The church of God is not anarchistic; Scripture establishes authority and structure within it. In I Corinthians 12:27-29, Paul lists apostles, prophets, teachers, and other gifts in a definite order, which is a hierarchy of spiritual gifts. Hierarchy is often confused with authoritarianism, which is an opposite extreme error. Literally, hierarchy means a set-apart or sacred leader, and in its highest sense Jesus Christ is our High Priest and Hierarch. In its common sense, it means a system ranked one above another. The ranking rests not on worth or potential but on gifting, authority, and responsibility. God gives differing levels of gifts, and from those given much, much is required (Luke 12:48). This contrasts with Gnostic egalitarianism. Because the gifts are God-given rather than inherent, they give no ground for boasting (I Corinthians 4:7). Since no member of the Body can say to another, "I have no need of you" (I Corinthians 12:20-21), no one may decide he has no need of those to whom God has given greater authority or responsibility. Paul also names another chain of headship: Christ, man, woman, and God as head of Christ (I Corinthians 11:3). God does not hate hierarchy; He hates sin, wickedness, and oppression. Carnal men have misused the God-given structure, lording authority over others rather than serving as Christ did (Matthew 20:25-28). The fault lies in their carnality, not in the order God established, so only true conversion heals the disease. The love of I Corinthians 13, the more excellent way, must govern everyone who holds any gift or office.

Church authority is service, not rulership. Human governments, and the church under pressure to imitate them, drift toward a "Nanny" model in which leaders dictate behavior and members expect leaders to do for them what they should do for themselves. Both extremes stunt character development and leave people unprepared for eternal life. God is creating man in His character image (Genesis 1:26), and that requires real choice, made one day at a time (Deuteronomy 30:19). He wants sons and daughters who have made His values their own and choose rightly of their own volition, not people who are merely good at following orders. If every word and deed is regimented, whether by God or by a human government, character is not formed. In Luke 22:24-26, when the disciples argued over who was greatest, Christ pointed to the Gentile kings who exercise lordship and are called "benefactors." Gentile rulers may enforce order through force, coercion, oppressive legislation, and fear. They may also make people dependent by providing for everything in return for allegiance. Christ says, "But not so among you." Those with authority in His church must be as the younger and as one who serves. Their service is geared toward bringing members to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ (Ephesians 4:13). It does not mean ruling by iron-fisted control and fear, nor benevolently doing for members what they can and should do for themselves. It means using the gifts given for the edification of the body (Ephesians 4:16) and not taking more authority than Christ has given. Order that comes from within the people endures, even if it takes longer than order imposed from outside.

All authority in the church belongs to Jesus Christ, who is Head of the church and holds all authority in heaven and on earth (Ephesians 1:22-23; Colossians 1:18; Matthew 28:18). He is present with His church to the end of the age, and the members are His sheep, not the property of any group or leader. Because God is sovereign and Christ is Head, no leader may appropriate that headship, judge another man's servant (Romans 14:4), or rearrange the body, since each member and group serves under its own assignment from Christ. Ministers are servants and stewards, not lords. Jesus forbids lording it over others (Matthew 20:25-27), and Paul, Peter, James, Jude, and John all called themselves servants. Leaders do have real authority to preside, govern, and oversee (proistemi, hegeomai), but it is spiritual, not physical, civil, or political. They persuade and implore as ambassadors of reconciliation (II Corinthians 5); they do not force anyone or run people's lives. Their concern is spiritual and moral matters, not personal choices like the color of a car. A minister's job is to shepherd: to lead by example, feed, and tend Christ's flock willingly and eagerly, as Christ commanded Peter (I Peter 5:1-4; John 21). Leaders remain under Christ's stricter judgment and must stay within their assigned sphere, as Uzziah's fate warns. An authoritarian approach produces abuse and disaffection, while sacrificial service produces respect and loyalty.

John Nelson Darby concluded after a personal crisis that his chief problems stemmed from reliance on church organization and personal works, leading him to reject both in favor of a new interpretive lens for Scripture. This rejection shaped the Plymouth Brethren movement he founded, which protested any inclination toward rule by establishment or codified law and insisted there should be no government in the church. The Brethren therefore maintained no paid ministry, no official leadership positions, and essentially no rules for their meetings, instead gathering to speak only as they felt moved by the Spirit. They turned exclusively to private revelation from the Holy Spirit for instruction and growth, holding that any form of human authority would interfere with the Spirit's guidance into goodness. Such views aligned with religious anarchism, which regards authority as an impediment to the natural outworking of an inner divine spark. These positions stand in direct opposition to the Bible's consistent presentation of God-given human authority, parameters of conduct, and admonitions to good works. To reconcile his stance with Scripture, Darby embellished dispensationalism, allowing him to assign commandments and teachings on authority to earlier dispensations while claiming the present one operates solely under grace without such requirements. Similar notions of automatic spiritual understanding without laws or external guidance trace to Gnostic influences that Darby incorporated, permitting individuals to custom-tailor their Christianity by dismissing any matter on which they had not received direct revelation.