Expert: Marvin Howard - 11/6/2008

Question
who are the spiritual leaders in the church of christ [please include scriptures]

Answer
Hi!

Nathaniel, this is best answered with a sermon I wrote some time ago.

The Doctrines Of Man vs. The Doctrine Of God

Part VII: Church Government And Organization

Many different teachings exist on many different Bible subjects in the world. The aim of this series is to look at various doctrines, and decide whether they be from God or man. Once again, as always, I am a man and fallible. Check scripture with me for yourself to see if these things are so. This is the eighth sermon in this series.

My friends, I am going to cover scriptural, church government. Besides Christ's church, here is a list of the 24 largest religions in America:

Denomination name/Members

The Roman Catholic Church/63,683,030
Southern Baptist Convention/15,960,308
The United Methodist Church/8,340,954
The Church of God in Christ/5,499,875
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints/5,208,827
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America/5,125,919
National Baptist Convention of America, Inc./3,500,000
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)/3,485,332
Assemblies of God/2,577,560
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS)/2,554,088
Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc./2,500,000
African Methodist Episcopal Church/2,500,000
National Missionary Baptist Convention of America/2,500,000
Episcopal Church/2,311,398
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America/1,500,000
Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, Inc./1,500,000
American Baptist Churches in the U.S.A./1,436,909
United Church of Christ/1,377,320
African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church/1,296,662
Baptist Bible Fellowship International/1,200,000
Christian Churches/1,071,616
The Orthodox Church in America/1,000,000
Jehovah's Witnesses/998,166
Church of God (Cleveland, Tenn.)/895,536

Source: Yearbook of American & Canadian Churches, 2002.
(corrected for accuracy MRH)

Just to give you an idea of the state of religion today, there are 14 different religions (listed above), in this country alone, with more members than the body of Christ. This is just in those which devolved from Christianity, also. There are two more in a virtual tie for membership numbers with the church (about 1.5 million). In all, there are over 130 different religions, considered to be major by search engines, almanacs, etc. just in the United States. There is a caveat that there are many more smaller one's. One count conservatively places the number over 400. In most cases, each into which you happen to walk, is set up with a different form of government, or hierarchy, some even extending outside of their locality. There are too many to go through and say what is right or wrong in each case. Therefore, aside from a few common items shared by different religions, I will concentrate on what is said by God to belong in the church. Anything else would be adding to the Word, forbidden by Galatians 1:8-9.

NOW HEAR YE THE WORD OF THE LORD as recorded in Ephesians 4:11-16:

"And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we [henceforth] be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, [and] cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, [even] Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love."
These are the groups of people given charge to:

1. Perfect the saints.
2. Minister to the body.
3. Build the church.
4. Verify doctrine.

These are the groups of people, who when their jobs are done, make the individual members fit together as a body and make it grow. They are the leaders. Each has a different responsibility.

The apostles died. Prophecies (foretelling and miraculous knowledge) ceased, as proven in my third archived sermon (http://www.geocities.com/braswellcoc1/archive3.html). Their job was to perfect the saints, i.e., make them perfect. This involved giving them everything they needed to know to continue as a body. The same sermon (above) also showed the scriptures to be perfect and complete. They did their job, and continue doing it every time someone preaches their recorded words.

Pastors (a.k.a. shepherds) have the job of making sure the spiritual food fed to the flock is true. 1st Peter 5:1-3 says, "The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight [thereof], not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; Neither as being lords over [God's] heritage, but being ensamples to the flock."

Who is responsible for the food of the flock if it is not the shepherds (a.k.a. pastors)? It is them, but Peter calls them elders. He also says the elders have oversight. The Greek for "bishop" is "episkopos" {ep-is'-kop-os}. "Episkopos" is defined as "overseer." They do not rule as kings, but rather lead by example.

Basically there are three terms used in scripture in relation to these leaders. They are almost synonymous. Only the point of view of the author determined which term was used. The term "bishop" is plainly defined as being the office these men fill in 1st Timothy 3:1. The term "pastors", which is another word for shepherds, describes the job they accomplish (as in Ephesians 4:11 above). The term "elder" plainly describes the man filling the office (as above in 1st Peter 5:1-3). Please note with me, the term, "pastor," (singular) never occurs in the new law for the church, though many need it to be so to have authority for their practice. Rather the plural is always used, indicating, where there is one, there are more than one in every case. Likewise, elder and bishop are never used in the singular except in describing a man filling the office: it is never used in the singular when describing the office itself. For a body to have only one person called a pastor, bishop, elder, or shepherd is then unscriptural. Since it is unscriptural (not of the scripture or Word), and faith comes from the hearing of the Word (Romans 10:17), it is likewise not of faith. Whatsoever is not of faith is sin (Romans 14:23). Unrepented sin causes damnation. Bidding "Godspeed" (wishing someone well or accepting without rebuke) to someone's sin is sin itself. Don't congratulate a preacher on a job well done, if that job is being done sinfully, or you would then be in sin as well. If Paul in his preaching could teach and argue the truth based on the plural vs. the singular form of a word, so can I (c.f. Galatians 3:16).

The Greek for "elder" is "presbuteros" {pres-boo'-ter-os}. Therefore the anglicized form of "presbyter" would be an acceptable term, provided the job they do is the same.

Bishops are over no other group than the local congregation. How else are the sheep to know the voices of their shepherds (c.f., John 10:4 and 1st Peter 5:2)? Anything else is being power hungry and serving their own belly, as well as adding to the word. The job of the pastors/elders/bishops then is most simply stated as making sure what is being taught publicly is the truth. One pastor may be the speaker, but there must be others with him to make sure he remains true. After all, it is harder to get a mistake past a number of people than it is for one not to hear (especially himself). For example, I as a preacher, submit my sermons regularly to about 160 Christians a month for review and correction. A good many of these are bishops. I do this as the church at Hapeville, GA is no longer large enough to have an eldership. This is done about 2 weeks prior to posting each sermon.

Bishops can neither speak nor expect truth, if they live in sin or teach falsely. Take for an example here the homosexual "bishop" we have heard much about of late. Being in sin, he is a blind leader. There are many who blindly follow as well, and all shall end up in the ditch.

Other than Jesus (and government laws where they do not contradict), there is no higher authority for any congregation. We find cooperation between congregations, but there is no other group that can bind anything on any local church.

Paul was a preacher. No one can deny this. He said he could have taken money from the Corinthian church for it, but refused (2nd Corinthians 11:9). He did take money from Macedonia. Pastors (elders) are not to do their job for money (Titus 1:11), therefore, what Paul was doing was not pastoring.

An evangelist is a herald, or a bringer of good news. Since the gospel is the good news, the one bringing it publicly is an evangelist (not a pastor). Timothy and Titus, being preachers, still needed instruction on the duties of a pastor, as they were not pastors. We especially know this of Timothy because of his youth. A youth cannot be an elder; it is oxymoronic. Paul, taking money for support in his preaching, therefore was an evangelist. After all, he is a workman for elders, and a workman is worthy of his hire. Being in charge of the food received by the flock, the elders are responsible for every word coming out of the preacher's mouth, and must publicly correct any error.

Good news can also be carried one on one to sad, weary, or lost souls. This is ministering. Again, while it can be done by an elder or evangelist, it is not necessary. Individual members may do this also (c.f. Acts 16:15 where Paul received ministration). Since a paid preacher has more time allotted for this task than someone with a secular job, the evangelist is usually the person who accomplishes the most ministering, he therefore is often called a "minister." However, this job should not exclusively be his. Anyone performing these tasks is subject to the authority of the elders.

Anyone may teach if they have a sound knowledge of the Word. Again, the elders are responsible for what is taught, so teachers answer to the elders as well.

Singing is teaching (Colossians 3:16). Since leadership is proven (below) to be male in order to be acceptable to God, and ladies are required to sing, there must of necessity be a song leader. He, too, is responsible to the elders for the words in the songs he selects. They must be truth, or there is then false teaching.

This is an awesome responsibility for the elders. Even the inspired apostles felt the weight. While it remains the job of the elders to guard the spiritual welfare of the flock, the apostles gave them some relief on the physical aspects in the form of deacons (Acts 6:1-6 and 1st Timothy 3:8-13). They are servant leaders. They help the elders with specific responsibilities regarding things such as finance and benevolence, groundskeeping, ordering supplies, making sure all is ready for the conduct of corporate worship, etc. Deacon in the original Greek meant a servant, one who waits tables, or a domestic. They are more like a cabinet of advisors and assistants for the elders. Outside of the physical needs of the church, they are given no other authority than is given to the rest of the members.

The term "deaconess" is found in the Bible. Many will point to this one verse and say it makes Paul's prohibition of women speaking in the worship as false. This is not so. Do you remember what the word means? It is a domestic. A deaconess was nothing more than a regular hostess for company. Nothing is stated anywhere showing her doing anything in the assembly.

This is the sum, total of the leadership within the church. The only head is Christ; not some imposter/substitute on earth; not some council, convention, synod, or other group.

We have covered what the jobs are. Now, let us briefly examine the qualifications for filling these jobs as outlined by God.

Pastors    1st Timothy 3:1-7
1. Desire the office.
2. Be blameless. (No one in the church may be able to justly accuse him of wrong doing.)
3. Be the husband of one wife. (I would love to see a woman fulfill this requirement; though they may quote what has recently happened with the episcopalians to try to get an exception.) Also, note being single and celibate is not an option for bishops.
4. Be vigilant. (always alert)
5. Be sober. (Always serious about the Word)
6. Be of good behavior.
7. Be given to hospitality.
8. Be apt to teach. (Have an aptitude for teaching)
9. Be not given to wine. (No desire for it)
10. Be no striker. (Will not physically fight)
11. Not greedy of filthy lucre. (Not greedy of money, being content with what he has)
12. Be patient.
13. Be no brawler. (Be peaceable)
14. Not covetous.
15. Rule his (not her) own house well.
16. Be not a novice (be not new to the Word - not an 18 year old boy as some claim)

Titus 1:5-14
17. Have believing children. (More than one Christian child. Note it cannot mean all children, or there would be no need for 18 below.)
18. Have no child who is riotous or unruly.
19. Be a good steward.
20. Be not selfwilled.
21. Be a lover of good men. (phileo or brotherly love of Christians)
22. Be just.
23. Be holy.
24. Be temperate.
25. Hold fast the faithful Word.
26. Not give heed to Jewish fables. (Speeches, words, falsehoods - the Jewish law was finished)

Deacons 1st Timothy 3:8-12
1. Be grave.
2. Be not double tongued.
3. Not given to much wine. (desire)
4. Not greedy of filthy lucre.
5. Hold the mystery of the faith in good conscience. (Not doubting his belief)
6. Be proven blameless.
7. Must be the husband of one wife. (Again, this does not say her wife.)
8. Must rule his house well.

Preacher/Evangelist   2nd Timothy 4:1-4
1. Preach the Word
2. Be instant in season and out of season.
3. Reprove, rebuke, and exhort both with longsuffering and with doctrine.
4. Prevent the spread of fables.

Teachers   Matthew 28:19
1. Teach the gospel (death burial and resurrection) to people who have not heard.
2. Teach those Christians to observe all things Jesus commanded the apostles.

There is no passage which gives specific qualifications for either evangelists or teachers; just what they are to teach. Nothing is said about a preacher going to a seminary (another popular, but unscriptural term). However, as long as we don't contradict the Word, some common sense may be applied, for God gave it to us. Any teacher must have a knowledge of the subject being taught. Again, if this were not the case, we would have the blind leading the blind; a very dangerous spiritual position.

Also, there are a couple of passages saying when certain people may not teach.

1st Timothy 2:11-15, "Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety."

1st Corinthians 14:34-35, "Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but [they are commanded] to be under obedience, as also saith the law. And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church."

Women may not teach in the church! Think of how many women today, and men supporting them, set out to do what they want in place of God's Word, purposefully shaming themselves and the church. There is not a cultural reason for this. There is a religious law for this, which dates back to creation. In order to successfully say this prohibition has been removed today, you would have to be able to say that today, the woman is no longer the first in the garden to be deceived. The Old Law had the same prohibition. This is not why the church does. This is an example of how it was being carried over, from creation, through the Mosaic age, into these last days which began at Pentecost according to the prophet Joel. Many wish to deny this. Many make a false claim this makes ladies second class. Ladies have a special place of honor. Ladies are given certain tasks. We will cover more on these at a later time.

Acts 21:23-25, "Do therefore this that we say to thee: We have four men which have a vow on them; Them take, and purify thyself with them, and be at charges with them, that they may shave [their] heads: and all may know that those things, whereof they were informed concerning thee, are nothing; but [that] thou thyself also walkest orderly, and keepest the law. As touching the Gentiles which believe, we have written [and] concluded that they observe no such thing, save only that they keep themselves from [things] offered to idols, and from blood, and from strangled, and from fornication."

After much research and careful consideration, I must share this. Friends, I, like Paul, seldom do this. Here, I offer an opinion based on expedience and experience. Remember, this is an opinion, and only an opinion. I do not bind this on anyone, nor do I believe God does so. I have seen different elders teach both ways as proper (those who teach a particular way only recently). Since it is unclear to some, I would rather impose a requirement on myself than to offend. Let's break down the passage above.

"We have four men..." The "We" is the eldership, or bishopric.
"...(H)ave a vow on them." The "them" are four of the elders. This "vow" is a Nazarite vow; a Jewish vow requiring men not to shave or cut their hair in any way. The two most famous Biblical characters with this vow were Samson and Paul.

"As touching the Gentiles which believe...observe no such thing..."

Gentile elders are not commanded to shave. However, as some people reading this passage conclude that elders are to be shaven, it is far better to be shaven than to be a stumbling block to the weaker brethren, or those not in the faith at all.

Religious Titles

Many religions place titles on their leaders. What does God say about this?

Psalm 111:9, "He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever: holy and reverend [is] his name."

Reverend is God's name. Nowhere do we find it applied to a man. For me to take the name of "Reverend" is to take the name, or identity of God. I cannot. Neither can I allow someone else to use this of me. Just as the apostles were not to be worshipped (c.f., Acts 10:25-26), neither am I to accept it. In fact, "reverend" as God's name is lower case. To assign it to a man and make it upper case, shows him more respect than God.

Matthew 23:9-12, "And call no [man] your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, [even] Christ. But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted."

All use of religious titles is here condemned by Christ, as they tend to exalt one over another. We are simply brothers one of another, and of Jesus. We are all priests, with Christ as our High Priest. Do not exalt yourself over another, neither allow others to exalt you. Rather, be an humble servant that Christ may exalt you in the end. If someone tells you, "It doesn't matter," or, "This is the way we have always done it," please do not listen to them! God said it mattered! Will you not listen to Him rather than man?

Nathaniel, I pray this has provided you with the information you sought. If I can be of further assistance, please let me know.

In His Service,
Marvin Howard