The Organization of the
by John Grubb
The church is a kingdom over which
Christ rules as king (1 Timothy
One Head/One King—Christ
The church is the body of Christ
and Christ is its only head (Ephesians
The church has no earthly headquarters. The headquarters of Christ’s church is in Heaven. Each congregation of the Lord’s body is independent and self-ruling. There is no pope, council, conference, or group of people controlling all the congregations of the Lord’s body.
Elders
Elders are to be appointed in every
church (Acts
Qualifications for elders are
listed in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-13. In addition to
being a faithful Christian, an elder must be a man with a wife and faithful
children. He cannot be a new member and
be qualified. Also, there must be more
than one elder serving in the local congregation. The Bible says “elders” [plural] (Acts
Deacons
Deacons are to be appointed in every
church (Philippians 1:1). Their qualifications are listed in 1 Timothy 3:8-13. The work of deacons would include what was
done as recorded in Acts 6:1-6. Again, deacons can only be men. Women are not
qualified to be deacons because they cannot be a “husband of one wife” (1
Timothy
Preachers
Preachers have the responsibility to “preach the word” (2 Timothy 4:1-5). As with elders and deacons, preachers are males (1 Timothy 2:8-15). They are evangelists, ministers of the word of God (2 Timothy 4:5). In the New Testament, preachers are never called by titles such as “Pastor,” “Reverend,” “Doctor,” or “Father” (Matthew 23:8-12).
Members
Anyone who has obeyed the gospel is
a member of the Lord’s church (Galatians
The leadership of the Lord’s church is made up of qualified men. If a church does not have this kind of organization, it cannot be the church that Jesus built. Christ is the head only of the church which has a Scriptural organization. If the church of which you are a member has women elders, deacons, and or preachers, that church cannot be the church Jesus built.
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