Foundations of Faith: Church Governance

Transcription

1 Foundations of Faith: Church Governance Summary: all church members should understand and agree with the following The pastor/elders are responsible for ensuring the spiritual and functional health of the church, while submitting to the teachings of scripture at all times. Deacons and other spiritual leaders are responsible for helping the pastor/elders, under their authority. The senior pastor/lead elder shepherds the team of pastor/elders, and has the ultimate responsibility to Christ for the doctrinal purity and spiritual health of the church. Following the evidence of scripture and other early church documents, all pastor/elders will be men of outstanding character and spiritual maturity, and all other spiritual leaders will be men and women of outstanding character and spiritual maturity. Groben Foundations of Faith: Church Governance p.1

2 Detail: all teachers and leaders should understand and agree with the following Governance of the Church 1 Christ is the head of the universal church [Ephesians 1.22; Colossians 1.18] and thus of all local churches. Not only did God anoint Christ as the head of the church, but Christ founded the church [Matthew 16.18], he is the foundation of the church s beliefs [1 Corinthians 3.11], he chose the original apostles and their prophetic envoys who would lay out the foundation of the church s beliefs in writing the New Testament [Ephesians 2.20], he redeemed the believers who constitute the church [Acts 20.28], and he sent the Holy Spirit to empower the church [Acts 2.33]. Therefore, the church should at all times submit to the will of Christ as expressed in the teachings of the New Testament. Ephesians [NET]: And God put all things under Christ's feet, and he gave him to the church as head over all things. Now the church is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. The New Testament churches had the apostles to represent Christ to them and teach them the essentials of the faith. In the New Testament era of the early church, the apostles were the supreme authority in the church [the authority of every epistle testifies to this], able to appoint elders [Acts 14.23] or even to designate someone else to appoint elders in the local church [Titus 1.5]. Early church documents confirm James as the overall authority in Jerusalem, Paul over the churches he planted, Timothy as Paul s designee in Ephesus, Titus as Paul s designee on Crete, Peter for a time in Antioch, and John in parts of what is now Turkey, after his exile on Patmos. Collectively, the apostles ruled the early church [examples abound in Acts; e.g ] and clarified Christian doctrine as they wrote the New Testament. The apostles created the office of elders [seen as early as Acts 11.30] and deacons [Philippians 1.1], and these offices were universally applied throughout the local churches [Acts 14.23; Philippians 1.1; 1 Timothy ; 5.17; Titus 1.5; James 5.14; 1 Peter 5.1-5]. While the context of these churches was different from ours today e.g. in each city there was one council of elders, but each elder had a house church of his own the fact that the apostles set up this three-fold governance structure suggests it was with God s revelation, and thus likely is useful today too. The Bible does not prescribe a specific church structure, so it is common to assume that we are free to adapt structure to suit the desires of each congregation. However, the Bible does prescribe responsibilities and corresponding authority for pastor/elders, for deacons, and for the church as a whole. Also, the Bible and early church writings do describe a structure for governance that we believe should be the foundation for church governance today, to which we might apply some level of adaptation. Philippians 1.1 [NLT]: This letter is from Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus. I am writing to all of God's holy people in Philippi who belong to Christ Jesus, including the elders and deacons. Early church writings indicate that this three-fold governance structure continued even after the death of the apostles and their designees, by the elevation of one elder in each region to senior pastor. According to the fourth century church historian Eusebius, the apostles appointed men to succeed them as senior pastors [or lead elders 2 ] in various churches. After the apostles and their designees had died, the elders of each church began to elevate one of their own to preside as senior pastor in overall authority and 1 For the sake of clarity, all Greek terms have been translated into terminology understandable today. In the New Testament and the early church writings, some of the applications of Greek terms changed over time. Those interested can see Will Groben s seminary paper, Hints about Individual Church Governance from Early Church Documents, or Michael Svigel s Retro-Christianity. 2 In the Bible, there is no office of senior pastor or lead elder, because the apostles in effect filled that role. In the early church, the term used for overseer in the Bible [see next section] became the term most often used to describe what evolved as a senior pastor or lead elder role. Groben Foundations of Faith: Church Governance p.2

3 responsibility to God for that local church. 3 In about AD 110, Ignatius, the senior pastor in Antioch of Syria, wrote a series of letters to churches in what is now Turkey, repeatedly referring to the structure of a strong single senior pastor presiding over a council of elders, with deacons to help, in each church. As church historian Svigel remarked, the fact that this structure was so strongly and broadly applied throughout the churches so soon after the death of the apostles and their designees suggests that the apostles themselves advocated it. Thus we conclude from a comprehensive study of the New Testament and early church documents that the governance of the church should be based on that which was set up by the apostles: a senior pastor, a team of pastor/elders, and teams of deacons [or other spiritual leaders], each with responsibilities and authority as described below. Pastor/Elders There are three sets of terms associated with pastor/elders in Scripture. πρεσβύτερος [pres-byoo-teross], usually translated elder, was used in Greco-Roman culture to designate civil and religious officials, and was used in Jewish culture to refer to officers in a local synagogue [as in Luke 7.3] or in the ruling Sanhedrin council [as in Matthew 16.21]. ἐπίσκοπος [e-pis-cah-poss], usually translated overseer, was used in Greco-Roman culture to refer to a guardian of a group, including religious groups [see a similar meaning in 1 Peter 2.25]. Related words that appear in Scripture are ἐπισκοπή [e-pis-kah- PAY], meaning the office of overseer [1 Timothy 3.1], and the verb ἐπισκοπέω [e-pis-cah-peh-oh], meaning to oversee or to have oversight [1 Peter 5.2]. ποιμήν [poy-mane] means shepherd [as in Luke 2.2]. In Greco-Roman culture, it sometimes referred to a leader or teacher in a religious guild [Jesus referred to himself this way in John 10.11]. The cognate verb, ποιμαίνω [poy-my-no], means to shepherd, both the literal tending of flocks [Luke 17.7] and the metaphorical protecting and guiding of people [Matthew 2.6]. Because all these terms referred to the same groups of pastor/elders, there should not be a distinction between pastors and elders in the church. When speaking to the elders of Ephesus [Acts 20.17], Paul commanded them, Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood [Acts NASB]. Similarly, Peter commanded elders to shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight [1 Peter NASB]. Writing to Titus, Paul used the terms elder and overseer interchangeably [Titus 1.5-9]. From these passages and the context of several others, we conclude that these terms referred to the same group in the New Testament: the pastor/elders of the local church who were under apostolic authority. One implication for the church today is that there should not be a group of elders that is distinct from the group of pastors. Anyone qualified to be a pastor in the church will be an elder, for the role is the same. This does not preclude an elder rising up from the laity to serve part-time, but the criteria for a lay person becoming an elder would be the same as for hiring a pastor, for the role is the same. This also does not preclude hiring staff who are not elders, but their authority will be limited to directing specific ministries under the guidance of the pastor/elders, and thus their title would not be pastor. From the terminology alone, we can discern that a pastor/elder is an official of the church who oversees the ministry of the church, is a spiritual leader who guards the health of the church particularly its soundness of doctrine and who teaches, protects, and guides those in the church. Early church writings 3 See Michael Svigel s Retro-Christianity. Groben Foundations of Faith: Church Governance p.3

4 after the New Testament support this view of the responsibilities of pastor/elders, including the following elaboration on those responsibilities. The pastor/elder has the responsibility to protect the purity of doctrine being taught and lived in the church, including correcting those who teach false doctrine [Acts ; Titus 1.7-9]. In today s church, this would include oversight and training of all who teach in the church in any context and approval of all curriculum. Titus 1.9 [NET]: He must hold firmly to the faithful message as it has been taught, so that he will be able to give exhortation in such healthy teaching and correct those who speak against it. The pastor/elder has the responsibility to teach and preach [1 Timothy 3.2; 5.17; Titus 1.7-9]. In today s church, this would include preaching in worship services, teaching in large and small group settings, training and coaching the other teachers and leaders in the church, mentoring, evangelizing, providing biblical counsel, and continuing their own biblical study so as to always be growing more equipped for these ministries. 1 Timothy 5.17 [NET]: Elders who provide effective leadership must be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard in speaking and teaching. The pastor/elder has the responsibility to work with other teachers, evangelists, and exhorters to equip the members of the church to carry out the ministry work of the church and build them up so there is unity, knowledge of Christ and sound doctrine, spiritual maturity, and Christ-like character [Ephesians ]. 4 In today s church, this would include structuring the teaching in the church to facilitate a growing understanding and application of God s revelation, providing opportunities for the other revealed aspects of the growth process, such as biblical community and service to others, and providing ministry training, especially for evangelism, teaching, and mentoring. Ephesians [NET]: It was he who gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, that is, to build up the body of Christ The pastor/elder has the responsibility to provide administrative oversight to the church [Titus 1.7; 1 Peter 5.1-5]. In today s church, that would include serving as the board of directors for legal purposes, serving as the authority in church decisions, representing the church in public, coordinating with other likeminded churches, ordaining those who become a pastor/elder, deacon, missionary, or recognized teacher in the church [see 1 Timothy 4.14], providing the church with strategic planning and vision casting, establishing procedures that are biblically consistent and effective, and ensuring the various ministries of the church are functioning effectively. The pastor/elder has the responsibility to provide spiritual leadership, including living by example [1 Timothy 5.17; 1 Peter 5.3]. In today s church, that would include overseeing worship in church services, administrating the ordinances of water baptism and the Lord s supper, providing teaching that effectively helps people grow spiritually, leading and coaching other leaders in the church, and exemplifying Christian character and Christian life. 4 The passage in Ephesians 4 mentions apostles and prophets. Apostles were those anointed by Christ or by other apostles to carry out the work of establishing the church. Nobody today has the authority of the original apostles, who could determine what was correct and write scripture. The term prophets often is misunderstood, so we have used the term exhorters here instead. God continues today to use people through whom he supernaturally provides the right words of exhortation, encouragement, or loving rebuke, to help people grow spiritually. Groben Foundations of Faith: Church Governance p.4

5 The pastor/elder has the responsibility to provide a shepherd s care to the members of the church [1 Peter 5.2]. In today s church, that would include praying for the church and its individual members, and ensuring that the ministries of the church are functioning properly, including those for edification and care. It is worth noting that when the church first started in Jerusalem and the apostles were functioning like the first pastor/elders, they determined they should focus on the study and teaching of God s Word [including evangelizing by teaching the gospel] and prayer, and thus chose to rely on other equipped members to carry out the bulk of the care ministries, but these remained under their ultimate authority and responsibility [Acts 6.1-6]. The pastor/elder has the responsibility to pray over those in need and hear their willing confessions [James ]. We believe one need only confess to God to be cleansed [1 John 1.9; though it is possible even this was meant to be public in a sense], but confession to another person along with prayer for each other provides healing [James 5.16]. In today s church, pastor/elders should be willing to hear the confession of members and to provide them with unconditional acceptance and love, along with sound biblical counsel and a structure of accountability. James [NET]: Is anyone among you ill? He should summon the elders of the church, and they should pray for him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick and the Lord will raise him up and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. So confess your sins to one another and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great effectiveness. The pastor/elders will work together as a team to ensure these responsibilities are carried out. As revealed in early church literature, the senior pastor will be a prime among equals, 5 serving as the mentor/coach of the other pastor/elders, and providing the ultimate accountability for doctrinal purity, spiritual health, and ministry effectiveness. The senior pastor will take responsibility for ensuring the spiritual health and growth, and ministry development, of the other pastor/elders [who will make themselves available for this mentoring/coaching]. Most qualifications for elders are related to character [1 Timothy 3.2-7; Titus 1.6-9]. First, they must be mature and devout believers. Second, they must hold firmly to good doctrine and be able to teach that doctrine to others. Third, they must be leading lives of exceeding integrity, being above reproach, respectable, with an upstanding reputation even among non-believers. Fourth, they must be temperate and sober, not given to drunkenness. Fifth, they must be self controlled, peace loving, non-contentious, gentle, and non-violent. Sixth, they must be hospitable and not materialistic or greedy. Seventh, they must be humble and sensible. Eighth, they must have a family life that is well ordered, with children who are not rebellious or wild and a marriage that is intact. In the Bible and in the early church documents, there are only men serving as elders. The existing pastor/elders will choose new elders to add to their team, but each selected individual needs the approval of the congregation before assuming the office of pastor/elder [this seems to be the approach suggested in Clement of Rome, ]. The office of pastor/elder does not have a term limit, 6 but the 5 This terminology is from Michael Svigel s blog post, A Biblical-Historical Model of Church Order, Part III, at Accessed From Clement of Rome who was writing to chastise the Corinthian church for unjustly removing their leadership we get the notion that there was a permanence to the offices of bishop and presbyter: so long as one who had rightfully gained these offices continued to perform his duties blamelessly, there was no just removal of him from office. See Clement of Rome, Groben Foundations of Faith: Church Governance p.5

6 team of pastor/elders can remove one of their number if he is unrepentantly walking in sin. 7 New Elders should be publically ordained, in a ceremony of congregational recognition of their qualification and calling to the position, and prayerful support by the rest of the elders and deacons [1 Timothy 4.14; 5.22]. Deacons The early church had leaders called deacons [1 Timothy ; Philippians 1.1]. This role apparently evolved out of the early experiences of the apostles needing help to administrate the ministries [Acts 6.1-6], and so the deacons became ministers under the authority of the pastor/elders [Didache; the letters of Ignatius to the Magnesians, Trallians, Smyrnaeans]. How the deacons help the pastor/elders is flexible. If the pastor/elders focus on the responsibilities scripture gives to them, however, it becomes apparent that the deacons will have to step up to fulfill roles such as mentoring new believers, ensuring the logistical needs of the church are met, helping with volunteer recruitment and oversight of ministry teams, and other such activities. Acts 6 provides a biblical example from which the church might draw insights [Acts 6.1-6]; it is not prescriptive, but it is the most revealing passage of how the apostles thought deacons should be chosen. First, it is worth noting that the apostles, serving as the elders, initiated the process of selection and remained in authority over it throughout. The apostles [elders] sought insight from some trustworthy people who were interested in this particular need of the church. Those people suggested good leaders who could oversee the ministry to meet this need. The apostles [elders] validated those selections and consecrated the new deacons. Those deacons were now in positions of authority for this specific ministry, having that authority delegated to them by the apostles [elders], and operated under the guidance and leadership of the apostles [elders]. The deacons functioned as ministry team leaders for a particular ministry of the church; their appointment was not permanent, nor was it over the entire church. Deacons should be publically ordained, in a ceremony of congregational recognition of their qualification and calling to the position, and prayerful support by the rest of the elders and deacons. Acts [NET]: So the twelve called the whole group of the disciples together and said, "It is not right for us to neglect the word of God to wait on tables. But carefully select from among you, brothers, seven men who are well-attested, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this necessary task. Most qualifications for deacons are related to character [1 Timothy ]. First, they must be beyond reproach and worthy of respect. Second, they must be strong in faith and hold to good doctrine. Third, they must be sincere, sober, self controlled, trustworthy, not materialistic or greedy, not slanderous. Fourth, they must have a family life that is well ordered, with children who are not rebellious or wild and a marriage that is intact. As those ultimately responsible for the oversight of the church, the pastor/elders can remove a deacon who is not submissive to the ministry structure or who is engaging in willful sin. The early church had both men and women serving as deacons. Paul called Phoebe a deacon of the church in Cenchrea [Romans 16.1]. 8 Paul also referred to women deacons when outlining the 7 In the early church, if an elder was unrepentantly walking in sin [and thus not meeting what would become known as the biblical standards of office], there apparently were procedures for removing such a one from office, as evidenced by Polycarp s letter to the Philippians, in which he discussed their affliction of an avaricious presbyter. See Polycarp, The Letter of Polycarp to the Philippians, in The Apostolic Fathers: Greek Texts and English Translations, 3rd ed., ed. Michael W. Holmes (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2007), Michael Svigel has shown that whenever the Greek phrase of the church is used in the New Testament and the earliest Christian literature (where of the church is a personal designation or title), the personal designation refers to an office, not just to a generic function (Acts 20:17; Eph. 5:23; Jas. 5:14; Rev. 2:1, 8, Groben Foundations of Faith: Church Governance p.6

7 qualifications for deacons [1 Timothy 3.11]. 9 The church in Rome in the late first century had a female named Grapte who was tasked with instructing widows and orphans, which was a responsibility for deacons [Shepherd of Hermas, Vision 2.4.3; Similtude ). Other historical documents show the early church had female deacons [Pliny the Younger, Lib , Plinius Traiano Imperatori] who ministered to women and assisted in their baptism, in a role parallel to what male deacons did for men [Didascalia 16]. Thus it appears that during the apostolic period and into the post-apostolic period, the church developed an office of deacon for both men and women, with women teaching, baptizing, and mentoring other women and children, in a role parallel to that of male deacons, all under the authority of the pastor/elders. Romans 16.1 [NIV]: I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon of the church in Cenchreae. Missionaries essentially are deacon or elder-level people sent out of the church to spread the gospel mission. Thus the church should require deacon-level qualifications for missionaries and consecrate them in the same way [Acts 13.3] Acts NET: While they were serving the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them. Then, after they had fasted and prayed and placed their hands on them, they sent them off. 12, 18; 3:1, 7, 14; Ignatius, Trallians 2.3; Philadelphians 5.1; Polycarp 1.1; Shepherd of Hermas, Vision 2.2.6; 2.4.3; 3.9.7; Martyrdom of Polycarp 16.2; 19.2). He also argues that as v.2 generalizes her service to many, v.1 is more likely to be specific and official. See his blog post at 9 This is a difficult verse to interpret, but Svigel offers sound reasoning in support of this verse referring to women deacons, not the wives of the deacons. First, the women likewise construction is the same as Paul used in v.8 when transitioning from discussion of elders to deacons, suggesting the shift to a distinct though related group. Second, it is illogical that Paul would discuss the qualifications of the wives of deacons when he did not have any qualifications for the wives of the elders. See his blog post at Groben Foundations of Faith: Church Governance p.7