Government
Church government is another area that
Scripture and God gives some details to but do not give a complete picture of. The
Bible is clear that the faith family must have a form of leadership where
certain men lead the rest of the faith community in the life of the church. The
Bible identifies two offices of the church: Elder and Deacon while in the
church today, in the Western world, will also need a third office of Trustee.
Elder
An
Elder is a shepherd and Spiritual leader of the local church. They are the
overseers of the flock of believers that God has entrusted to them. (Acts
20:28) The office of Elder would also
include the Pastor (Ephesians 4:11-12). The Elder must meet the qualifications
of 1 Timothy 3:1-7. The Bible makes it clear that the Elder are responsible to
God and will answer some day for the souls of those under their charge. They
are the Spiritual leaders and “little shepherds” under the big Shepherd Jesus. The
Elders in the life of the church must perform many duties with the following
being part of them; pray and study
Scripture, lead the faith family, care for the people spiritual and also
physically (through the arm of the Deacon), be examples to the rest of the
faith family, teach and preach the Bible truths, refute false teachings, protect
the flock of Jesus, administer discipline, develop and grow future leaders, and
vision cast for the life and future of the faith family. Simply put the
Elders lead by their words and example.
Qualifications
-Lover of Jesus
-Lover of the Church
-Understand church membership and
are a member
- Baptized publically into the Faith
-Humble
-Above reproach in the church and
the world
-Temperate; not rash, brash, or out
of control, self-controlled
- Prudent and full of Biblical
wisdom
-Husband of one wife- simply put he
can be divorced (repentance and grace) but is committed covenantally to wife
now and more importantly controlled sexually
-Respectable in the church and in
the world
-Hospitable; warm, friendly, and
welcoming
-Able to teach; not only in words
but most importantly in actions and life
-Does not look like the world
(addicted to wine)
-Gentle, just, and devout
-Generous with time, talents, and
treasure- first in the faith family in generosity
-Spiritual leader in the home and
centers home around God and Bible
-Mature, deeper faithful believer
*Scripture
makes clear that men should be Elders. God holds the man responsible to Him for
the Spiritual health of not only his family, but also the faith family. This
shows that men as leaders can take the responsibility and manage, guide, equip,
and lead others in the faith family not only women but also other men. This
being said, if God has placed a gifted women in the life of the faith community
(like a Beth Moore) and the Elders do not steward that gift from God, He will
also hold them responsible for that. The Elders manage and guide the life and
Spiritual well being and must use all the gifts that God has given to them to
manage in His church (1 timothy 2:11-15).
The best form of church government is a local
body governed by multiple Elders with the help of deacons that are chosen by
the congregation. The church would vote leaders to lead the local congregation
but the congregation would still have a vote in major decisions by the church
like hiring Pastors or building decisions. The leaders though are still beneath
Christ, the Head of the Church. (Acts 15:22, I Corinthians 5:4-5, Acts 6:3-5).
The plural Elder board takes the form of first among equal though as a single
Elder, leads the group of Elders in meetings and is the face of the board to
the congregation. The first among equals can be a Senior Pastor or a head Elder.
The Elders than through their board use the right arm the deacons for the works
of service and also care and lead the trustees and the congregation as a whole.
Deacon
The
second Biblical group of leaders in the life of the church is Deacons. The word
deacon means “servant.” The deacon is to be a servant to the Elders and to the
church. He must meet the qualifications of, 1 Timothy 3:8-13. The deacons care
for the members of the local church and assist the Elders in leading the family
of God. The Deacons meet the physical needs and are aware of the health,
wealth, and lives of the church members. The Deacons are the right arm and the
much more active group of church leaders. The Deacons are out and about in the
lives of the faith community and much more active in the physical needs of each
member. The deacons though answer to the Elders and keep the Elders up to date
on everything they are active in and listen to the instruction and wisdom that
the Elders bring.
Qualifications
-Lover of Jesus
-Lover of the Church
-Understand church membership and
are a member
-Baptized publically into the Faith
-worthy of church and world respect
-sincere and truthful in life and
words
-self-controlled
-not greed but generous of Spirit in
time, talents, and treasure
-Must lead his home spiritually
-Biblical understanding and knowledge
of God
-man of one wife, simply put he can
be divorced (repentance and grace) but is committed covenantally to wife now
and more importantly controlled sexually.
*Scripture
seems to make it understood that Deacons were to be men but that women could
also be deaconesses. The best structure that would suit the work and leadership
of the Deacon is first, in the case of a married man, he is the deacon but his
wife serves with him in the role of deacon and in the work of deacon and she must
be also held to the qualifications that would fit her. In the case also a
single women can be a deacon and meet the needs of single or widowed women in
the faith family better, which she in turn than must meet the qualifications
that would fit and suit her. Men are called to be the leaders and be held
responsible but wives and women must play a significant role in this work
also.*
Trustees
The
trustees are not a Biblically founded group of leaders in the church but in
many instances a necessary group of lay leaders, which work under the direction
of the Elders and Deacons. The trustees are a group of people, could be both
men and women, who care for the structure of the church building. In many churches
today, the faith family meets in a specific location that must be taken care of
and stewarded as a gift from God. For true Biblical stewardship to take place,
on the structure and or grounds that the faith family meets as a group of
people, the trustees should be asked and designated to take care of it. The
trustees care for the grounds and building than by up-keep, maintaining, and cleaning,
the structure and grounds so that the world can see stewardship take place and
the faith family has a nice clean safe place to gather for worship and
instruction. Simply put the Deacons lead by their works.
Qualifications
-Lover of Jesus
-Baptized publically into the faith
-Understand church membership and
are a member
-Willing to serve God and steward
His gifts
-generous with time, talent, and
treasure
-Willing to oversee or help on
bigger projects of stewardship
*-construction, landscaping,
cleaning knowledge a plus*
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