Author
Hello Everyone
My name is Leighton Tebay. I am a house church leader and I.T. Consultant in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. I earned a Bachelors degree with a major in biblical studies and pastoral ministry at Bethany College.
There is a deep desire in my heart to see the church renewed to a place of health and growth. My love for the church is accompanied by a deep passion for solid biblical study and good theology. I believe that asking whether the Spirit and the Scriptures are more important is like asking whether the wheel or the engine is more important in a car. Sadly we fall into emphasizing one more than the other.
I’ve been leading or participating in house churches off and on since 2003. I follow the Anabaptist tradition with a generous respect for several church traditions from the Catholics to the Charismatics. I believe in the gifts of the Spirit, miracles and in supernatural tangible experiences with God.
I was once a “church leaver.” Like many others in the church today I’ve suffered from the mistreatment of a church leader. I found myself in a situation with a pastor was convinced that I was in need of deliverance ministry. Some of my best friends suddenly seemed to believe the same thing and were also convinced that only the leadership of this particular church had the ability to help me with my problems. This experience combined with my continual frustration with corruption made me lose faith in “institutional” Christianity. I walked in the desert on the fringe of church for a number of years before I realized that even the modest organizations we see in the New Testament were still organized. I still appreciate those “desert” years as they were a profound blessing to me.
Today I’m not so biased against institutions. I work in a Christian institution with dozens of employees. Although I do feel a tension between my ideals about relational ministry and ministry programs.
I’ve made a real attempt, to be honest, fair and non-inflammatory. I welcome your feedback on everything written here. If you believe I’ve got something wrong please email me and let me know.
Some people have come away with the impression that I’ve swung so far away from authority that I’ve thrown the proverbial baby out with the bathwater. I disagree. I believe in church leadership, I just don’t believe that our primary tools of leadership are fear, manipulation, coercion or force. Leadership is essential in the life of the church and it is best exhibited through example, persuasion, gentleness, honesty, integrity, respect and especially genuine sacrificial love. I have no ax to grind against elders, pastors, councils, bishops or superintendents. There are several points in the pages of this website where I declare the value of submission, including submission to leaders. Undoubtedly my leanings towards congregationalism bleed through in places, but this website is not intended to undermine the faithful Anglican bishop or Roman Catholic priest. If they are willing to bear the cup that Christ bore for His people (Mat 20:22) they are all right by me.
I have walked with a lot of people that have been wounded by people applying this teaching. These experiences have helped fuel the fire and drive that ultimately led to the creation of this website. I’ve observed the other side as well. A great many of my church leader friends have been roasted by nasty rebellious people in their congregations. Ultimately I think we would all be a lot better off if we could understand and respect the intrinsic value everyone has in the eyes of Christ.
If you are in a church where covering theology is being taught and you aren’t sure what to do feel free to contact me. Even if it is just to be able to tell your story to someone who will understand. I can listen and I can pray.
Feel free to follow me on a new blog at Tebay.ca. You can still contact me at Leighton@tebay.ca.
