A Guide to Church Governance

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Forms of Church Government

Episcopalian: have a government by a distinct category of church officers known as a priesthood, and final authority for decision-making is found outside the local church. The Episcopal Church system is the primary representative among Protestants of this form of government.

In the episcopalian system, an archbishop has authority over many bishops. They in turn have authority over a “diocese,” which simply means the churches under the jurisdiction of a bishop. The officer in charge of a local parish is a rector (somethings, vicar, who is an “assistant”) Archbishops, bishops, and rectors are all priest, since they all at one time have been ordained to the episcopalian priesthood.

Presbyterian: have a government by elders, some of whom have authority not only over their local congregation but also, through the presbytery and the general assembly, over all the churches in a region and then in the denomination as a whole. In this system, each local church elects elders to a session. The pastor of the church will be one of the elders in the session, equal in authority to the other elders. This session has governing authority over the local church. However, the members of the session (the elders) are also members of a presbytery, which has authority over several churches in a region.

This presbytery consists of some or all of the elders in the local churches over which it has authority. Moreover, some of the members of the presbytery are members of the “general assembly” which usually will have authority over all the presbyterian churches in a nation or region.

Congregational: all have final governing authority resting with the local congregation, although various degrees of self-rule are given up through denominational affiliation, and the actual form of local church government may vary considerably.

Under the congregational model, it further delineates into 3 categories:

single elder (or single pastor). In this system, the congregation elects the pastor and also elects the deacons. The amount of authority the pastor has varied greatly from church to church, and will generally increase the longer a pastor remains in a church. The authority of the deacon board is often thought to be merely an advisory authority. In the way this system ordinarily functions, especially in smaller churches, many decisions must be brought before the congregation as a whole.
plural local elders: the elders govern the church and have authority to rule over it, authority which has been conferred by Christ himself and the Holy Spirit. In this system of government, there is always more than one elder, a fact which distinguishes this form of government from the “single elder system”. In a contemporary congregation, the “pastor” (or “senior pastor”) would be one among the elders in this system. He does not have authority over them, nor does he work for them as an employee. He has a somewhat distinct role in that he is engaged in the full-time work of “preaching and teaching” and derives part or all of his income from that work. He also may frequently assume a leadership role among the elders, which would fit with his leadership role among the congregation, but such a leadership role among elders would not be necessary to the system. In addition, the pastor will ordinarily have considerable authority to make decisions and provide leadership in many areas of responsibility that have been delegated to him by the elder board as a whole.
corporate board: patterned after the example of a modern corporation, where the board of directors hires an executive officer who then has authority to run the business as he sees fit.
pure democracy: this view, which takes congregational church government to its logical extreme says everything must come to the congregation meeting.

No government but the Holy Spirit: some churches, particularly very new churches with more mystical or extremely pietistic tendencies, function with a church government that looks amorphous. In this case, the church would deny that any form of government is needed, it would depend on all the members of the congregation being sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit in their own lives, and decisions would generally be made by consensus.

From: Grudem, Systematic Theology, Ch. 47

Baptist Faith and Message: Section VI: The Church

1925

A church of Christ is a congregation of baptized believers, associated by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the gospel; observing the ordinances of Christ, governed by his laws, and exercising the gifts, rights, and privileges invested in them by his word, and seeking to extend the gospel to the ends of the earth. Its Scriptural officers are bishops, or elders, and deacons.

Matt. 16:18; Matt. 18:15-18; Rom. 1:7; 1 Cor. 1:2; Acts 2:41-42; 5:13-14; 2 Cor. 9:13; Phil. 1:1; 1 Tim. 4:14; Acts 14:23; Acts 6:3,5-6; Heb. 13:17; 1 Cor. 9:6,14.

1963

A New Testament church of the Lord Jesus Christ is a local body of baptized believers who are associated by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the gospel, observing the two ordinances of Christ, committed to His teachings, exercising the gifts, rights, and privileges invested in them by His Word, and seeking to extend the gospel to the ends of the earth.

This church is an autonomous body, operating through democratic processes under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. In such a congregation, members are equally responsible. Its Scriptural officers are pastors and deacons.

The New Testament speaks also of the church as the body of Christ which includes all of the redeemed of all the ages.

Matt. 16:15-19; 18:15-20; Acts 2:41-42,47; 5:11-14; 6:3-6; 13:1-3; 14:23,27; 15:1-30; 16:5; 20:28; Rom. 1:7; 1 Cor. 1:2; 3:16; 5:4-5; 7:17; 9:13-14; 12; Ephes. 1:22-23; 2:19-22; 3:8-11,21; 5:22-32; Phil. 1:1; Col. 1:18; 1 Tim. 3:1-15; 4:14; 1 Peter 5:1-4; Rev. 2-3; 21:2-3.

2000

A New Testament church of the Lord Jesus Christ is an autonomous local congregation of baptized believers, associated by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the gospel; observing the two ordinances of Christ, governed by His laws, exercising the gifts, rights, and privileges invested in them by His Word, and seeking to extend the gospel to the ends of the earth. Each congregation operates under the Lordship of Christ through democratic processes. In such a congregation each member is responsible and accountable to Christ as Lord. Its scriptural officers are pastors and deacons. While both men and women are gifted for service in the church, the office of pastor is limited to men as qualified by Scripture.

The New Testament speaks also of the church as the Body of Christ which includes all of the redeemed of all the ages, believers from every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation.

Matthew 16:15-19; 18:15-20; Acts 2:41-42,47; 5:11-14; 6:3-6; 13:1-3; 14:23,27; 15:1-30; 16:5; 20:28; Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:2; 3:16; 5:4-5; 7:17; 9:13-14; 12; Ephesians 1:22-23; 2:19-22; 3:8-11,21; 5:22-32; Philippians 1:1; Colossians 1:18; 1 Timothy 2:9-14; 3:1-15; 4:14; Hebrews 11:39-40; 1 Peter 5:1-4; Revelation 2-3; 21:2-3.

Church Government: Further Explanation

The primary reason for the church offices is to serve the people of God - to equip the saints to carry out the Great Commandment and the Great Commission. To be Christian is to minister, and that means “to serve.”

George C. Fuller noted in business, the “important people are those at the top of the organization pyramid. The bigger the organization, the more important the top person is. In personal affairs, the “great” are those who have servants, and the greater the number of servants the greater the great one is. Jesus reversed all that.

Although all Christians are to be engaged in service to the world and to each other, special responsibilities for service are given to some specifically equipped for that task.

Elders (bishops) are to serve by teaching and encouraging others to serve
Deacons are to lead the way in actual service

4 clear principles:

There is to be a division of responsibility. It is true that all Christians are to serve one another and the world, but any one person cannot fulfill that responsibility in all ways. These deacons were appointed from the apostles to fulfill “this duty” - to serve tables (2).
There is to be a plurality of leadership. The church did not install merely one person to do this job but several. In fact, there is no reference anywhere in the New Testament to the appointment of only one elder or one deacon to a work. In appointing several persons to work together, the church at God’s direction provided for mutual encouragement among those who shared in the work as well as lessened the chance for pride or tyranny in office.
There is a concern for spiritual qualifications. The apostles did not ask the believers to consider whether those elected to this office had private wealth so that they could minister out of their own pockets should the church’s funds run out. They did not ask whether they were in positions of secular power or influence. They were simply asked to pick out men who were of good repute, and full of the Spirit and of wisdom.
Leaders are to be elected by the people they serve. In Acts 6 we are not told how the believers chose the first deacons, but we are told that they chose them. They were not appointed by the apostles. Moreover, the people did a good job in choosing. Note that the complaint about the administration of church funds was brought by Greek Christians, Hellenists, and those who were chosen apparently Greek, to judge by their names.

Source: Foundations of the Christian Faith, Boice (Ch. 10)

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Perspectives on Church Government: Five Views of Church Polity

Perspectives on Church Government presents in counterpoint form the basic models of church government which have developed over the course of church history with a view toward determining which is most faithful to Scripture. Each chapter will be written by a prominent person from within each tradition—with specific guidelines dealing with the biblical, historical, and theological issues within each governance tradition. In addition, each writer will have the opportunity to give a brief response to the other traditions.

by Chad Owen Brand (Editor), R. Stanton Norman (Editor), Daniel Akin (Collaborator), Jr. James Leo Garrett (Collaborator), Robert L. Reymond (Collaborator), James R. White (Collaborator), Paul F. M. Zahl (Collaborator)

Link: Here

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The Deliberate Church: Building Your Ministry on the Gospel

Pastors Mark Dever and Paul Alexander provide a model of a biblical church in this resource for pastors, elders, and others interested in the vitality of their church. This highly practical book proposes an attitude of complete reliance on and submission to the Gospel in building a healthy church.

by Mark Dever

Link: Here

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Biblical Eldership: An Urgent Call to Restore Biblical Church Leadership

With over 200,000 copies sold, this comprehensive look at the role and function of elders brings all the advantages of shared leadership into focus. Beginning with the four broad categories of eldership (leading, feeding, caring, and protecting), Biblical Eldership explores the essential work of elders, their qualifications (including why qualifications are necessary), their relationships with each other, and each of the biblical passages related to eldership. Written for those seeking a clear understanding of the mandate for biblical eldership, this full-length, expository book defines it accurately, practically, and according to Scripture.

by Alexander Strauch

Link: Here