A person could make a very strong case in saying that the quarterback is the most important position in football. The quarterback can largely determine the success or failure of a team.
Many would argue that the pastor, apostle or other person, recognized as the head of the church, is the most important person in the church. And most people live in agreement with that.
I will contend here that the most important person in the church is Jesus. (Or the Holy Spirit, given he is the present-day, animating force of God in the church.)
The church is not the pastor's body. The church does not carry out the purposes of the apostle. If the person who sweeps the floor is more obedient to God, in closer agreement to God's purposes and in greater harmony with his role in God's kingdom, he can have a greater impact in the world than the pastor or the apostle. It is a person's agreement with God, that determines how God's presence and grace flows through him. Not a position. Not a title.
It is faith, love, obedience and humility that grant authority in God's kingdom. And a large proportion of Christians in the western church live as though God gives authority based on titles and educational degrees.
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