In the absence of something brand new to post, may I present my Pastoral Epistles research paper.
The existence of Church polity is a relevant and Biblical reality. Church government exists because there is a need for it. Obviously there was a need for a certain level of human leadership in the New Testament church, and the need is still obvious in churches today. Problems often arise, however, when the “who” of church leadership is discussed. These problems are very exaggerated in the church
Elder-ship is a divinely arranged position of leadership in the local church. Scripture indicates that multiple qualified elders were appointed to lead and teach in the early churches. Schofield summarizes the role of these elders when he states,
The elders were to “rule” or “take care of the church of God” (I Tim. 3:4, 5; 5:17); to guard the body of revealed truth from perversion and error (Titus 1:9); and to “oversee” the church as a shepherd his flock (Acts 20:28, where “feed” is literally to “tend as a shepherd”; John 21:16; Heb. 13:17; I Pet. 5:2).The requirements for elders that are established in I Timothy and Titus reveal a lot about the responsibilities of elders as well as the high standard that they are to retain. Their pure lifestyle is to be consistent with the message of faith that they teach and a good testimony to the church and people around them. Also, their lifestyles are a witness to their ability to “take care of the church of God” (I Tim. 3:5).
Elders, in regards to their leadership responsibilities, are to always stay within their proper bounds. Their relationship to the congregation is very crucial and Elders are never given license to exercise excessive rule over the congregation. Peter exhorts them to oversee, but “not by constraint.” (1 Peter 5:2) Furthermore, they are not to be “lords over God's heritage” but to be “ensamples to the flock.” (1 Peter 5:3).
The only office besides Elder that is recognized in the Scripture is the office of Deacon. The need for deacons first manifested itself soon after Pentecost as the Jerusalem church was experiencing massive growth. Seven godly men were chosen to take the load off the leaders by ministering to widows and serving tables. Theissen differentiates between elders and deacons by stating, “The elders were responsible for the spiritual needs of the community of the faithful and the deacons cared primarily for the physical needs.”
Deacons, in the Bible, are only ever mentioned dealing with physical matters. Their assigned role certainly seems to be quite distinct from the leadership sort of role that Elders have. Theissen states “The qualifications for those holding this office are similar to those of an elder, except that the requirements concerning the ability to teach and hospitality, though mentioned for the elder, are not required for the deacon. It is safe to say that the requirements for deacon seem particularly appropriate for those handling the material and financial needs of the organization.”
Although not an office, the congregation is the third aspect of a local churches organization. Elders and deacons are Biblical and serve a purpose, but they are not to take priority over the congregation. In fact, it is important to realize that the offices of Elder and Deacon are not necessary for a local church, in its simplest form, to be an entirely legitimate, fully-functioning body. The Biblical definition of church, as Chafer says, “is no more than the assembly of professed believers in one locality.” This can be seen in the New Testament as Paul and Barnabas established churches all over Asia Minor before returning and appointing elders in those churches. This is also consistent with the concept of the church being a body of believers rather than an extremely structured organization and with the role of elders as serving the church rather than lording over it.
Understanding the congregation as the core of the local church is complementary to understanding the place and role of leaders in the church. Leaders need to be a united part of the body. The New Testament testimony is that leaders always seem to have been appointed from within the congregation. They were members of the congregation who were willing to serve and then appointed to specific responsibilities. Deacons and elders are always a part of the congregation, not a distinct clergy class that lords their authority over the people.
The importance of the congregation in governing a church is further seen in the appointment of elders and deacons. Again, Henry Thiessen demonstrates a proper understanding of the relation of Elders and deacons to the church when he says, “Early church government is a combination of the congressional and presbyterial forms. The congregation chose their leaders, and the leaders acted in accordance with the directives and suffrage of the people.”
Too often the organization of church government is overcomplicated to the point of imposing a “new and rigid Leviticus” on the church. The principles in the New Testament contain no such doctrines. A local body of mature believers should be able to function together through like-mindedness and cooperation and appoint godly leaders to be responsible for needs in the church. The organization and government itself should never become the focus of church. Such a focus will only serve to develop animosity and resistance toward what God means the church to be. The local church is a “glorious truth of the unity and fellowship of the one Body of Christ” and should never become a mere human organization that fails to give the ultimate authority and glory to God.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Chafer, Lewis Sperry. Systematic Theology. Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications. 1993.
Schofield, C. I. Schofield Bible Correspondence Course. Chicago: Moody Bible Institute, 1960.
Theissen, Henry C. Lectures in Systematic Theology. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1986.
