Egalitarian hierarchal leadership

I want to be careful, this still needs thought, but one of possible the danger of the egalitarian view is that it places the elder role in a hierarchical elevated place within the church it was not meant to have. Elders do not lead like the world where the goal is to get on top. Nor are they to lord it over others. Instead, in Christ the gifts of the church are distributed amongst believers, each of us influencing all others as we grow in maturity as the body into the fulness of Jesus. Many of the passages that discuss the body are followed by discussing loving one another. The greatest aspect of love is bringing those around us and saying, “Behold, Jesus”. Our goal as believers is not a position, but to allow God to use us in his way to accomplish this within the church and in proclaiming the Gospel to the nations. Simply said, there is not a position or gift that is “most important”, it is the gifts working together as a body striving to accomplish this goal. Each of us is uniquely given gifts to accomplish this goal. We are not like the world who try to fight to the top in a worldly sense, instead we call on the Lord to equip us to love others and to bring them to the knowledge of Jesus, let God do that in me in whatever way he desires. We know the Apostles were given authority. And an elder does have authority and deserves honor and respect of the role, but he is not at the top. He is not the main minister of the church, in fact, he serves the ministry of the church, feeding those who do the work of the church. He washes the feet of others. His job is to give honor and respect to others to elevate them and encourage them in their gifts. An elder does not get to set his own agenda but serves to encourage the giftings in others that the Holy Spirit has imparted. Also, an elder is not the most influential position. God uses us each to influence the body. The power of influence comes as we humble ourselves and make ourselves low and through love allow the Holy Spirit to work his giftings in us to serve the church. We are in this together, which is why Paul follows his teaching on the body with loving one another. We are a body, not a hierarchy. In this even the most seasoned saint needs the most newly awkward saint, because without them the body doesn’t work properly. I cannot look on them as an outcast to ignore. To survive I need them in my life. One of the dangers of egalitarian teaching is that it promotes a picture of worldly hierarchy where one position is at the top and more vital than others and therefore for women to be considered equal, they must obtain this role. Complementarities fall into this error as well of seeing the elder (and possibly men) at the top and are not immune to it. I still need to work through this, and I do think egalitarians would read this and agree with the premise, but just fear it is more of a possible foundational consequence of the egalitarian view.

Additional thoughts: I would also say a danger of the egalitarian mindset is the idea that submission makes you lower. When I submit to my elders, I am not lower, but God is using the gifts he’s giving me to powerfully influence the direction of the church. When I serve in the giftings that God has given me, the power of Christ is more fully and powerfully known in the church. Is it the “ministry positions” or the people on the ground serving every day with others not in the church that have the most influence on the kingdom of God spreading? Let us be okay with her humble quiet lives, for the gospel is so amazingly powerful.