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Gospel Basics: the Church (Part 2)
Gospel Basics: the Church (Part 2)
THE ORGANIZATION OF THE LOCAL CHURCH
There is a divine pattern for the organization or governing of the local church. In the New Testament we see two specific leadership roles with qualifications that must be met: elders and deacons.
Elders serve in a role of oversight over a church. Paul told the elders of the church in Miletus, “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 20:28).
Another term for the role of elders is overseers (Acts 20:28). Some versions say “bishops.” There is also the term pastors (Ephesians 4:11). Pastor means shepherd. To sum up, there are five terms that refer to one role: elder, overseer, bishop, pastor, shepherd.
Preachers are never called pastors in the Bible. Pastors are the same as elders. Qualifications for elders are laid out in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9. Here’s a sampling of those qualifications: above reproach, husband of one wife, having children who believe, hospitable, not addicted to wine, gentle, peaceable, apt to teach, not a new convert. The pattern revealed in Scripture is that multiple elders are to oversee a single local church (Titus 1:5; Acts 14:23; 20:28; 1 Peter 5:2).
Deacons are men appointed to a special position of service in a local church. The term deacon comes from the Greek word diakonos meaning “a servant”. Deacons’ qualifications are found in 1 Timothy 3:8-13 and are similar to elders’ requirements but not as extensive. There is no female “deaconess” position with set qualifications like the position of deacon. We read of multiple deacons serving in a single local church together with elders (Philippians 1:1).
Each local church we read about in the New Testament was self-governing and were guided by the same standard: God’s word (1 Corinthians 4:17). They weren’t controlled by a headquarters or another church. We never find the following types of organization in the Bible: one pastor over a church, one bishop over many churches, one man over an entire religious body, or offices such as arch-bishops, cardinals, priests, popes. The titles “Reverend” and “Father” are likewise unbiblical.
DESIGNATIONS FOR THE LOCAL CHURCH
Local churches in the New Testament are called by many names, never just one. These names were not titles but descriptions. Here are a few examples: “The church” (Acts 11:26; 13:1; 14;27; 15:3, 4; 18:22), “church in/at (name of city) ” (Revelation 2-3), “church of the Lord” (Acts 20:28), “churches of Christ” (Romans 16:16), and “church of God” (1 Corinthians 1:2). Any of these are scriptural terms to describe a local congregation of God’s people.
The pattern God has revealed about the local church is a blueprint we must follow. We have no authority to create our own blueprint or to ignore the pattern given to us in the pages of God’s holy word.
