As iron sharpens iron,
one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
“The general norm in the first century seems to be that churches were led by multiple elders/overseers/pastors. Some see this plurality as a command. I’m not sure it quite rises to that level.” - DBTS Blog
“In the past decade, my church has undergone two changes to our constitution…. As leaders, we did some things well and some things poorly in both changes. I think we did significantly better the second time around.” - 9 Marks
“If there is no one sent to me by God, I will assume that God sent my son to take over the leadership role in the ministry.” - C.Post
“the first English Baptist confession, John Smyth’s (1609), lists ‘bishops and deacons.’ The First London Confession of 1644 lists ‘pastors, teachers, elders, deacons,’ while the Second London Confession of 1688 returns to two: ‘bishops or elders and deacons.’ In fact, nearly all Baptist confessions mention only two” - 9 Marks
“Put simply, because Jesus said so. Five words compelled us to make the shift: ‘tell it to the church’ (Matt. 18:17).” - 9 Marks
“Although elders are recognized by the congregation through a vote, they do not derive their authority to teach and oversee from the congregation but from God.” - 9 Marks
There are legitimate questions for Christians to ask as they study their Bibles and become active in a church. Some questions are worth pursuing endlessly (questions about the character of Christ, for instance). Others have their limits, particularly when little or nothing is directly said in the Bible about them. As the discussion becomes long and drawn out, it also becomes, well, odd. We become either speculative or dogmatic without substance, since there is little in Scripture that substantiates our arguments.
“Elders rule in two ways. They lead by example, and they lead by preaching and teaching. As part of their teaching they may rebuke, reprove, and exhort, but they are still teaching. They are not enforcing their decisions upon congregations.” - Proclaim & Defend
Congregationalism is the idea that Christ has established local assemblies of believers and that He is directly Head over each. The idea has both internal and external application. Externally, congregationalism means there are no layers of ecclesiastical authority outside the local church between it and Christ. Internally, it means there is no individual or board between the congregation and Christ. Leaders serve the congregation.
Discussion