Chapter 45 - Governance

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The New Testament church was created to be eternal and organic. It was intended to exist in both heaven and on earth. Therefore, its attempted governance by the temporal, organizational strategies of mankind is insufficient. Only the eternal God could provide adequate governance for His eternal, organic ecclesia.

Theocratic Government

The governance of each small group community of the New Testament church was theocratic. They were recognized by divine headship, the divine rule of indwelling life (zoe), and the ordered equality of its members.

It is important to note that theocratic governance is not indicative of government for God but by God. Unfortunately, the world is replete with governments that claim to be theocratic and yet attempt to govern for God. More often than not they operate according to religious pretense rather than the will of God.

Mediatorial Theocracy

Mediatorial theocracy refers to governance by God through human mediation. The ancient nation of Israel was an example of a mediatorial theocracy.

The New Testament church was also a mediatorial theocracy. It was designed to be governed by God through the mediation of human beings that share His life (zoe). Consequently, the New Testament church was created to accommodate the presence of God on earth. By His authoritative presence in the church its eternal function and form were preserved and protected and the fulfillment of its eternal purpose and mission was assured.

Divine Headship

The human mediation of the theocratic government of the New Testament church was moderated by divine headship. Jesus Christ served as its governing head. (Romans 12:4-5; Ephesians 1:22-23; 4:15, 5:23; Colossians 1:18, 24, 2:19, 3:15) His immediate headship was both a theological truth and a practical reality.

Divine Rule of Life

Moderated by the immediate headship of Christ and mediated by shared life human beings, the New Testament church was not ruled by law. Its redeemed members were made righteous by the imputed righteousness of Christ. Paul informed the law of God was “not made for a righteous person, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane….” (1 Timothy 1:9)

Rather than ruled by the external rule of law, Jesus fulfills His role of governing headship for the New Testament church through the gracious rule of life (zoe). (John 14:6; Acts 3:15; 5:20; Romans 5:10, 17, 21; 7:4-6; 7:10; 2 Corinthians 3:6; 4:10-11; 5:4; Colossians 3:3-4; 1 John 5:20) Consequently, the practice, movement, and growth of the New Testament church on earth does not occur by human obedience to divine command but faithful cooperation with the living (zoe), indwelling Christ. (cf. Romans 1:5; 16:26)

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Ordered Equality

“…do not be called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers. Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. Do not be called leaders; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ. But the greatest among you shall be your servant. “Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.” (Matthew 23:8-12)

As indicated, the theocratic government of each small group community of the New Testament church was moderated by the headship of Jesus Christ through the rule of His indwelling life (zoe). It warranted the ordered equality of its individual members.

Every member of the body of Christ was equal in status but ordered in function. “For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:27-28; cf. Colossians 3:11)

Paul provided an example of the ordered equality of the members of the body of Christ when he said, “For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot says, ‘Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,’ it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. And if the ear says, ‘Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body,’ it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired. If they were all one member, where would the body be? But now there are many members, but one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you’; or again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.’ On the contrary, it is much truer that the members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary; and those members of the body which we deem less honorable, on these we bestow more abundant honor, and our less presentable members become much more presentable, whereas our more presentable members have no need of it. But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that member which lacked, so that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.” (1 Corinthians 12:12-26)

Though equal in status, the members of the New Testament ecclesia were privileged by God to be awarded with different functional roles. Each role was eternally significant and critical to the well-being of the body of Christ.

The Apostle Paul revealed that the believers in ancient Corinth struggled with the concept of ordered equality. Therefore, they allowed divisiveness to hinder their gatherings. (1 Corinthians 1:10-17) As a result, they were characterized by conflict and confusion. In corrective response, the Apostle exhorted them to recognize, preserve and protect their ordered equality in prayer (1 Corinthians 11:1-16); in the celebration of the Lord’s Supper (1 Corinthians 11:17-34); in the ministry of the Spirit to the body (1 Corinthians 12:1-31); in the practice of selfless love to one another (1 Corinthians 13:1-13); and in spiritually gifted ministry to one another (1 Corinthians 14:1-33). Paul indicated that the church gatherings in ancient Corinth could be remedied by recognizing, protecting and preserving their ordered equality. As a result, they would be characterized by peace and order rather than divisiveness. (cf. 1 Corinthians 14:33, 40)

The theocratic government of each small group community of the New Testament church was designed to be moderated by the headship of Christ through the rule of His indwelling life (zoe), mediated on earth through its collective members. According to Paul, the effectiveness of church governance in ancient Corinth was a direct reflection of its recognition, preservation, and protection of the ordered equality of its members. Equal in status but ordered in function, each member of the ecclesia was chosen by God to contribute to the fulfillment of its earthly mission.

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Brothers and Sisters

In the New Testament, the ordered but equal members of the ecclesia were most often referred to as brothers and sisters. They are referenced as such 56 times in the Book of Acts and 180 times in the Epistles.

The co-equal, eternal life (zoe) sharing brothers and sisters of the New Testament church were awarded the privileged responsibility for its co-governance on earth. It was a mutual, cooperative obligation of eternal significance that demanded faith, humility, and submission to the immediate headship of the indwelling Christ.

Eldership

The brothers and sisters of each small group community of the New Testament church were served and supported by elders. As implied, elders were spiritually mature. In addition, scriptural standard revealed that God appointed only men as elders. (1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9)

The role of elders was important to the New Testament church. They supported and facilitated the equipping of the brothers and sisters by Christ. As a result, the brothers and sisters of the church were prepared for the work of ministry. Devoting “[themselves] to prayer and to the ministry of the Word,” the elders guided, modeled, persuaded, taught, fed, counseled, protected, warned, advised, rebuked, and corrected the New Testament church. (cf. Acts 6:4; 1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9)

Elders did not rule the New Testament church for God. Instead, church elders were appointed to serve the body of Christ in the capacity of under-shepherds to Jesus Christ, the Chief Shepherd. Submitted to His headship, they served and supported the church body.

The service and support of the church elders never served to elevate themselves or humanity in general. Instead, it exalted Christ alone. By service and support, word and deed, the New Testament ministry of church eldership was intended to direct the church body to Jesus Christ and His immediate headship.

Appointment

When the need arose, elders were chosen through divine appointment. They were appointed from within the brotherhood of the existing New Testament church body. Therefore, the prospective elder was known for his role of brother before he was appointed as an elder. No matter how long a man has walked with Christ, if he did not first serve properly in the role of a brother, he was not qualified to function in the role of elder.

Generally, those appointed by God as elders did not need to be asked. As a brother, they had already been serving the ecclesia as prompted by God, not man. For that reason, they were known for their service and support, not their office or nametag. When there was a need for a new elder, those willing to wait on the Lord would discover that His provision, appointment, and prompting was clear.

Elders did not make decisions for the New Testament church. Instead, they participated in the decision-making process as brothers. In the case of difficult to resolve issues, the church elders were led by God to provide mature, scripturally based counsel.

Difficult decisions warranted collective submission to the leadership and wisdom of the elders by every member of each small group community. After the elders provided wise counsel, the members of the church body were to “obey.” (Hebrews 13:17) However, submission to the decision of the elders was not suggestive of blind obedience. The original language of Hebrews 13:17 indicates that New Testament church members were to allow themselves to be persuaded. Consequently, submission to wise counsel was always a personal choice made for the greater good of the body.

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Deacons

The elders of each small group community of the New Testament church were served and supported by deacons. The word “deacon” is translated from the Greek diakonos. Relative to the context in which it is used, diakonos is also translated in the New Testament as “minister” or “servant.”

The cultivation of the role of deacon is first discussed in the Book of Acts. (6:1-6) Reputable men, “full of the Spirit and of wisdom,” were appointed by the elders to serve tables. Their appointment allowed the elders to devote themselves to “prayer and to the ministry of the Word.” (Acts 6:4)

As revealed by the Apostle Paul, the role of deacon was further clarified during the approximately 30 years that transpired between the writing of the books of Acts and 1 Timothy. His detailed list of qualifications provided great insight into the role and responsibility of the deacon. (1 Timothy 3:8-10, 12-13)

It is also apparent that women were appointed to serve in the role of deaconess. Paul not only referenced women in his list of qualifications for deacons but specifically mentioned the work of Phoebe, who appeared to have been serving in the role of deaconess. (Romans 16:1-2; 1 Timothy 3:11)

When there was a need for deacons or deaconesses, they were first approved by God. Secondarily they were appointed by the elders.

Prayerful Consensus

The brothers, sisters, elders, and deacons of each small group community of the New Testament church were intended to cooperate with Christ in the governance of His ecclesia through faith, humility, and prayerful consensus. In contrast to majority rule, consensus refers to an opinion or general agreement reached by a whole group. Governance by consensus has been referred to as “government by unity, oneness, harmony, or mutual agreement.”

Diversity of opinion was not viewed as counterproductive for reaching consensus. Instead, each small group community of the New Testament church viewed it as a gracious, divinely inspired opportunity that allowed for the exercise of mutual restraint and the pursuit of greater dependence on God to reveal His will.

Prayerfully arriving at consensus is not always easy. It can require extended, fervent prayer that can sometimes last hours, days, or even weeks. In addition to prayer and time, arriving at consensus necessitates faith, love, patience, humility, and gentleness.

Prayerfully arriving at true consensus is not the result of human effort. It is the fruit of collective submission to the headship of Christ by the fullness of His Spirit.

Through governance by prayerful consensus, no one is left behind. It enables the New Testament church to “… preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4:3)

© 2023 James Hiatt

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