What is the role of individuals within the local church? Does the pastor have full authority over ministry activities, finances, staff, and the facility? Should a church have an board of elders? What about women in the local church, do they have a role within the government of the local church? The authority of individuals within the local church is important to understand because when this authority gets out of balance, people gain or usurp authority that they do not have the right to posses. When the authority within the church is in balance, then the church can grow, and the church can glorify God through its ministries, members, and staff. Today, we are going to look at what the positions that hold authority within the local church are, who can hold those positions, how women serve in the government of the local church, and how authority functions in a balanced church.
It is very clear from Scripture that there is only one head of the Church. He is the one that has final say over everything that happens within the church body. He not only has authority over the ministries within the church, but also over who can become a member of the church. It is upon his word alone that the local church should act. Who holds such authority within the Church? Well…God. Christ Jesus is the head of the Church, Ephesians 1:22 “and he has put all things under his feet, and he has given him to be the head over all the assembly (Church).” Colossians 1:18 “and he is the head of the body; they assembly, who is the beginning, the first born out from the dead, in order that he should become first in all things.” God the father chooses who becomes a member of the church, Ephesians 1:4 “according as he has chosen us in him before the foundation of the universe, that we should be holy (set a part) and blameless before him in love.” And the Holy Spirit places members into the body of the Christ and governs the activities of the Church, 1 Corinthians 12:1-7 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware. 2 You know that when you were pagans, you were led astray to the dumb idols, however you were led. 3 Therefore I make known to you, that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus is accursed"; and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit. 4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. 6 And there are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. 7 But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 1 Corinthians 12:13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. However, if you go to a local Church, you will not find the Godhead answering phones, doing the accounting, cleaning the building, or preparing ministries. For these tasks, the Holy Spirit has given a special gift to each member of the body. This gift is for the edification of the members of the church and governs a large part of the role the individual plays within the local church.
Not only does the universal Church function as a body, the local church also functions in the same way. Each member has a specific role within the local church. However, within the local church, in order for it to function properly, it has to have a ranking of authority. The church needs pastors, administrators, evangelists, teachers, and other positions of authority. Each one of these roles plays a vital part within the church government, Romans 12:3-8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-13; Ephesians 4:11, 12. Since the Holy Spirit provides us with only one Spiritual gift, no one should hold more than one position of authority within the local church, 1 Peter 4:10 As each one has received a gift, employ it in serving one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. This is not to say that no one should be involved in more than one area of the church. Rather, that no one should have two votes, or more authority than anyone else has. Moreover, since Christ is the head of the church, none of these roles has absolute authority over the local church. The ultimate authority within the local church should be the Holy Spirit, and when the body is spiritual, (framing their minds of the things above, and living according to God’s opinion of them – The saint’s position before God and possessions in Christ.) the members of the church will all be in one accord with what God’s will is for the church. However, as I said before, there still needs to be a hierarchy of authority within the local church so the day to day tasks are completed. So what is this hierarchy of authority? Should “elders” rule over the church? Should there be a senior pastor who rules over the church?
On the top level of authority, are the members of the local church, Acts 6:1-5. The remaining positions of authority are subject to the will of the congregation; however, none of these positions has the biblical right to usurp the authority of the members. The members have the authority to chose who will serve and in what capacity they will serve within the local church. If a church decides to elect a board of elders, that is the congregations right; however, the elders are accountable to the congregation, not above them.
Where do the ones with the Spiritual gifts to govern the church come into play? Well, let us look at their roles within the church so we can understand what realm of authority they should have. We will begin with the spiritual gift that is most visible within the local church, the pastor. One with the gift of pastor even teacher, has a gift that is used to lead the church in the realm of how to live the Christian life. (Ephesians 4:11 the words “pastor” and “teacher” are synonymous with each other in the Greek’s grammatical structure. One who is a shepherd, is also a teacher.) He is the shepherd of the flock, Acts 20:28. A shepherd is not one who drives the flock, but rather leads the flock by example. Anyone holding the position of a pastor within the local church must meet the standards set by scripture for the position, 1 Timothy 3:1-7. This position does not hold authority over the members of the church, 1 Peter 5:1-3 “…neither lording it over the inheritance but becoming an example for the flock.”
Before we move on to the next spiritual gift, I want to go back to the subject of an elder’s board. Many churches today have what they call an “elder’s board” that ultimately rules over the church. Is this biblical? Scripturally, there is no prohibition to having multiple elders within in a church. However, the word “elder” is synonymous with the word “overseer” in scripture. In Acts 20:17 Paul calls for the elders of the Ephesians churches. It is these same elders that Paul calls overseers (or bishops) and warns in verse 28 to take heed to themselves, and the flock and to feed the assembly. In 1 Timothy 3:2- 7 and Titus 1:6-9, the requirement for the character of an overseer are stated. If the church is going to have a board of elders, each member must meet these requirements. In order for each member to qualify, each one would also have to possess the Spiritual gift of pastor even teacher to meet the requirements. Titus 1:9, an elder must hold fast the doctrine that is to be learned and practice, so that he is able to exhort in sound doctrine, which is to be learned but not practiced and reprove those who oppose proper doctrine (Those who take Old Testament doctrine and say it is for the practice of New Testament saints). This falls into the realm of what a pastor does. The pastor, through the study and practice of the Word of God, gains insight from the Holy Spirit into the doctrine of the faith – the doctrine by which Christians are to live. He passes this doctrine on to the congregation by being an example. Also, through studying and practice, the pastor learns to rightly divide the doctrines in the Scriptures from those that are to be practiced and those that are to be learned, but no practiced. Although Scripture does not prohibit multiple elders “overseers” within a church, since a pastor “overseer” is not to use his position to rule over the church, the board of “elders” cannot be used to rule over the church. There is nothing Scripturally wrong with an elder board, so long as each member qualifies according to Scripture and each member is subject to the authority of the congregation.
The next position within the church is a deacon. Deacons are appointed by the local assembly to manage the daily duties of the church, while the pastor(s) concentrate on the studying, preaching, and guiding of the flock, Acts 6:1-6. Anyone holding this position must also meet the qualifications that the Scriptures have set, 1 Timothy 3:8-12. The local assembly governs the level of authority that the deacons hold. The only area in which the deacons have no authority is over what the pastor teaches. If the pastor is teaching heresy, they have the rights, as members of the congregation, to present the issue before the congregation so they can correct it. Since the pastor is the shepherd, God is going to instruct the pastor on what He wants delivered and shown by example to the flock through the guiding of the Holy Spirit, as the Holy Spirit puts spiritual things together with spiritual words when the pastor is studying God’s Word, 1 Corinthians 2:13. Therefore, a deacon does not have the authority to instruct a pastor in what to teach.
Both the position of pastor (elder, overseer, or bishop – these terms are synonymous in Scripture.) and deacon can only be held by males because part of the Scriptural qualifications require them to be a one-woman type of man. This means they can only have one wife at a time, 1 Timothy 3:2, 12. (Although this may be an odd requirement for our culture, to understand why this is a requirement, we need to understand the culture and background to which it was written. In the time in which Paul is writing, having multiply wives was part of the culture. However, because the husband and wife are now a representation of Christ and the church, God requires that a man only have one wife at a time. Ephesians 5:22-24 Wives, be submission for a benefit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. 24 But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything.) The only other position of authority within the churches government that is restricted is the teaching of males. Although a woman is allowed to teach, she is not allowed to teach men within the local church setting on matters of the Christian life, 1 Timothy 2:12 (in context, Paul is writing about the Christian life.) A woman is not to teach because of what happened with Adam and Eve. Eve was thoroughly deceived, but Adam was not deceived, 1 Timothy 2:13, 14. For those of you who are thinking that this makes the man better than, or above the woman, think again. It was the sin of the man that brought death into the world, not the woman, Romans 5:12. Although both are guilty, Eve transgressed the law because she was deceived. Adam out right broke the law, knowing full well what he was doing. So I would ask, who is better, the one thoroughly deceived or the one who is not deceived but chooses to sin anyway? Remember, in Christ we are all equal, Galatians 3:28. Our position within the local body of the church does not put us in a position that is less than or greater than others. We are all equal in Christ. However, we have differing responsibilities within the local church. These responsibilities do not make us unequal; we are all one in Christ, 1 Corinthians 12:12.
As far as other positions of authority within the local church go, it is completely up to the local assembly to create and give authority to positions they deem necessary. Each local assembly governs its own matters and has the freedom to appoint members to positions of authority. - A good example of the individuality of the local assembly is found by comparing the church in Corinth to other churches. In the Corinthian churches, women were required to wear a head covering. This head covering showed that she was under the authority of a husband, within their culture. However, Paul specifically states that the other churches did not have this requirement or custom, 1 Corinthians 11:16. Why did the church in Corinth have this custom if the other churches did not? Within their culture if a woman did not cover her head, the people considered her to be a prostitute. This was a cultural thing that only affected those saints in Corinth. - If a local church determines to elect a woman to oversee the finances, the facility, outreach, children’s ministries, or any other position, so longs as she is not a pastor, deacon, or one who is teaching men, they are free to do so, without violating scripture. Rather than being a pastor, deacon, or teacher of men, her responsibilities are within the home; however, she is not limited to serve in any other capacity within the government of the local church. She may even hold a position of authority within the church that exceeds the authority of the pastor. (Not in the realm of what the pastor teaches; however, she could be appointed to control the finances, or use of the building, etc.)
Within the local church, there is no one that holds absolute authority. It is the responsibility of the pastor to feed the flock by example, not rule over them. It is the responsibility of the deacons to ensure the pastor has time to study and tend to the flock, by tending to the daily responsibilities of the church and members. It is the responsibility of the local church to determine who the pastors are, who the deacons are, when they meet for services, when the Lordian table is served, what ministries they do, and whom they appoint to different position of authority within the local church. When the church is functioning in this manner, the gift that the Holy Spirit gave to each member of the assembly will work towards the edification of the saints.
The active gifts today are: evangelist, administration, helps, mercy, pastor/teacher, teacher, giving, exhortation, faith, and organization. Ephesians 4:11; Romans 12:7, 8; 1 Corinthians 12:9, 28; 13 :2. When these gifts work together, the church functions as a body. Each member serving his or her part to edify the whole, 1 Corinthians 12:14-27. It is only when a local church is functioning as members of one body, where all are equal, that it can truly glorify God through its actions.
Communion
Communion was instituted by Christ before his death, for a reminder to the church that through His death, burial, and resurrection the church is one body, and under a new covenant.
The bread is a representation of the body of Christ. Within this body, we are all equal. There is no difference between male or female, there is not racial or social distinctions. Galatians 3:28 “there is not Jew nor Greek, there is not slave nor free, there is not male and female, for all of us are one in Christ Jesus.”
Within the body are many members, but we are all still part of one body. And we are all equal within the body. 1 Corinthians 12:12-27
…Is not the bread that we break a sharing in the body of Christ? Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf, 1 Corinthians 10:16, 17
1 Corinthians 11:23-24 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread; 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it, and said, "This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me."
Let us partake.
Not only did Christ institute the breaking of bread to represent the oneness we all share within the body of Christ, He also took a cup. This cup represents the new covenant that was made by the shedding of his blood.
Hebrews 9:11-15 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; 12 and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled, sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? 15 And for this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant…
This new covenant is built upon better promises. Hebrews 8:6 But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, by as much as He is also the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises.
1 Corinthians 10:16, Is not the cup of blessing which we bless the sharing in the blood of Christ?
1 Corinthians 11:25, In the same manner, he took the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new covenant by my blood, do this as often as you drink in remembrance of me.
Let us partake.
Let us go in peace, with an unruffledness of mind, and enjoy the wonderful salvation that God has provided for us.
No comments:
Post a Comment