Pastoral Authority

Where does the pastor get his authority to lead? What are the boundaries for this authority? Does the congregation have authority over the pastor's leadership? How far should the pastor assert this given authority as he conducts his church ministry?

For Scriptural reference one may wish to review Ephesians 4:11-12. What other Scriptures deal with this "pastoral authority" issue?

Requesting Information

I have seen it happen many times: churches contact the state convention requesting resources or to get information out to other churches, many times in an association. When I was in N.C. as a pastor, when I called the N.C. State Convention, they responded, "Have you first contacted your local association?" As a new DOM, it is frustrating to be the last to hear about a church's ministry or request. I know that things would work more efficiently if requests were made through the association, and the association would seek the resource through the state convention or through agencies like LifeWay. How can we change this or work more efficiently?
Offer your suggestions. Thanks. David

Article from Larry Richmond

I recently sent an attachment about the relationships between SBC entities and the local churches. The article was by Larry Richmond, DOM in Illinois. From that article the following pastors have responded. Please respond and let's have a chat about this important issue. Because the article is so long, I have resent the article over email to you.
David