In the summer of 2023 my church (Immanuel) is talking about Jesus. We’re asking the questions, “Who is Jesus,” and, “Why does it matter?” In week one, we talked about Jesus being the Ruler of the kings on earth (Revelation 1:5). As we talked about the unrivaled sovereignty of Jesus over the cosmos, we noted that the church certainly ought to be populated with people to recognize and rejoice in the truth that Jesu sis the Ruler. To use a different New Testament metaphor, the church recognizes Jesus as the Head of the body (Ephesians 1:22).

That’s a nice, churchy idea, isn’t it? Jesus is the Head of the church. What church would openly deny this statement? To be sure, many churches reject the headship of Jesus in practice, but in word they simply redefine Jesus in their own image so that they still have someone named “Jesus” at the top of the organizational flow chart. In other words, virtually every church is going to pay lip service to the idea that Jesus is the Head of the church. The question is, how can you know if Jesus really is the Head of a particular local church?

In a round about way, I get this question often as a pastor – not from prospective members – but from children who attend my church. Over almost two decades of pastoring, I can remember many times when children asked me, “Who’s the boss here?” or, “Who’s in charge around here?” These children were wanting to know if I was the “top dog,” the man in charge. Their question is a good one, and it’s loaded with biblical, theological, and ecclesiological implications.

Who’s the boss of the church? I don’t know about you, but I’d love to be able to visit various churches and get an honest, unfiltered answer to that question. Who’s the boss of the church? Truth be told, in many churches it’s the senior pastor who calls all the shots. In other churches it’s a group of people – maybe deacons, committees, or a board of directors. In some churches it’s a wealthy member, and in others it’s a particularly influential patriarch or matriarch.

Back to the Bible … If Jesus really is the Ruler of the kings on earth, and if Jesus really is the Head of the church, surely our churches ought to joyfully submit to the sovereignty of King Jesus. Since you can’t always get a straight answer to the question, “Who’s the boss of this church,” and since most churches will at least pay lip service to the headship of someone named “Jesus,” how can you determine who the boss of a particular church really is?

Here are seven signs that Jesus is the Head of a particular local church:

1. There is lots of talking about Jesus – not just vague God-talk. If a church rarely talks about Jesus and what the Bible says about Jesus, you should question whether or not that church really believes Jesus is the Head of the body. Truth be told, if a church majors in vague, vanilla, generic God-talk and rarely talks about Jesus, you should question whether or not that particular church is Christian in any real sense.

2. There is clarity about Jesus’ sinless life and sacrificial death. It’s possible that a church would talk a lot about Jesus, but that in talking about Jesus a church might make up their own version of Jesus. At the heart of what the Bible tells us about Jesus of Nazareth is the certainty that Jesus lived a live of sinless obedience and died a sacrificial death on the cross for sinners. When Jesus is the Head of a church, these truths will be front and center in what a church says about Jesus.

3. There is submission to the Word of God – the red and black letters. Jesus told his followers that he did not come to abolish the law or the prophets. Jesus repeatedly pointed his opponents back to the Word of God. Jesus told his disciples that the Old Testament was a book that spoke about him, from beginning to end. When a church recognizes the Lordship of Jesus, that church will adopt Jesus’ view of the Scriptures. The Word of God will be preached and treasured.

4. There is a commitment to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission. When questioned about the greatest commandment, Jesus called people to love God above all and to love neighbor as self. This is the Great Commandment. Before ascending to heaven, Jesus reminded his disciples that he had been given all authority in heaven and on earth, and on the basis of that authority Jesus sent his disciples out to make disciples of all nations. A church that recognizes the Headship of Jesus will be serious about both the Great Commandment and the Great Commission.

5. There is a love for children. If you read the gospels, it’s clear that Jesus loved children. He did not see them as a bother, a nuisance, an expense, or a mess. He valued them and treasured them. He made time for them. If a church is serious about submitting to Jesus as Ruler, that church will adopt Jesus’ view of children.

6. There is a healthy, functioning body that submits to the Head. The New Testament metaphor of Jesus being the Head of the church implies that the Head has a body. That idea is also expressed in the New Testament with great clarity. The church is described as the body of Christ, and Jesus wants his body to be both healthy and functioning. That means a church in submission to the headship of Christ will care more about health than buildings, bodies, and budgets. It also means a church in submission to the headship of Christ will cultivate a culture of service among God’s people.

7. There is a willingness to put our churches into biblical order. Jesus promised to be with his disciples and to guide them as they went about the task of the Great Commission. The Holy Spirit of God inspired the New Testament authors as they wrote about the growth of the church and as they wrote about God intentions for the church. Today, when a church is serious about the Headship of Jesus, that church will desire to be put into biblical order. Rather than going along with the spirit of the age, churches that recognize the Headship of Jesus will seek to joyfully submit to Jesus’ design and intention for the church.