Page 104 - Bible Doctrine Survey I - Student Textbook (3)

So which one is Biblical and which one should your church set in place?

Here are some principles in God’s Word that would help you formulate a biblical governmental plan:

The apostles had authority among the churches in the 1st century. They appointed elders (Acts 19:23).
They settled doctrinal disputes (Acts 15). They established churches (Paul). They revealed God’s will
concerning financial support of elders (1 Timothy 5:17) church order in meetings (1 Corinthians 14:40)
collections (1 Corinthians 16:1,2) etc. While all of these are true, the apostles eventually died and along
with them, their authority over all the churches.

So what now?

Here are some further principles to think about: Paul put elders in charge in churches (Acts 14:23).
Paul told Titus to appoint elders (Titus 1:5). The church is told to obey its spiritual leaders (Hebrews
13:17). The words, “Elder” and “overseer” are interchangeable terms (Acts 20:17,28; Titus 1:5,7; 1 Peter
5:1,2), indicating their role in authority. “Ruling” was one role of elders (2 Timothy 5:17).

Also the local churches selected deacons (Acts 6:3-5). They sent Paul and Barnabas to help settle a
doctrinal dispute (Acts 15:2,3) and then confirmed, with the other elders, how the issue should be
settled (15:22). They administered church discipline (1 Corinthians 5:5; 2 Corinthians 2:6,7). They sent
out missionaries (Acts 11:22; 2 Corinthians 8:19).

A biblical view, therefore, would seem to include elements of elder rule (Presbyterian) and
congregational rule. The apostles had authority over local churches but they never established a system
of hierarchical rule. The body of believers chose their leadership from among themselves and looked for
people which met the criteria set down by the apostles. Qualifications for leadership were clearly
spelled out by Paul in Titus and I Timothy. So the congregation held the privilege to select those who
would lead in the local church. However, after the selection, they were told to respond in obedience to
those selected spiritual leaders (Hebrews 13:17).

Should churches have formal membership?

There is no clear biblical example of church membership so it would be wrong to argue
strongly that it is necessary. Christians identified with a particular church body (the
church in Galatian, the Bereans, etc.) but nothing in Scripture indicates that a person
“joined” the church with membership. Formal membership is more a cultural issue.

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