose up against this very abuse. Martin Luther declared at Worms,
“Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Scriptures or by clear reason… I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted and my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not recant anything.”
John Calvin likewise wrote,
“Pastors must not be permitted to rule in such a way as to refuse to be judged by Scripture, for the Lord has not made them masters, but ministers.”
And John Knox likewise said that,
“The Scriptures of God are my only foundation and substance in all matters of controversy; and without them I am not bound to believe.”
The Reformation was not only a protest against Rome’s false teaching, but against Rome’s refusal to be corrected. Semper Reformanda — always reforming — is a confession that Christ’s church is always under the judgment of His Word.
Parallels in Today’s Evangelicalism
We would be foolish to think Rome’s error has not found its way into our own Protestant walls. Today, evangelical churches often prop up celebrity pastors who are never questioned, elders who insulate themselves from the sheep, and boards that treat any critique as rebellion against God Himself.
How many times has a whistleblower been told to be quiet. How many church members have been branded divisive simply for raising a biblical concern? How prevalent is this problem within the professing body of Christ? This is not biblical shepherding. It is tyranny.
Testing Without Excuse
One of the more common shields raised today is the claim that you must first “get to know us” before raising questions, or that testing their doctrine without personal relationship is somehow unloving. But Scripture never sets relational familiarity as the standard for discernment. The standard is always the Word of God.
Paul tells the Thessalonians plainly:
“But examine everything; hold fast to that which is good.”
(1 Thessalonians 5:21, LSB)
The Bereans were commended not for their personal closeness with Paul, but because “they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so” (Acts 17:11). If even the apostle Paul welcomed that kind of scrutiny, what pastor or elder today can hide behind the claim of “who are you to question me?”
Nor does biblical love suspend testing. To “speak the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15) requires us to actually speak the truth, not to avoid it until we have achieved some undefined relational closeness. The idea that correction is unloving turns the gospel upside down. Christ Himself rebuked His disciples, and Hebrews reminds us that the Father disciplines every son He loves (Hebrews 12:6). Love and correction are inseparable.
To suggest otherwise is self-protection trying to portray a sense of piety. A church that refuses to test its leaders because it fears being called unloving is a church walking willingly into deception.
The Theological Stakes
The reason this issue matters is not merely organizational but Christological. Scripture says of Christ:
“And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church.”
(Ephesians 1:22, LSB)
“He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.”
(Colossians 1:18, LSB)
When an elder refuses correction, he is not merely defending himself, he is usurping the headship of Christ. To be above correction is to claim equality with Christ, who alone is the sinless Shepherd and Head of the church. To excuse correction on the grounds of someone being “unloving” or “unfamiliar” is clearly and dangerously avoidance to accountability. Every human shepherd is an under-Shepherd, accountable both to Christ and to His body.
The Warning to Unaccountable Leaders
To those who shelter themselves from correction, Scripture warns:
“Let not many of you become teachers, my brothers, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment.”
(James 3:1, LSB)
The Lord Jesus Himself said that the one who causes His little ones to stumble would be better off with a millstone hung around his neck and drowned in the depth of the sea (Matthew 18:6). What greater stumbling block could there be than a shepherd who twists God’s Word to protect his own pride? What doctrinal error are you walking in that is causing careless harm to others in your care?
Such leaders also risk earthly judgment. Churches led by uncorrectable men eventually collapse under the weight of hidden sin. God in His mercy often exposes what leaders refuse to repent of, so that “those who continue in sin” might indeed “be rebuked in the presence of all” (1 Timothy 5:20).
But the greater danger is eternal. The Chief Shepherd will appear, and He will not overlook shepherds who devoured the flock rather than fed it. Ezekiel 34 stands as an unflinching warning:
“Woe, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flock?”
(Ezekiel 34:2, LSB)
To stand before Christ having usurped His authority, silenced His Word, and exalted self above correction is to invite terrifying judgment. Unless there is repentance, such men will hear not “Well done, good and faithful servant,” but “Depart from Me.”
And let leaders not think that judgment is only future. Scripture shows that God sometimes takes the life of those who persist in arrogant rebellion. Ananias and Sapphira fell dead for lying to the Spirit (Acts 5). Herod was struck down for receiving the praise of men instead of giving glory to God (Acts 12). Paul warned the Corinthians that some had “fallen asleep” because they treated the Lord’s Supper with pride rather than reverence (1 Corinthians 11:30).
These are not words that should be held lightly. They are written as warnings for us. A shepherd who hardens his heart against correction should tremble, for the Lord may expose him, remove him, or even strike him down. Better to repent now than to be humbled by the hand of God.
Pastoral Application
To leaders: A true shepherd does not build walls around his authority, but opens himself to the Word of God, even when it comes through the mouth of a humble brother. Humility, not insulation, is the mark of a Christlike elder.
To churches: Resist the temptation to tolerate clerical pride. Hold your leaders to the Word, not out of rebellion, but out of love for Christ and His flock.
To members: Correction must be biblical, charitable, and governed by love. But it must not be absent. Silence in the face of error is cowardice. You will bear the guilt of those you silently tolerate in sin.
The Reformed Vision
The Reformed vision is a church under the Word, led by shepherds who know they too are sheep in need of correction. Semper Reformanda means we are always under judgment, always under Scripture, always called back to Christ.
A shepherd who cannot be corrected is no shepherd at all. Christ is the Chief Shepherd (1 Peter 5:4). He alone is above rebuke. The rest of us must bow.
So let the church not fear correction, but embrace it as God’s gift. Let elders welcome faithful wounds. Let members give them in love. And let all of us together live under the headship of Christ, whose Word cannot be broken and whose kingdom cannot fail.
Soli Deo gloria.