Several years ago I attended a one-day pastors conference in Columbus, Ohio. The featured speaker was a pastor from Florida whose church numbered well over 10,000 people. As the day progressed, I grew more and more concerned. This pastor taught church growth principles while sprinkling in some stories, but biblical content was virtually absent. I knew there was going to be a Q & A at the end of the day, and for the last little while, I debated whether or not I should say something. With a growing sense that what I was hearing was problematic, I knew what I had to do. When the Q & A time came, I rose from my seat and went to the microphone. My question went something like this:

“Sir, you have spent the whole day teaching about leadership principles that you have used in your church and that are certain to work. My concern is that the Bible is nowhere to be found in your presentation.”

I will never forget how this pastor said without hesitation, “All truth is God’s truth! Everything that I have taught today is based on Biblical leadership principles.” He briefly expanded on this and when he finished there was a chorus of cheers and amen’s from several of the other pastors in attendance. I took my seat, having nothing to say in response.

For some time after that, I pondered what I had heard. If this pastor was basing his teaching upon Biblical principles, why not just quote from Scripture? What was he trying to hide? Was he embarrassed by the Bible? Was he trying to sneak the Bible’s teaching into his church and into the conferences he taught at? These and many more questions should be asked. And at the end of the day, God alone knows his heart motives. But this is an appropriate time to talk about the Reformation principle of Sola Scriptura.

For those of you who are not familiar with that concept, it is Latin for “Scripture alone.” As Christians, we acknowledge that Scripture is the foundation of all truth and is the sole authority in our lives and in our churches.

The London Baptist Confession of Faith (1689) puts it this way: “The whole counsel of God concerning all things necessary for his own glory, man’s salvation, faith and life, is either expressly set down or necessarily contained in the Holy Scripture: unto which nothing at any time is to be added, whether by new revelation of the Spirit, or traditions of men.”

In short, Scripture is sufficient. This is not just a Baptist belief – this is a Christian belief. What is unfortunate is that often Christians affirm Sola Scriptura in theory but not in practice. This Florida mega-church pastor would probably hold to Sola Scriptura. But when it comes to growing his church, it is obvious he doesn’t believe in the sufficiency of Scripture. Instead, he has turned to secular leadership literature and worldly principles to grow his church. The question must be asked: is the New Testament inadequate? Is the Bible insufficient for our ecclesiology – for our understanding of the church?

It is often assumed that if it “works” in the church (meaning: the church grows numerically) that principle is surely “tried and true.” Hence we have “all truth is God’s truth.” Admittedly, this is quite a leap, but this paradigm has been adopted by countless churches.

I don’t think it is necessarily wrong to read secular leadership books or even to attend secular leadership seminars. But the Word of God is always authoritative and it must serve as the filter by which we evaluate all truth claims originating from outside the Bible. All to often, pastors have been quick to label something “true” simply because it worked for them in their context. But this does not necessarily mean that these “principles” are faithful to the Biblical norm.

If you are a pastor, elder, or Christian leader, ask: What is my foundation? Is my work built upon the sure foundation of God’s Word (Psalm 127:1), or upon something else? The pastor’s conference I attended several years ago was filled with worldly wisdom and pragmatic insights, but little (if any) biblical truth. This was justified with a flippant statement “all truth is God’s truth.”

Indeed, all truth is God’s truth, but we have to ask – is God’s truth really my truth? Is God’s Word my sole rule for faith and practice? One day everyone’s work will be revealed for all to see (1 Corinthians 3:10-15). It will become clear whether it was done in the power of the Holy Spirit and built upon the foundation of God’s Word or whether it was done in human strength and man’s wisdom.

For more on this topic check out this article from Got Questions.