How Should a Church Be Led? | 5 Views on Church Government

Type of Doctrine: Secondary

"And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed."

-Acts 14:23 ESV

Why does it matter?

How should a church be led? Should one person lead a church or should a team lead a church? Should the congregation be able to vote? Should there be authority above the local church? Scripture provides numerous passages on church leadership; it is important, therefore, to interpret and apply them. Church government is also important due to its practical nature. In other words, we need to know how a church should be led biblically so that we can flesh it out in our own local church practically.

This is likely a secondary issue. It is not a primary issue. That is, it doesn't help determine whether one is a Christian or not. Still, church government affects the church significantly, and so it would probably be difficult for Christians who disagree to remain in the same church.

What is it?

The topic of "church government" is concerned with who leads the church. As noted earlier, it is important to study this subject so that churches can be faithful to Scripture, function properly, and know how to make decisions.

The following Scriptures are some of the most prominent verses which address church leadership:

• "Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord" (James 5:14).

• "And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed" (Acts 14:23).

• "When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they declared all that God had done with them" (Acts 15:4).

• "Now from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church to come to him" (Acts 20:17).

• "Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood" (Acts 20:28).

• "Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching" (1 Timothy 5:17).

• "This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you" (Titus 1:5).

• "So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed" (1 Peter 5:1).

There are three main Greek words that are used to refer to church leaders in the New Testament. The first is the word that is often translated "elder." This Greek word sounds like the word "presbyter" (which is why we have the presbyterian form of church government and the Presbyterian denomination). The second is the word that is often translated "shepherd" or "pastor." Lastly, the third is the word that is often translated "overseer" or "bishop." This Greek word sounds similar to the word "Episcopal."

Some groups see these three words as basically synonymous (i.e., they all refer to the same office). But, on the other hand, some do not. Some prefer to see "pastor" as a gifting rather than an office while others even see a hierarchy (e.g., bishop has authority over an elder).

The three basic views are the following:

• Congregational: the congregation has authority; churches are typically autonomous; all of the matters of government take place within the local congregation (there are three variations of this model shown in the chart below)

• Presbyterian: the elders have authority in the church and a presbytery is made up of elders from various churches which represent the church (the typical structure is general assembly -> presbytery -> elders / session -> congregation)

• Episcopal: the bishops typically have the authority (the typical structure is archbishop -> bishop -> rector -> congregation); of course, in the Roman Catholic Church bishops play a similar role, but the pope has the final authority

There are a few variations on the congregational model so the chart below has five views on church government. This section is adapted from Chad Owen Brand and R. Stanton Norman, eds., Perspectives on Church Government: 5 Views (Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2004).

View	What?	Who?
Single Elder-led Congregational Model	A single elder leads the church (e.g., senior pastor, lead pastor, etc.), but the church still maintains a congregational model (i.e., where the congregation has the authority and votes on key issues). The elder takes care of the day-to-day tasks, and the congregation will meet and vote less (compared to the democratic model).	Some Baptists, nondenominational, and various other denominations
Democratic Congregational Model	This view is open to different forms of pastoral leadership, but the church maintains a congregational model (i.e., where the congregation has the authority and votes on key issues). The congregation will likely be more involved in this model since it has a more democratic approach.	Some Baptists, nondenominational, and various other denominations
Presbyterian Model	The elders have authority in their church (usually made up of teaching elders and ruling elders). This form of church government is often called "elder rule" (rather than "elder led"; see the next section). A presbytery is made up of elders from various churches which come together and represent their church.	Typically Presbyterian and Reformed
Plural Elder-led Congregational Model	This view argues that a plurality of elders lead the church, but the church maintains a congregational model (i.e., where the congregation has the authority and votes on key issues). Together the elders will likely lead the church in the day-to-day tasks, and the church will occasionally assemble for a vote on major issues.	Some Baptists, nondenominational, and various other denominations
Episcopal Model	In this view, the bishops typically have the authority, and they exercise authority over multiple churches. The typical structure is archbishop -> bishop -> rector -> congregation. (For the Roman Catholic Church, the bishops play a similar role but the pope has the final authority).	Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican/Episcopal, Methodist, many Lutherans, some Holiness groups, and some Pentecostal groups

Here are two other types of models that I've seen as well: (1) Ephesians 4:11 ministries and (2) a corporate model. First up is the Ephesians 4:11 ministries model. Some interpret these as four different ministries (i.e., Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Shepherd-Teacher) while others interpret these as five different ministries (i.e., Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Shepherd, and Teacher). Typically each of these ministries play a translocal role as they travel among various churches  (except usually the shepherd-teacher role). The apostolic gift is sometimes seen as a missionary, church planter, father of other church leaders, or authority.

However, others have begun to adopt a corporate church model. In this model there is a board of directors which operates either under, alongside, or over a lead/senior pastor. The pastor functions like a CEO and the staff functions similar to a corporate staff.

Also, it should be noted that some churches pick various features from each view presented above, but they may not neatly fit into one of the categories. For example, a church may subscribe to an elder-rule non-congregational form of church government (like Presbyterians), but they may also be autonomous with no authority above the church (similar to Baptists).

Application

This is generally one of the crucial topics to study when choosing a church tradition or denomination. Why? Because many groups differ on this topic. It can be a helpful way of narrowing down which church, or denomination, you should join. But keep this in mind: no church is perfect.

Also, pray for your leaders (1 Tim. 2:1-2). Church ministry can be challenging! Moreover, Scripture clearly shows that we should submit to our leaders (Heb. 13:17). Leaders should care for the souls which have been entrusted to them; this should be done in a joyful manner (rather than groaning) while remembering that we will have to give an account one day (Heb. 13:17).

However, concerns should be brought up if the qualifications for an elder are not being met (1 Tim. 3). This means that submission does not happen without discernment and critical thinking. We should continue to check everything according to Scripture. Luke records this verse in Acts 17:11: "Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so."

Where can I learn more?

Bibliography

-Brand, Chad Owen, and R. Stanton Norman, eds. Perspectives on Church Government: 5 Views. Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2004.