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In Search
of Biblical Church Leadership
by Rebecca Brennan
In Search of Biblical Church Leadership
After going to the Word to find the qualifications for a pastor in
1991, I was surprized to find that there was no place in the New
Testament for a singular human man to head the local church, or the
church as a whole, but only the one God-man, Christ Jesus. Ephesians
1:22-23(NIV) says:
Eph 1:22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him
to be head over everything for the church, Eph 1:23 which is his
body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.
As I studied the Word, I found directions only for an eldership rule
and that only in the plural. (Acts 11:30; 14:23; 15:2; 16:4;
20:17-38; 1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:6-9; 1 Peter 5:1-3{All references
from NIV})
Act 11:30 This they did, sending their gift to the elders by
Barnabas and Saul.
Act 14:23 Paul and Barnabas appointed elders [ Or Barnabas ordained
elders; or Barnabas had elders elected ] for them in each church
and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom
they had put their trust.
Act 15:2 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.
Act 16:4 As they traveled from town to town, they delivered the
decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the
people to obey.
Act 20:17 From Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders of the
church. Act 20:18 When they arrived, he said to them: "You know how
I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I came
into the province of Asia. Act 20:19 I served the Lord with great
humility and with tears, although I was severely tested by the plots
of the Jews. Act 20:20 You know that I have not hesitated to preach
anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly
and from house to house. Act 20:21 I have declared to both Jews and
Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in
our Lord Jesus. Act 20:22 And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am
going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. Act
20:23 I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that
prison and hardships are facing me. Act 20:24 However, I consider my
life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete
the task the Lord Jesus has given me--the task of testifying to the
gospel of God's grace. Act 20:25 Now I know that none of you among
whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again.
Act 20:26 Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of
the blood of all men. Act 20:27 For I have not hesitated to proclaim
to you the whole will of God. Act 20:28 Keep watch over yourselves
and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. [
Traditionally bishops ] Be shepherds of the church of God, [ Many
manuscripts of the Lord ] which he bought with his own blood. Act
20:29 I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among
you and will not spare the flock. Act 20:30 Even from your own
number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away
disciples after them. Act 20:31 So be on your guard! Remember that
for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day
with tears. Act 20:32 Now I commit you to God and to the word of his
grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all
those who are sanctified. Act 20:33 I have not coveted anyone's
silver or gold or clothing. Act 20:34 You yourselves know that these
hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my
companions. Act 20:35 In everything I did, I showed you that by this
kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the
Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to
receive.'" Act 20:36 When he had said this, he knelt down with all
of them and prayed. Act 20:37 They all wept as they embraced him and
kissed him. Act 20:38 What grieved them most was his statement that
they would never see his face again. Then they accompanied him to
the ship."
1Ti 3:1 Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on
being an overseer, [ Traditionally bishop; also in verse 2 ] he
desires a noble task. 1Ti 3:2 Now the overseer must be above
reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled,
respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 1Ti 3:3 not given to
drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of
money. 1Ti 3:4 He must manage his own family well and see that his
children obey him with proper respect. 1Ti 3:5 (If anyone does not
know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God's
church?) 1Ti 3:6 He must not be a recent convert, or he may become
conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. 1Ti 3:7 He
must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not
fall into disgrace and into the devil's trap.
Tit 1:6 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. Tit 1:7 Since an overseer [ Traditionally
bishop ] 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. Tit 1:8 Rather he must be
hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled,
upright, holy and disciplined. Tit 1:9 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.
1Pe 5:1 To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder, a
witness of Christ's sufferings and one who also will share in the
glory to be revealed: 1Pe 5:2 Be shepherds of God's flock that is
under your care, serving as overseers--not because you must, but
because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for
money, but eager to serve; 1Pe 5:3 not lording it over those
entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.
I could see that the elders were to oversee; take care of God's
flock, His people; watch over them; not lord it over them; be good
examples to them; take care of God's work; teach; be gentle and
peaceful; be good leaders; must not be new believers; have respect
of those not even in the church; be careful for themselves and for
all the people God has given them; be like shepherds protecting the
flock from men who will come like wild wolves and try to destroy the
flock and men from their own groups who will rise up and twist the
truth; to name a few.
I realized at that point that the majority of church denominations,
whether they call themselves denominations or not, are commiting the
sin of idolatry; that is, putting anyone or anything on the throne
reserved for God alone. Jesus Christ is to be the only head of the
church. (Ephesians 1:22-23)
Any form of church government or leadership that puts a human man as
the head instead of the God man, Christ Jesus, alone, and that
doesn't have a group of elders as equals leading under Christ, is in
idolatry and thus not scriptural and in sin. A "type" of church
government that I have found, for an example of this is as follows:
Using the Old Testament Moses leadership to base their government
style on, they show that God was the head of Moses, Moses was over
the Judges and Priests who in turn were over the Children of Israel.
In a flow chart it would look like this:
God
*
Moses
*
Judges/Priests
*
Children of Israel
Out of that, they have created a government that equates Moses to
the head Pastor; the Judges and Priests to the Elders, Deacons,
Board and Assistant Pastor; and the Children of Israel to the
Congregation. On a flow chart, it would look like this:
Jesus
*
Pastor
*
Elders/Deacons/Board/Assistant Pastor
*
Congregation
The major problem with this is that Moses was a forshadowing of
Jesus and should be equated with Jesus, who was "The Prophet" who
fufilled the law and the prophets.(John 7:40, Matthew 5:17 {both
from NIV})
Joh 7:40 On hearing his words, some of the people said, "Surely this
man is the Prophet."
Mat 5:17 "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the
Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.">
Moses, himself, points to Jesus' coming and being a prophet like
himself. Deuteronomy 18:15-16 (NIV) says this:
Deu 18:15 The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me
from among your own brothers. You must listen to him. Deu 18:16 For
this is what you asked of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of
the assembly when you said, "Let us not hear the voice of the LORD
our God nor see this great fire anymore, or we will die."
If we are going to use the Old Testament government and equate it
with the New Testament it should equate like the following:
God*****************************************God The Father (1 Cor.
11:3)
* *
* *
Moses**********************************************Jesus (Eph.
1:22-23)
* *
* *
Judges/Priests/Elders**********************************************Elders
* *
* *
The Children of Israel*********************The Congregation of
Believers
In
conclusion we are reminded of the importance of following the
scripture in Matthew 5:17-20 (NIV).
Mat 5:17 "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the
Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. Mat
5:18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the
smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means
disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Mat 5:19
Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches
others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven,
but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called
great in the kingdom of heaven. Mat 5:20 For I tell you that unless
your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers
of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven."
Biblical
Eldership Homepage http://www.nccn.net/~brennanp/
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