The mission of god part 1 book structure spanning roughly thirty years of early church history and covering dozens of unique stories, geographical locations, and complex theological realities, the book of acts is what john calvin called a kind of vast treasure calvin, the acts of. The book of acts, also called the acts of the apostles, is the companion volume to the gospel of luke. Episcopalianism or prelacy is the rule of the church by monarchial bishops. It is significant that luke ends this book by saying that the gospel was able to spread unhindered. The true gospel message is a message about government. The fundamental principle from which church leadership and organization develop is this.
First, the episcopal model includes churches in which church leaders are appointed by the denomination. Different forms of church government moody church media. House churches in the new testament existed sidebyside with other house churches. Organizational structure of the church of acts acts 1. Our concern with biblical church governance desiring god. Episcopalianism, presbyterianism, singleelder congregationalism, and pluralelder.
The church in antioch recognizes the authority of the jerusalem leadership in the case of settling controversies such as this one. That is, one man may govern those under him whether members or other elders, and he need not be chosen by the people to be their leader, but can be appointed by a higher agency. Church structure church offices the pastor literally, shepherd is the human head of a church. Its narrative supplies a bridge connecting the life and ministry of jesus to the life of the church and the witness of the earliest believers. Church growth in the book of acts a church of christ can and will grow spiritually and numerically when it is faithful to the word of god. Second, the local church is to be autonomous, free from any external authority or control, with the right of self government.
He speaks of giving his disciples later a kingdom, thrones and the power to judge or. Wayne im not so sure thats its as simple as hierarchy. For example, i do not find it persuasive to take the description of barnabas being sent by a church in acts 11. To prove this point, let us take a quick look at church growth in the book of acts, with a special view to the church in jerusalem. Through a social and culture texture analysis, insights on organizational design within the book of acts reveal that the early church used fairly modern. The acts of the apostles, abbreviation acts, fifth book of the new testament, a valuable history of the early christian church. On the other, we know that the church is an organization set up by christ and regulated by the guidelines commanded throughout the scriptures. This is the difficulty of definitively deciding church structure on the 1st century churchthere are too many options and too much flexibility for american sensibilities. Government structure in the new testament church 3 hegeomai, lead, rule, command, have authority over be as he who serves. This is the second lesson in our series the book of acts. Second, the presbyterian or elder led model includes the church selecting elders who represent the church as decision makers. Jesus christ is owner and president of his organization, and must be. Government structure in the new testament church 2 out of egypt the issue was government. Dec 19, 2012 a friend of mine is planning on preaching through the book of acts and i was thinking about someday preaching on it.
The book of acts christians today often turn to the book of acts to explore questions related to the charismatic gifts or to investigate issues related to church government. Go ye therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy ghost, teaching them. Individual believers and house churches considered themselves part of a greater citywide church. What does the bible say about the form of church government. Acts was written in greek, presumably by the evangelist luke, whose gospel concludes where acts begins, namely, with christs ascension into heaven. God isnt fond of big denominations for the same reason he discouraged israel from having a king. The disciples saw jesus christ as a great leader and organizer. Ludlowthe book of acts was written by luke after his gospel as the second.
Disagreements over this issue once split denominationsbut few 21stcentury christians have a solid understanding of the principles that determine their own church leadership. Have you ever heard congregational church government described in that way. Church government or sometimes church polity is that branch of ecclesiology study of the church that addresses the organizational structure and hierarchy of the church. At acts ii ministries we are endeavoring to structure our leadership team in a manner that best reflects biblical ministry and terminology. In the bible, god outlines authority structures that provide direction for the family, church, workplace, and government. Paul, like peter, is presented as a miracle worker acts 14. Rethinking the governance structure at bethlehem baptist. God wants his people to be led by his spirit, with minimum interference from the undershepherds. It is the elders who lead the church and are responsible for teaching the word and guiding, admonishing, and exhorting the people of god. A basic overview of the structure for the book of acts. A book of acts church almost seems to be a rare thing in the times in which we. A primer on the government of the episcopal church and its underlying theology offered by the ecclesiology committee of the house of bishops fall 20 revised march 2015, january 2016 the following is an introduction to how and why the episcopal church came to be. Groups of local churches are governed by a higher assembly of elders known as the.
As we come to the matter of leadership within the local church, there. The roles found in the church structure are described below. Or put another way, does the book of acts provide information that not only describes the primitive church but speaks as a norm to the church at all times. No man in the new testament is ever referred to as the pastor of a church. When god cursed the nations of israel and judah, and sold them into captivity, the issue was government. Episcopalianism, presbyterianism, singleelder congregationalism, and pluralelder congregationalism. The authors provide six hermeneutical principles for historical narratives generally. Over the next hour, well think about how a biblicallybased church government promotes unity, and how we can contribute to the unity of this church. Whereas the gospel of luke focuses on the life and ministry of jesus christ, the acts of the apostles builds upon what jesus did and taught see acts 1. What does the bible say about the organizational structure. A primer on the government of the episcopal church and its.
In the new testament there are two greek words which are employed interchangeably for the office of elder cf. This goal is to help to prepare the local church members to carry out the tasks that the local body has decided would be part of the overall mission and ministry of the church. First, christ is the head of the church and its supreme authority ephesians 1. On sunday, march 1, i argued from the new testament that there were two ongoing offices in the new testament church for the management and care of the church. All we know about church government is in the book of acts. The system of the book of acts to established and operate the church was. Some questions about church organization, together with biblical answers. The book of acts provides a detailed, orderly, eyewitness account of the birth and growth of the early church and the spread of the gospel immediately after the resurrection of jesus christ. We are focusing now on the structure and offices of the church. There will be a future physical resurrection of the dead. Church government can thus be a great tool for unity in the churchor a great detriment to it. Book structure spanning roughly thirty years of early church history and covering dozens of unique stories, geographical locations, and complex theological realities, the book of acts is what john calvin called a kind of vast treasure calvin, the acts of the apostles. We are studying the new testament teaching about the church on sunday evenings. This is why in the first chapter of the book of acts, the first century church replaced judas iscariot with matthias after the former had committed suicide.
The first and greatest reason of church government, we may securely with the assent of many on the adverse part, affirme to be, because we finde it so ordaind and set out to us by the appointment of god in the scriptures. The modern church has many problems, and of its problems, many are due to the way we think of pastors and elders, of church government, of music in the church, of membership and its qualifications, of service, and similar considerations. That the officers of every church or congregation are either elders, who by their office do especially feed the flock concerning their souls, acts 20. An interview with john macarthur selected scriptures duration. Those who turn from sin and to jesus in faith and repentance will be raised to eternal reward.
Testament, we find the clearest teaching in the book of colossians. However one resolves the question of church government, there are important practical implications for the life of the church and the ministry of individual believers. There are four basic forms of church government in existence today. I also exegete and contextualize the book of acts to get a clear image of the churchs organizational structure, its leadership and social. This article examines the early church as recorded in acts using a. The biblical pattern of church government ministry127.
Second, the local church is to be autonomous, free from any external authority or control, with the right of selfgovernment and freedom from the interference of any hierarchy of individuals or organizations titus 1. This article examines the growth of the early christian church through the lens of our modern understanding of organizational design. At the moody church, we maintain a system somewhat similar to a presbyterianstyle of church leadership because we believe that this structure is biblically preferable. Ludlowthe book of acts was written by luke after his gospel as the second part of a great twovolume work on jesus christ and the early christians. Acts was apparently written in rome, perhaps between ad 70 and 90. The church has a mission, a work, a worship, and an organization, and there is no better place in the bible to find these things described and proscribed than in the book of acts.
The first and greatest reason of churchgovernment, we may securely with the assent of many on the adverse part, affirme to be, because we finde it so ordaind and set out to us by the appointment of god in the scriptures. The new testament church had a central governing body of apostles and elders in jerusalem, possibly modeled after the seventymember jewish sanhedrin, whose primary task was the preservation of. Using the terms elder and bishop interchangeably, the church government described and commissioned in the early church was marked by a plurality of elders titus 1. Church growth statements in the book of acts barnes bible charts 2. In the modern church, christians often turn to the book of acts to explore questions related to the charismatic. In relation to succession of leadership in the presidency of the church. We see this in practice in the church in antioch acts 11. Feb 09, 2015 practical concerns in the local church. May 20, 2020 we are studying the new testament teaching about the church on sunday evenings. They are episcopal, presbyterian, congregational and nongovernmental, but it should be noted that those terms are by no means restricted to their corresponding denominational name e. This statement of jesus shows clearly that there were to be government and individuals bearing rule in gods church. Apostolic ministry providing spiritual covering and developing leadership, while.
In acts, luke has provided a broad survey of the churchs development from the resurrection of jesus to pauls first roman imprisonment, the point at which the book ends. In the early church, it seems there was a plurality of elders, also called bishops or overseers. Koren the right principles of church government page 2 his kingdom by this word, when he said. Acts was apparently written in rome, perhaps between ad 70 and 90, though some think a slightly earlier date is also. When the deacons need to be picked, it is the laity that does it acts 6.
The lord was very clear in his word about how he wishes his church on earth to be organized and managed. Actus apostolorum, often referred to simply as acts, or formally the book of acts, is the fifth book of the new testament. In other cases, the biblical evidence for congregationalism is less convincing, especially in acts. During the early history of the church, for example, luke found it relevant to relate that the money contributed to the church was under the control of its. Todays indifference to issues of church government is at odds with the attitudes of. Put simply, its the system by which decisions are made in a church. While the congregation retains final authority, in practice the senior pastor wields considerable power due to his public teaching office. That church governement is prescribd in the gospell, and that to say otherwise is unsound. In acts chapter the lords leading in the life and ministry of paul. Just read its early history acts and its correspondence epistles. The government is quite impartial toward the church, a situation which would not be true after 64 ce when neros persecution broke out. In acts 1, the church is growing already 120 people, acts 1. Each local church is governed by a body of elected elders usually called the session or consistory, though other terms, such as church board, may apply.
Within these guidelines, four main models of church structure have developed. The church was not to be patterned after the old earthly israelite kingdom acts 1. Presbyterian or presbyteral polity is a method of church governance ecclesiastical polity typified by the rule of assemblies of presbyters, or elders. Deacons were first chosen by the church in jerusalem see acts 6. Todays indifference to issues of church government is at odds with the attitudes of the new testament church.
Church government was not very highly developed, and local congregations were rather loosely knit groups. Feb 18, 2014 wayne im not so sure thats its as simple as hierarchy. The bible is deliberately vague on the subject of church government. It records the establishment of the early church under the leadership of the apostles, and the activity and growth of the church during the middle of the first century.
Through the book of acts, youll notice that both apostles perform miracles through the power of the spirit, see visions, suffer, preach powerfully, and were imprisoned and later miraculously set free. If you look at acts, youll notice that the first section covers peter acts 112 and the second section covers paul acts 28. When god gave israel the law at mount sinai, the issue was government. This illuminating collection presents and critiques four approaches. Mar 05, 2014 in other cases, the biblical evidence for congregationalism is less convincing, especially in acts. As a divinely commissioned organization, god has ordained leadership to spur on growth, purity, outreach, and holiness. People come to the book of acts for a variety of reasons. As i was thinking about it, i started to remember that i had put some work into researching whether or not there was a structure to the book of acts. The second pair of elements in lukes structural pattern of church growth is external. The mission of god part 1 book structure spanning roughly thirty years of early church history and covering dozens of unique stories, geographical locations, and complex theological realities, the book of acts is what john calvin called a kind of vast treasure calvin, the acts of the apostles. That churchgovernement is prescribd in the gospell, and that to say otherwise is unsound. While these concepts are certainly talked about in the book of acts, what was lukes main point as he wrote this book.