Ecclesiology - Lesson 7 Fast Links:
NOTE: The sections of the Confession within [square brackets] were eliminated when the first American Presbyterian churches modified the confession shortly after its adoption for use outside of the influence of the English church. The parts in {curly brackets} were added by the American churches to compensate for the portions removed. Westminster Confession of Faith 31
We do not see the church of the New Testament as a disjointed body of believers having no concern or respect for one another. They met together, shared in mutual care, joined in the broader work of God's Kingdom, and respected the authority of the leaders ordained in the various congregations. In the previous chapter we examined the authority of the Elders of local churches in their shepherding duty working together as a Session to censure members through the process of ecclesiastical discipline. In this section we will look at the more generalized organization of the church as specified in God's word.
Authority in the Church
Jesus makes his will known to the church by means of the revealed word of God. That word is preserved for us in the infallible and inerrant Scriptures (see our notes on chapter 1 of the confession).
The Offices of the Church
There are two offices that were established to continue in the New Testament form of the Church.
1) The Elder
Before Moses, families and the communities of families were guided spiritually by their oldest men. When God organized his people into a Covenant Nation under Moses, Elders were chosen from among the respected family heads to rule, judge and guide the people of Israel. These Elders were set aside, ordained, to be the covenant representatives of the people to God and to communicate God's truths, wisdom and promises to the people (Exodus 3:16ff). They shared the spiritual burden that Moses bore in his shepherding care of the nation (Numbers 11:14-16, 24-26). They acted as a court of judges when there were disputes or crimes among the people (Deuteronomy 25:7-9). And they watched over the faithfulness of the people in their obedience to God (Deuteronomy 31:26-29). During the time of the dispersion of Israel, the Temple worship was interrupted. Synagogues were organized locally for the care and instruction of the people and for the gatherings on the Sabbath. They were overseen by trained, examined and ordained Elders who were recognized for their godly wisdom. They continued the duties given to them by God through Moses in teaching the people and overseeing their worship and communities. They did not intrude upon the priestly work which was to be done only by the Levites at the Temple in Jerusalem. As the New Testament begins, Synagogues under the oversight of ordained Elders existed in every city where a sufficient number of Jewish familes lived. This is the understanding of the eldership that was in the minds and lives of those the Apostles taught and to whom the letters of the New Testament were written. As new churches were established, Elders were appointed to lead the congregations as teachers, shepherds, ministers and judges. Acts 14:23 explains, "And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, having prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed."
The specific duties of this office are carefully laid out in the New Testament and
summarized in three very helpful passages:
As God calls men to the eldership, the church recognizes this calling when it sees godly men emerge among them who manifest God's enablement to carry out these duties well. Specific qualifications for the office are given more particularly in 1 Timonty 3 and Titus 1. With the help of Samuel Miller's book The Ruling Elder I offer this summary: An Elder must be a male. This principle is not based upon any thought that males are superior to females. It is based upon the principle of headship which God has over his creation and church, and which he has chosen to reveal by means of the headship of males in the family and church. We have discussed this principle in detail in the chapter about Man's Fall into Sin (particularly the section on the curses pronounced after Adam's sin), and in the chapter about Marriage. The Eldership represents the shepherding, ruling and judging authority Jesus bears over his church. The Elders should rule with the same humility and care as that which our Lord shows to those he redeems by grace. Though many denominations have recently allowed women into offices of headship, it is a departure from the direct teachings of Scripture and presumes that culture more than the Holy Spirit directed the Apostles in their writings of the New Testament. If we hold to an infallible view of the inspiration of the Bible we are not permitted to lay aside its standards to accommodate social pressures to reject the concept of authority as God chose to reveal it by sovereignly giving that duty particularly to males. An Elder must live a genuinely godly life. He must show clear evidence that he is redeemed and is growing in the visibility of the fruit of the Holy Spirit in his life (Galatians 5:22-23). He must not be doubting, wavering or inconsistent in his commitmment to the Lord and his Kingdom. Elders struggle and are imperfect as are all humans, but they must be habitually driven by the gospel hope and by their trust in the promises of God through Jesus Christ. An Elder must have good sense and sound judgment. He must show evidence that he carefully and prayerfully considers and thinks through difficult matters not measuring his options by his own opinions or desires, but in full submission to the revealed word of God as preserved in the Bible. An Elder must be sound in the faith and well informed by God's truth. Since the Bible is the information God has given us by which Christ continues to rule as head of his church, the Elders who rule must know that word and understand its teachings thoroughly. They must be alert to the dangers of ideas which do not come from God's word, able to recognize unbiblical teachings, and ready to correct them patiently and in love. They must also be able to teach God's truths to others in the church so that all may be guided by eternal principles and promises in their daily lives. An Elder must exhibit biblical wisom. He must not be rash, eccentric, undiginfied or indiscreet. He must be able to discern what is right according to God's standards and recognize the most godly way of dealing with issues to promote God's glory and the spritiual growth and well being of his people. As James 1:19 reminds us all, he must be "quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger." The Elder should remember that it can cause great damage if he discusses session matters or personal matters made known to him in confidence. An Elder must have a good reputation to those outside the church. He must be a man of integrity and be trusted in all his dealings. He must not be suspected of dishonesty or of corruption. An Elder must be a willing worker. He must be willing to spend the time needed to do his work well and responsibly. His commitment to the strengthing and extension of Christ's Kingdom should be tireless, though he wisely knows the importance of budgeting his time so that he remains faithful to the care of his family, community and the health of his own body. An Elder must be well practiced in prayer. He understands its power and importance in his own daily life as he brings to God his concerns for the church, its workers, and its every member. An Elder must be able to rule and to teach. This is the nature of his office. He must be able to rule according to God's word and in consideration of what is best for the church. He must be responsible in carrying out the decisions he and the other Elders make together for the church. He should be able to communicate effectively all that God has revealed in his word. He should be able to shepherd the flock of God in tenderness and godliness. An Elder must be mature. Though the word Elder means "older one", the common use of the term more specifically means "mature one". The important issue is that he must not be a novice in the matters of God, but should be experienced and have an established reputation by which the legitimacy of his gifts for the office can be evaluated responsibly before he is ordained. He must have demonstrated an endurance of his faith in Christ and ability to carry out the duties of his office. The church should not impart these gifts to someone who does not have evidences of them already. When congregations elect Elders and Sessions ordain them, they are recognizing God's call upon these men. Therefore placing a person in this office should not be done hastily (1 Timothy 5:22) but should be done after much prayer and examination of the candidates for office. Congregations should never elect men to the eldership simply to fill a vacancy, to encourage men to be more involved, to bring fresh ideas to the session, to reward years of faithful service, or to introduce particular views into the session.
The Elders should be respected for the calling God has placed upon them.
Hebrews 13:17 Obey your leaders, and submit {to them}; for they keep watch over your souls, as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you. Every member of the church must understand that the calling of the Elders is by God's authority. It is how our Lord reigns over his Kingdom on earth. No one should show disrespect to them even when the officers find it necessary to admonish or exercise the other sanctions of church discipline. We should let the Elders do their job and not presume to judge them when we may not know fully what they are dealing with or how they are handling matters which they should not discuss. Their judgments should be honored as long as they remain within the boundaries God has set for them. We should be careful to speak respectfully of them particularly as we discuss church matters before our children and those outside of the church. As good sheep we should try to get to know our Elders personally and encourage them directly and in prayer. When there are issues of concern they should not become topics for gossip but should be brought in private before those God has appointed to handle problems in his church. We should follow the example of these leaders as we are reminded in Hebrews 13:7, "Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith."
The other office established for the New Testament church is that of ...
The office appears to have its beginning shortly after the ascension of Jesus when the separation of the church from the Old Testament rituals and priesthood was initiated. Since the sacrifices and the sacrificial forms of worship were completed in the finished work of Jesus Christ, there was no longer a purpose for the Levitical order of priests. The Elders led by the Apostles took up the responsibilities of care for the needy which were formerly carried out by the Levites. Many synagogues refused to continue relief of the needy in families that had become Christians. The work of the daily administrations of the tithe to widows, orphans and the incapacitated became a time consuming job for the Apostles who were needed in the spiritual guidance and teaching of the new form of the Covenant nation. In Jerusalem some perceived (accurately or not) a problem.
Acts 6
In this passage we see seven men set apart by ordination to serve in a new and special office. Their duty was to take up the daily administrations of the church to allow the Apostles (who served as Elders of the church) to focus their time and efforts to prayer and to the teaching of the word. Later we see those serving in this capacity called Deacons. While all believers are to be servants, these men were to take leadership in serving. While the Elders had the duty of making policy based upon God's word, the Deacons were those given the work of administering or carrying out those policies. Since Deacons are given a great responsibility in leading the people by example in service, many of the same spiritual qualities are required of them as are expected of the Elders. A comparison of the evidences of calling to the office of Deacon with that of the Elder in the Pastoral letters of Paul show only a few differences. The Deacons are not expected to be specially gifted in the area of teaching and ruling in the sense that the Elders rule. The main distinctive of the Deacon is the ability to be a servant. As Jesus explained in Luke 22:24-27, humble service is what makes one great in the Kingdom of God. Humility and the ability to be truly concerned for the needs of others is a Christ-like attribute that should be growing in all of us. The Deacon exemplifies this characteristic by humbly carrying out the policies of Christ under the authority of the Elders in service to others in the daily needs of the church. The kinds of things the Deacons care for would include the ministries of mercy to those in need of material help and spiritual encouragement in the church. To do this they may be entrusted with receiving the tithes and offerings, handling the bank account and seeing that the budget adopted by the Elders is implemented honestly and responsibly. They report to the Session of Elders about how the finances are keeping up with the budgeted needs. It would be appropriate for them to make recommendations to the elders about financial needs or programs. They would also make sure that the material needs of the church are cared for such as overseeing care of the facilities. But they should also be active in visiting the sick and shut-ins, keeping contact with the needs of any in the church who are in need of financial aid and in being good and visible examples to the congregation of serving one another. Since the qualifications for the offices of both Elder and Deacon are given to the churches in the New Testament, we understand that God intended them to be offices that continue through this church age. There are no such lists of qualifications for other offices in the church such as that of Apostle. This is partly why we see only those two offices, Elder and Deacon, as continuing to have God's authorization for the New Testament church. General Types of Church Governments (Organization of the Higher Courts) To be posted when completed at a later time. Westminster Confession of Faith 31
To be posted when completed at a later time.
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