Basic Issues of Church Government

Written by Dr. Gary Bonebrake | 14 December 2009

by Dr. Gary W. Bonebrake, Pastor of Main Street Baptist Church, Oneonta, NY

The purpose of this church is to glorify God by worshiping him alone, by winning people to Christ, by building them to Christlike maturity, and by equipping them for ministry in the church and mission in the world.

When Christians come to consideration of matters of church government, it is important to adopt a posture of humility, charity and respect for others.

Some of the greatest theologians in the history of Christianity have been non-baptists (Augustine, Martin Luther, John Calvin — and in our own time James M. Boice and John R.W. Stott). There are great men of God in all traditions of church polity. So while we develop our own theology and our own understanding of church government, we do so without an arrogant or sectarian spirit. We seek as best we can, to understand the relevant biblical principles and give them expression in our church life.

Perhaps God quite intentionally did not make every detail of church polity explicit in the NT in order to allow the church to function well in different cultures. The church of God lives and functions today in patriarchal societies governed by chiefs and in societies that have democratic traditions like our own. The church functions in many different cultural settings. In this essay I want to share some of my fundamental convictions and concerns about church government as I look at the NT. This can become a catalyst to discussion and study.

I.    Christ is the Head of the church

“Jesus is Lord” was the earliest confession of faith in the early church and remains to this day the foundational confession of faith for every believer (Rom.10:9; 1 Cor.12:3; 2 Cor.4:5). Christ is the Founder and sovereign Lord of the church, a redeemed community which he creates (Matt.16:18) and in which he lives (Rev.1:13,20).

Christ alone is the Lord, the “Head” of the church (Col.1:18; Eph.1:22).

Christ expresses his authority through his word, so that the Scriptures are the final authority in all matters of faith and practice. So while we admit that not all things are equally clear in Scripture, and not every detail of church polity is perfectly plain in the NT (intentionally so), we do seek to base our church polity on the teachings of the NT.

II.    The congregation is the final human authority (“congregational polity”)

While by no means conclusive, there are indications in the NT that the congregation as a body is the final human authority. Baptists have pointed to Col.1:18, which teaches that Christ is the Head of the church, and argued that the Lordship of Christ in each local congregation is best expressed if the local body can act without interference or governance from outside the church. Similarly, when Jesus gives instructions to his disciples about dealing with sin, he indicates that the offending believer should first be confronted in private, then with two or three witnesses, and finally, if he remains intransigent, the matter must be taken to the whole church (Matt.18:15-18). (One gets the impression that “the whole church” is the final human court where the matter is to be dealt with.) One can compare 1 Cor.5:4-5 (where the context again is church discipline) and see Paul’s instruction “When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, hand this man over to Satan . . .” (i.e. expel him from the fellowship). The serious action of excommunicating a believer from the church is the action of the entire church, not a single individual or a small group. Again one gets the impression that the church body, assembled under the Lordship of Christ, is the final human authority.
One sees the authority of the congregation in the selection of leaders in Acts 6, where the church body chose seven Spirit-filled men to take over the responsibility of distributing food to the widows fairly. Those chosen by the church were presented to the apostles, who laid hands on them and prayed (Acts 6:6).

Robert Saucy writes of congregational polity:

The congregational form [of church government] rests the authority of the church in each local church as an autonomous unit, with no person or organization above it except Christ the Head. Emphasis is also upon the democratic structure of the church whereby the ultimate authority is vested in the members themselves.

Congregational polity is based then on several NT themes: 

1. the headship of Christ (Col.1:18; Eph.1:22),
2. the priesthood of believers (1 Pet.2:5-9), and
3. the practice of the NT church.
4. Congregational government also seems most consistent with the ministerial responsibilities of every member rather than a special class (Rom.12:3-9; 1 Cor.12).

This certainly does not mean that churches are “islands of independence.” Churches need each other for fellowship, for instruction and for cooperative efforts in evangelism and service. A church dishonors the Lord if it communicates an isolationist mentality of not needing the wisdom, experience and counsel of other churches. In the Bible, we see a pattern of mutual accountability in the action of the Jerusalem church in Acts 15. After the apostles and elders decided the theological question, that all were saved by grace through faith and that Gentiles did not have to be circumcised and obey the Law of Moses in order to become Christians, this decision was communicated by letter to the churches. One can see that authority was involved in the words of Acts 16:4: “As they [Paul, Silas and Timothy] traveled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey.” 

Local churches should express their unity in Christ by enjoying fellowship with one another and by sharing in tasks of outreach and service (Eph.4:3). However, the church must separate itself from those who proclaim false teaching (Rom.16:17).

III.    The office of elder

A.    God appoints elders to govern the affairs of the church

One finds the theological background for elders in the Old Testament. The institution of “the elders of Israel” is very ancient, antedating Moses and the Law itself. For as God spoke to Moses in a theophany at the burning bush on Mount Sinai, he commanded him to assemble “the elders of Israel” and announce to them that God had heard the cry of the people and would deliver them (Exod.3:16,18). In the plural the elders is a technical term and appears in the OT over 100 times, usually of the “elders of Israel,” of those having authority. One reads of elders of families, of tribes, of cities and of other nations (of Midian--Num.22:4,7; of Egypt --Ps.105:22, etc).

In the NT, there are also many references to elders. The first 29 occurrences refer to Jewish elders. These are quite clearly elders in the Jewish community: “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don’t wash their hands before they eat!” (Matt. 15:2) “From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.” (Matt. 16:21), etc. Reference to Jewish elders continues in Acts (Acts 4:5,8,23: 5:21; 6:12, etc.). Suddenly, as the narrative of the book of Acts continues, one sees the term elders referring to leaders in the Christian congregation: “This they did, sending their gift to the elders by Barnabas and Saul.” (Acts 11:30) There is no record of the institution of this office in the early church. There is simply the sudden change — the word used frequently in Acts to designate Jewish leaders suddenly refers to Christian elders. Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust. (14:23) The existence of elders in the Christian congregation would seem therefore to be a direct and natural outgrowth of the institution of elders in OT Israel, and the elders in the Jewish synagogue.

The word “elder” is used twenty times in the NT of Christian elders, 15 occurrences of the term are in the plural.

When one examines these texts and their contexts one sees that actually three terms are used as designations of the same group of leaders. “Elders” are also designated “overseers” and “pastors.” Acts 20 is an instructive passage:  “From Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church” (v.17). In his address to them, Paul charges them: “Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.” (v.28). The verb translated “be shepherds of” in the NIV is simply the verb form of the noun for pastor. Thus, the same group of leaders is designated “elders” (v. 17), “overseers” (v. 28) and they are described as “pastoring” the congregation (v. 28). This same interchange of terminology is seen elsewhere in the NT. When Paul instructs Titus to appoint elders in every town, he reminds him of the qualifications of elders (Titus 1:5-7); Paul calls these leaders “elders” in vv..5-6, then “overseers” in v. 7, using the terms interchangeably. Likewise Peter writes to “the elders among you”, telling them to “be shepherds of God’s flock,” “serving as overseers” (1 Pet. 5:1-2), again using all three designations interchangeably.

These are simply three designations for the same office.

Each of the designations focuses on a different aspect of their office: the designation elder focuses on the fact that the leaders were usually older men. It was the older men who led in ancient Israel, respected for their wisdom and their experience. Overseer focuses on their function; they have oversight of the congregation; they were responsible to have oversight of the spiritual life and the ministry of the church. Pastor is simply the word “shepherd” (poimhvn) and focuses on the responsibility to lead the church, the “flock of God” (Acts 20:28; 1 Pet.5:2), to feed God’s people, to protect them from error, etc. (drawing from the image of “shepherd” to describe the function).

The qualifications of the elders are given in two similar passages in the pastoral epistles:

1 Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task. 2 Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4 He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect. 5 (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?) 6 He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. 7 He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap. (1 Timothy 3:1-7)

5 The reason I left you in Crete was that you might straighten out what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you. 6 An elder must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. 7 Since an overseer is entrusted with God’s work, he must be blameless -- not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. 8 Rather he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. 9 He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it. (Titus 1:5-9)

It is clear that they are to be mature Christian men, experienced and proven, men who set an example for the believers by their walk with Christ, men of integrity who will be conscientious in their task.

One thing that is clear is that there is a plurality of elders in NT churches — not just one man who offers leadership (see Acts 14:23; 20:17; Tit.1:5; Phil.1:1).

B.    The work of the church is to be under the oversight of the elders

Their tasks in the church would appear to include the following:

1. They are to set an example for God’s people (1 Pet. 5:3; cf. 1 Tim.4:12). This is also an obvious inference from the emphasis placed on the qualifications for these leaders.
2. They are to “direct the affairs of the church” (so the NIV translation of the verb proivsthmi in 1 Tim. 5:17.) The verb means “to be at the head (of), rule, direct”.
   1. The KJV translates with the verb “rule” in 1 Tim. 5:17. This same verb appears in 1 Tim. 3:4-5 of “managing” one’s household and managing the church. It would appear therefore that 1 Thes. 5:12 is also an instruction given with regard to the elders, for the verb proivsthmi appears here as well. “Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you.”
      The function of leadership is inherent also in the designation “overseer.” Also instructive in this context is the teaching of Heb. 13:17: “Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.” It is clear that these men are to be leaders of the congregation. They are to have oversight of the life, work and ministry of the church. But they do not “lord it over” the church: “The authority of elders is not inherent in themselves but is derived from the Lord’s teaching as recorded and developed in inspired Scriptures.”
3. At least some of these leaders are responsible to teach and preach: “The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.” (1 Tim. 5:17). This statement gives the appearance that some of the elders engaged in preaching and teaching, while others perhaps did not. “Able to teach” is one of the qualifications listed in 1 Tim. 3:2. The elder must also “hold fast to the trustworthy message as it has been taught” (Tit.1:9); he must be a man of the word. This is a strong emphasis of the designation “pastor”: “It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers (Eph. 4:11).” (The terms “pastors and teachers” are two designations of the same persons here.)
4. They are to take the lead in disciplining members who by their conduct dishonor Christ. This is probably a legitimate inference from passages like  “Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” (Gal. 6:1-2) “See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.” (Heb. 12:15). The verb translated “see to it” is the verb form of “having oversight.” Confronting believers who wander into sin or error is by no means the responsibility only of elders, but of all Christians (Matt. 18:15f; Luke 17:3-4). But since elders have a responsibility of oversight, they would naturally take the lead if they become aware of situations that require restoration.
5. The elders / overseers / pastors are responsible to protect the church from error and false teaching: “Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.” (Acts 20:28-31) “He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.” (Tit. 1:9)

Conclusion

This is why our church has initiated a governmental change and created a board of elders, men who are required to meet biblical qualifications for leadership and who are responsible to lead the church, offering oversight of spiritual life and ministry in the congregation. The pastors are members of this body of leaders (since the term “pastor” is used interchangeably with “elder” in the NT.)

Of course the term “pastor” has taken on another significance in the modern church than it had in the NT period. Today pastors have a theological education, devote themselves full-time to ministry, are ordained, and receive their livelihood from their work — all things which are not true of the lay elders of the congregation. Perhaps in this sense the pastors are to be seen as “first among equals” in some way. But it is consistent with the biblical data and logical for the pastors to be part of the board of elders in organizing the church’s life and ministry.

IV.    Deacons in the New Testament

The other office in the NT church is that of deacons; in two passages in the NT (and only two) these two offices are mentioned (Phil.1:1; 1 Tim.3:1-13). These are the two offices of the NT church. The qualifications of deacons are similar to those of the elders:

8 Deacons, likewise, are to be men worthy of respect, sincere, not indulging in much wine, and not pursuing dishonest gain. 9 They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience. 10 They must first be tested; and then if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons. 11 In the same way, their wives are to be women worthy of respect, not malicious talkers but temperate and trustworthy in everything. 12 A deacon must be the husband of but one wife and must manage his children and his household well. 13 Those who have served well gain an excellent standing and great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus. (1 Timothy 3:8-13)

The word deacon means “servant” and appears in the feminine form in Rom.16:1: “I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deaconess of the church at Cen’chre-ae.” (RSV) The NIV translates “servant of the church.” The other possible reference to “deaconesses” is 1 Tim. 3:11, which the NIV translates of “the wives” of the deacons with the alternate translation “deaconess” in the footnote. The RSV reflects the ambiguity in the Greek text of 1 Tim. 3:11:  The women likewise must be serious, no slanderers, but temperate, faithful in all things. (RSV). Greek has no separate word for “woman” and “wife,” so the reference in this text could be to the wives of deacons, or to women serving as deaconesses (or both) — that is, perhaps the wives of the deacons served as deaconesses.

What are the tasks or duties of the deacons? The office of deacon was instituted in Acts 6.

1 In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. 2 So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. 3 Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them 4 and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.” 5 This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. 6 They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them. 7 So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith. (Acts 6:1-7)

Although the noun “deacon” (diavkono”) does not appear in this passage the verb form “to serve” (diakonei’n ) does (v.2), translated “to wait on tables.” This is generally thought to be the institution of the office of deacons.

The office was instituted in order to care for the physical needs of church members, in this case the distribution of food to the widows of the church. Taking this responsibility would free those with spiritual oversight (in this case the apostles) to devote themselves to prayer and the ministry of the word (v.4).

A modern church should therefore have deacons and deaconesses who care for the temporal concerns of the congregation — administer a deacons’ pantry and closet perhaps, visit the shut-ins, etc.

V.    The authority of the elders

It is instructive to note the repeated phrase “apostles and elders” in Acts 15.

This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question. (v.2)

When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them. (v.4)

The apostles and elders met to consider this question. (v.6)

Then the apostles and elders, with the whole church, decided to choose some of their own men and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas (called Barsabbas) and Silas, two men who were leaders among the brothers. (v.22)

With them they sent the following letter: The apostles and elders, your brothers, To the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia: Greetings. (v.23)

As they traveled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey. (16:4)

One sees the role of the elder associated with the apostle in hearing the contention of the Judaizers, the reports of the missionaries, the experience and argument of Peter, the arguments of both sides, and then deciding for the good of the church in this doctrinal matter. The authority of apostles and elders is seen in 16:4 (cf. Heb. 13:7). Lewis writes: “The elders delegate certain ministries to deacons/deaconesses chosen by the congregation. As stewards of specified ministries, the deacons/deaconesses give account first to the elders.”

This would appear to be the correct alignment of authority.

Conclusion

As the apostles had authority over the deacons (Acts 6), so the elders have authority over other groups and committees in the congregation today. In our new government we have therefore replaced our many boards with one elder board, made up of the pastors and elected lay elders, responsible to lead the congregation and have oversight of the church’s life and ministry. All other committees and ministry teams are under their authority and responsible to them. The church is free to create offices to meet specific ministry tasks and responsibilities. Having one board overseeing the whole simplifies and streamlines church government and reflects accurately the teaching of the New Testament.

*** footnotes ***
1 Bruce Shelley, What Baptists Believe.
2Robert Saucy, The Church in God’s Program, p.114.
3“A church is made up of converts with equal spiritual standing.” G. Lewis & B. Demarest, Integrative Theology, III, p.273.
4Saucy, p. 116-117. “Who selects the officers [of the church]? Since there are no more apostles, biblical qualifications are best assessed by those who have known candidates for the office of elder for some time--i.e., members of their church.” G.Lewis, IT, III, p. 278.
5G. Lewis, IT, III, p.282.
6Cf. Brown, Driver and Briggs, Hebrew Lexicon, p. 278-79.
7Cf. Lewis, IT, III, p.268.
8The references: Acts 11:30; 14:23; 15:2,4,6,22,23; 16:4; 20:17; 21:18; 25:15; 1 Tim.4:14; 5:17,19: Titus 1:5,6; James 5:14; 1 Pet.5:1; 2 John 1; 3 John 1. The many references to the heavenly “twenty-four elders” in the book of Revelation are not included in this listing.
9Peter uses the noun form “elders” (Presbutevrou”) , but the verb form of “pastor--”be shepherds of” (poimavnate) and the verb form of “overseer”, “serving as overseers” (ejpiskopou’nte”).
10W. Bauer, Greek-English Lexicon of the NT, translated by Ardnt & Gingrich.
11Could mean “care for” here. cf. Bauer, p.714.
12G. Lewis, IT, III, p.279. “The difference between the elders and other members is not a matter of inherent hierarchical authority nor an insupportable apostolic succession through generations of church history. The elder’s authority is merely functional. It depends on spiritual gifts recognized by the congregation and the faithful use of these gifts for the good of the entire body.” IT, III, p.282.
13Cf. Dictionary of New Testament Theology, I, p.191.
14Cf. G.Lewis and Bruce Demarest, Integrative Theology, III, p.263.
15G.Lewis, IT, III, p. 282.