Question from a friend of WordTruth Press:
>>> Is there a scripture that I can use for the official leadership
of a church?
>>>WordTruth Press Response:
Thank you for your question - I'm not sure I fully understand what you
trying to find out. But in general ... The New Testament church does not
have explicit references to the organization of the local church but it does
speak to offices in the local church. 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9
provide the qualifications for an overseer (pastor) of the church. You can
also find a message I posted regarding the qualification of the pastor at:
The Pastor: Qualified For Conflict
1 Timothy 3:8-13 describes the qualifications for a deacon. One thing we
learn from scripture is that the church is shepherded by the pastor (or a
group of pastors). The deacons are servants of the church (Acts 6:1-6) at
the direction of the pastor. They have no defined authority - their
leadership in the church is recognized only through their service to the
church.
Some churches have a body of what they call "elders" - layman who manage the
church affairs. This confuses the authority and responsibility invested in
the pastor/shepherd, who is accountable to the LORD Jesus Himself (the Chief
Shepherd) for the governance of the church. In the New Testament, the term
"overseer" or "bishop" and "pastor" and "elder are terms used
interchangeably (ref. 1 Peter 5:1-4) for the one called to shepherd the
church of Jesus Christ our LORD. There is no biblical precedent for usurping
the authority of the pastor with a ruling council of layman, no matter how
mature they may be as Christians.
I hope this provides some helpful insight into the leadership of the church.
You may also want to browse some of the other questions/answers posted in
the Question Log.
May God bless you with His wisdom and the courage to follow
Jesus!
Rev. Randy Lariscy :-)
President - WordTruth Press℠
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