'Submit to spiritual authority': elder as responsibility, not office

Mike questions pastors who tell congregants to 'submit to spiritual authority' while meaning themselves: biblically, God's Word is authoritative and the Holy Spirit fills in the grays — the Bible prescribes and describes but does not answer 'should I move to Sacramento and start a youth group?' Dan adds the New Testament's plurality of elders: a responsibility of the wise, not a capitalized job title reduced to voting, policy-making, and approving budgets. The room agrees the modern church has corporatized eldership into offices, and that a lone 'bull' atop a large congregation is not a healthy model.