Page 71 - Ecclesiology Textbook Masters

church would be baptized. Today the local church that makes baptism a requirement for becoming a
member of the church has a good basis for creating that condition.

Some local churches require church membership to be able to teach or minister within the church. Is
this biblical? Churches that require this are only verifying that the person who is involved (representing
the church) in a teaching or ministry role has met the basic requirements of membership. This is to
ensure that those who are in any leadership role within the church are believers who have given clear
testimony of their faith verbally and by baptism. While there may not be a chapter and verse to support
such a policy, it certainly is a logical and legitimate plan which is in harmony with the Word of God.

Local churches might have a list of various other steps or conditions that a person must take to “join” as
members. While perhaps these conditions may not be supported directly by the Bible, the local church
is at liberty to create policies, as long as those who wish to join the church are willing to abide by them.

Church Leadership and Staff

Local churches today may have several pastors, youth directors, music ministers,
children’s leaders, and the list goes on and on. Are all these positions at a church
found in the Bible?

the New Testament, you find two groups of leadership: elders (also referred to
as bishops, shepherds, overseers, or pastors – all the same individual) and we
have deacons. Generally, the elders provided leadership and were primarily involved in teaching God’s
Word to the membership. The deacons were called to be servants to the membership. They assisted
the elders in meeting and managing the physical needs of the membership. There is no mention of
music directors, children’s directors, church secretaries, or any other staff position in the church.

In Acts 20:17 Paul, on his way to Jerusalem, passed from Ephesus, where he “called the elders (plural) of
the church”. Notice that there was one church, the church in Ephesus, and many elders. Notice also that
Paul called for the elders. The text does not say that he called for the elders and the senior pastor and
the assistant pastors and the bishop. It is just elders! They had no special title attached to any of them.
There was no person called “senior pastor” or “assistant pastor” etc. They were all elders. And at the
church of Ephesus, there were more than one, perhaps because of the size of the congregation. Paul
told them:

Acts 20:28 Therefore take heed to yourselves and to 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.

The role of the overseer or pastor was to shepherd or “act as a shepherd in guiding” the church of
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God. The Greek word is “episkopos” and is the very same word used in I Timothy 3:2 as “bishop” in
setting up the requirements to serve in this overseeing position. The word, shepherd, is a translation of
the Greek word poimen, translated “pastor” elsewhere (e.g., Ephesians 4:11). This poimen is someone
who tends herds or flocks and is used metaphorically of Christian pastors because pastors should guide
the “flock” of God and feed them the Word of God. The shepherd is one who guides the sheep to their
food source by going out in front of the flock. The shepherd watches out to protect the flock and takes

29 Vine’s dictionary, p. 427

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