If a verse or topic does not belong, please contact us. This is best accomplished by the church being ruled by a plurality of men, who in the New Testament, are called elders. God never requires anything of us for which He does not make provision. My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation. 5:12). When Christians meet to make church decisions, they should vote on the basis of what they believe the Lord would like to see happen in His church, not on the basis of what they would like. There is no denominational hierarchy or massive institution to […] It is also possible that a man is no longer functioning as an elder, for a variety of reasons, family needs, business pressures, or whatever. Being a pastor or church leader comes with great responsibility; the responsibility of the leaders to the church, as well as the church’s responsibility to the leaders, so here are the top 14 Bible verses about pastors or church leaders. It is easy to have unity when only one person is involved. Was it by the leading of one individual? Although the heart of leadership according to Scripture is servanthood (Mark 10:42-45), the Bible also teaches that legitimate leaders have authority, in the sense of a right to direct others. I can hear some hard-headed businessman saying to himself, “Nonsense. On the sign was the name of the church. 12:8; 1 Cor 12:28). Later others recognized their influence upon the world (Acts 17:10). Bible Verses About Trust But there is also the human side, when we read, “But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate (lit. Bob is a pastor/teacher and elder at Community Bible Chapel in Richardson, Texas, and has contributed many of his Bible study series for use by the Foundation. You can well imagine how hard unity is to achieve when there are a group of men. This means that the church congregation itself is the final authority in major decisions such as the calling of a pastor, the purchase or sale of property, and the approval of the church budget. Any biblical principle must result in biblical practice. But that is the point; we are not speaking humanly. “He is also head of the body, the church … so that He Himself might come to have first place in everything” (Col. 1:18). 3:2). Matthew 23:8-12 “But do not be called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers. Second, it is necessary because no one man has all the gifts necessary to lead the church. That is obvious as you consider the immense universe around us which was created by God. The second phrase ‘through Him’ instructs us of yet another way in which the Headship of Christ is manifested. “And do not be called leaders; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ. Instead, a church is to have "shared leadership." The word deacon could be translated servant which better describes the nature of this office. How, in practice, do we demonstrate the Headship of Christ to the world and the angelic hosts? First of all, it avoids exalting men above men and giving them pre-eminence which belongs only to our Lord. 19:1). This congregational approach to church government is the same as democracy. That all praise and glory and honor might go to Him: “He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; so that He Himself might come to have first place in everything” (Col. 1:18). I pulled out something Michael put together on what your leader and department structure should look like for a church of 200. When The Sun Finally Rises: Wrestling With The Past (Gen. 32:22-32), 2. Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of [their] conversation. 14:40). In the ultimate sense there is only one pastor of Believers Chapel, or for that matter, of any other church which professes salvation by faith in Christ, and that is our Lord Himself. Here we can best summarize the Headship of Christ by the use of three prepositional phrases. Bible Verses About Peace It has no human headquarters or government outside its walls. 13:17). The Head Leadership of the Church. We will now look at some of these concepts by starting with the head leadership of the church and working our way down. Obviously we do not have sufficient time to go into each of the qualifications for the office of elder, but let me outline the various categories into which these qualifications fall: The Scriptures make it clear that we have an obligation toward elders. These responsibilities may be summarized as follows: The major question in the minds of most Christians is, “How are elders appointed?” There are several passages which give us instruction in this matter. The major question for us, then, is “How is the Headship of Christ over His church practiced?” Out of this great truth that Christ is the Head of the church, I see at least two foundational and fundamental operational principles for the church. As a result of their faithful ministry, “the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith” (Acts 6:7). Topics and verses are auto-generated from user searches. Some qualifications, such as ‘the husband of one wife’ are absolute, while others are more relative, for example ‘hospitable,’ or ‘apt to teach’ (1 Tim. Therefore acknowledge such men (1 Cor. In another place Christ commanded: “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every living creature” (Mark 16:15). In such a case that individual should step down. This involves appointing a leader and often selecting others who have lesser leadership responsibilities in the group. He is described as “the head of the body, the church” and the One who alone holds preeminence in the church (Col. 1:18). The Leaders of the New Testament Church. Bible Verses About Hope, Bible Verses About Divorce The phrase ‘of Him’ lays emphasis upon the Headship of Christ in that He is the ultimate source, or point of origin. As church members, it is our responsibility to pray for, support, and follow our pastors as they lead. At his ascension Jesus told his disciples, “Ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Most Christians think that this is some kind of promise that our Lord will be present with a group of Christians, no matter how few gather. Once initial elders are recognized these men will be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s appointment of new elders by monitoring the congregation to see if others have emerged as elders. This [is] a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. This is why our Lord forbids His disciples to take for themselves titles which would exalt them over others. The apostles came to a collective decision on this vital matter, and their decision found approval by the whole congregation. The first believers “continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers” (Acts 2:42). 17 And I rejoice over the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus; because they have supplied what was lacking on your part. Many small churches have consoled themselves with this passage, especially on prayer meeting night, when literally two or three have come. We said previously that the Headship of Christ over the church was to be seen in His work of giving the body, composed of many diverse members, unity and cohesion. 3:9). There is no other head of the church, other than He whose headquarters is heaven. Bible Verses About Husbands In the New Testament there are two Greek words which are employed interchangeably for the office of elder (cf. We speak of the head of a river or of a body of water as its starting point. That opportunity alone should motivate us to become as fully involved as possible in the ministry of a local Bible-believing church in our community.”. Likewise, our Lord Jesus is the Head of the church in the same sense, for He is its Creator. And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration. 9 And do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. Now I know that most every Bible-believing church would be willing to agree with this principle as I have stated it, but I must confess that until this week, I did not really understand it as I should and I am convinced that I shall realize in the future that I do not understand it yet as I should. Here we are told that ultimately it is the Holy Spirit Who appoints elders. 16:15-18). There is yet one thing which should be said concerning this principle of the Headship of Christ over His church. I know that many of you are gun-shy on this matter; you are awe-struck by the magnitude of men who are elders in this ministry, but Paul commends the desire to be an elder. Bible verses related to Church Leadership from the King James Version (KJV) by Relevance - Sort By Book Order . To accomplish this task, the Holy Spirit endows certain ones with the gifts of government and leadership (Rom. Never in the New Testament do we see any kind of hierarchical ‘pecking order’ where one pastor is the ‘head pastor’ and others are assistants to him.