Stylos

“…so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar (stylos) and ground of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15).

An occasional commentary by Pastor Jeff Riddle, Jefferson Park Baptist Church

The Biblical Basis for Congregational Church Government

October 2001

Baptist Christian churches operate under the principle that the ultimate governing body for the local church is the entire congregation. Although leaders are invested with certain authority, all major decisions are to be carried before the entire church body for deliberation and decision. As Baptist Christians we pride ourselves on our dependence on the Biblical patterns for church order. Naturally, we have come to this understanding of church government, because we see this is the Biblical pattern.

The Biblical Pattern

So, where exactly do we find this pattern in Scripture? We will briefly examine a few key passages in the New Testament which indicate that the early believers relied on the counsel of the whole church body in making significant decisions.

1. Matthew 18:15-17. We turn first to the teaching of Jesus himself.

This passage is only indirectly about church government. Its primary focus is on conflict resolution or discipline within the church. Still, we gain a key insight concerning church order implicit in Jesus’ teaching:

15 “If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over.
16 But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’
17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.

The pattern Jesus offers for conflict resolution among “brothers (fellow believers)” is: (a) one on one meeting (v. 15); (b) meeting between disputants with trustworthy witnesses present; (c) taking grievances to the church.

In this pattern it is apparent that effort should first be made on a private and personal level, but if this fails the matter should be taken to the church. By “church” Jesus refers to the ekklesia, the body of “called out” believers. The congregation is a kind of “last court of appeals” that holds absolute and ultimate decision-making authority. The only avenue left after appeal to the church is expulsion of the erring brother or sister (v. 17).

2. Acts 6:1-7. In this passage the scene shifts to the emerging leadership needs of the early church as recorded in Acts. A problem arose, because some of the widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. Once again the primary focus is not church order, per se, but there are implicit indications of how the early believers made decisions. The passage reads:

1 In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.
2 So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables.
3 Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them
4 and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.”
5 This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism.
6 They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.
7 So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.

The significant item here is that when confronted with an internal dispute, the leadership (at this point, the Twelve apostles; see Acts 1:12-26) “gathered all the disciples together” (v. 2).

3. Acts 15:1-35. Acts 15 describes what is called the “Jerusalem Council.” Again, the setting is conflict within the church. In this case, dissension has entered the church at Antioch over the issue of circumcision (cf. 15:1-2), and so a delegation is sent to the mother church at Jerusalem to clarify the proper stance on this issue. Acts 15:2 notes that “Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question.” Who appointed this delegation? The answer seems to be that it was the church. For in 15:3, Luke notes: “The church (ekklesia) sent them on their way.” The church is the governing or sending authority.

Later in the narrative of Acts 15, it is noted that this delegation is received in Jerusalem “by the church and the apostles and elders” (v. 4). Though Luke notes that only “the apostles and elders met to consider this question” (v. 6), the discussion apparently takes place in the context of the entire gathered community of believers. We see this in 15:12 where it says that “the whole assembly (pan to plethos) became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the miraculous signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them.” This seems to imply not merely the whole assembly of apostles and elders were present but the larger church as well. This is confirmed in 15:22 by the description of the response to the Antioch delegation’s report: “Then the apostles, and elders, with the whole church, decided to choose some of their own men and send them to Antioch.” Note that the decision is not made by the apostles and elders alone, but also by the church.

4. 1 Corinthians 5:1-5. In this passage from Paul’s letter to the church at Corinth, Paul addresses the issue of discipline within the church. The Corinthians have tolerated a man living in sexual immorality to remain part of their fellowship. Paul even chides them for being “proud” of this arrangement. Some apparently were celebrating this as freedom from legalism. They were libertine anti-nomians. Paul, however, encourages the church to put the man out of their fellowship: “Expel the wicked man from among you” (5:13). What will interest us here, however, is Paul’s assumption that this decision will be made by the Body collectively:

1 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that does not occur even among pagans: A man has his father’s wife.
2 And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have been filled with grief and have put out of your fellowship the man who did this?
3 Even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. And I have already passed judgment on the one who did this, just as if I were present.
4 When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present,
5 hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord.

Again, we note the stress in v. 4 that this act of discipline is to occur “when you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus.” The “you” in this case refers to the church at Corinth in general and not to the leaders in particular. The letter is, after all, addressed “to the church of God in Corinth” (1:2). As in Matthew 18, Paul assumes that the church is the ultimate body responsible for making disciplinary decisions. We might also note that the goal of this discipline is not come from mean-spiritedness but from a collegial concern that the erring brother’s spirit be saved “on the day of the Lord” (v. 5; cf. 1 Tim 1:20; 2 Tim 2:25-26; Jude 22-23).

What, then, is expected of the leaders?

Although the Biblical pattern sees the congregation as the final court of appeal and ultimate governing human authority in the church, this does not mean that the leadership of the church merely does the bidding of the congregation or that it consults the congregation in every matter requiring decision. Rather, the Biblical pattern seems to be that the church invests the leadership with real governing authority. Believers are called on to obey the leaders of the Body: “Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you” (Heb 13:7).

The leaders are, however, held to a high standard of moral and ethical excellence. The overseer is to be “above reproach” (1 Tim 3:2), the elder “blameless” (Tit 1:6), and the deacons are to be “men worthy of respect” (1 Tim 3:8). Paul admonishes Timothy: “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity” (1 Tim 4:12). The prime calling of the leadership is to serve as an example: “Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith” (Heb 13:7).

These authoritative leaders function as servants. This is the model presented by Jesus himself in Luke 22:

24 Also a dispute arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest.
25 Jesus said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors.
26 But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves.
27 For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.

As we have already seen in Matthew 18 and Acts 6, one way that the leadership expresses this servant attitude is by turning to the congregation for help in making critical decisions, like discipline and the selection of leaders themselves. The church is also called upon to examine, commission and support, under the leadership of the Holy Spirit, those sent into ministry (cf. Acts 13:1-2).

The New Testament views godly leaders as a gift for the church, given to aid it in governance. We see this in 1 Cor 12:27-28:

27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.
28 And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues.

Paul also stresses this in Ephesians 4:7-13:

7 But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.
8 This is why it says: “When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men.”
9 (What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions?
10 He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.)
11 It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers,
12 to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up
13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Leaders are uniquely placed in the Body to help it function in the most efficient and healthy way possible. Godly leaders, however, also fully recognize that they are not the head of the church. That place is filled only by Jesus Christ himself (Eph 1:10, 22; 4:15; Col 1:18; 2:10, 19). The shepherd of the church realizes that he is ultimately accountable to the Chief Shepherd, as 1 Peter 5:2-4 makes clear:

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;
3 not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.
4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.

The leadership of the church, therefore, is granted significant responsibility, but it is also expected to exercise authority not through coercion (“lording it over” the flock) but through loving persuasion and influence.

Congregational Government in the Contemporary Church

Now, how does this Biblical pattern function in the contemporary church? First, the church should be expected to consider and deliberate all major decisions in the life of the church, particularly those that affect all members of the Body. These would include the following essentials: the adoption of a confession of faith; the calling of leadership; the delegation of the responsibility of oversight of a particular ministry or function within the life of the church to a particular member or group of members; the adoption of an annual budget or major financial decisions; the maintenance of membership (this includes adding new members, releasing those who move out of the community, and discipline). The church remains the final court of appeal for those with serious grievances.

In matters of peripheral concern or in matters that the church has already reached agreement, those vested with leadership should have the freedom to serve with both authority and integrity. The Church Body invests or delegates certain responsibilities and duties to particular members of the Body. In a healthy human body, the eye is given the task of seeing and the ears of hearing. This works so naturally and organically, that it just happens. Only when the Body become unhealthy and a particular member fails to perform to satisfaction the task it has been given is there need for therapy and treatment of the disease.

Jeffrey T. Riddle
Pastor, Jefferson Park Baptist Church

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