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.

This study is motivated by the principle that, if you ask the right questions, the answers will be readily found in Scripture.

Q: What is the Scriptural difference between pastors, elders and overseers?
A: None. Scripture applies these terms to the very same men.

Paul addressed the elders of the church at Ephesus…

¹⁷From Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called to him the elders of the church…²⁸"Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood…"
Acts 20:17,28

¹Therefore, I exhort the elders among you… ²shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily…
1 Peter 5:1,2

⁵For this reason I left you in Crete, that you would set in order what remains and appoint elders in every city as I directed you, ... ⁷For the overseer must be above reproach as God's steward, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not addicted to wine, not pugnacious, not fond of sordid gain,
Titus 1:5-7

It is important to realize that it is God, the Holy Spirit who makes a man an overseer by equipping him with the gifts he needs to carry out the office of an elder...

"Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.
Acts 20:28

And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers,
Ephesians 4:11

When they had appointed elders for them in every church, having prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed.
Acts 14:23

For this reason I left you in Crete, that you would set in order what remains and appoint elders in every city as I directed you,
Titus 1:5

And when Paul and Barnabas had great dissension and debate with them, the brethren determined that Paul and Barnabas and some others of them should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders concerning this issue.
Acts 15:2

The apostles and the elders came together to look into this matter.
Acts 15:6

Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them to send to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas—Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brethren,
Acts 15:22

and they sent this letter by them, "The apostles and the brethren who are elders, to the brethren in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia who are from the Gentiles, greetings.
Acts 15:23

Now while they were passing through the cities, they were delivering the decrees which had been decided upon by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem, for them to observe.
Acts 16:4

We should note that the qualifications for an overseer require him to be a man, "the husband of one wife" (Titus 1:6), who has a good reputation and well-behaved children. He must "hold fast the faithful word" (Titus 1:9) and must be "able to teach" (1 Timothy 3:2).

In our present day, a pastor is usually recruited from a distant seminary, but in Scripture, the pastors were selected from within the church. There is no doubt great wisdom in recruiting from within the church a man whom the flock already knows and respects rather than bringing in a stranger from outside. We today are too overly concerned with a man's training and credentials. Formal training can be a good thing, but it is wrong to suppose that a man who has had no formal training is unfit to serve as a pastor. While it would be a wonderful thing to have been taught by an apostle, we should not assume that Paul or Titus gave their converts a formal seminary training.

The church at Jerusalem had several elders…

When they arrived at Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they reported all that God had done with them.
Acts 15:4

Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them to send to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas—Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brethren,
Acts 15:22

From Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called to him the elders of the church.
Acts 20:17

Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord;
James 5:14

Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed,
1 Peter 5:1

There are two passages in the New Testament which teach that those in the ministry should receive support from those to whom they minister. The first is 1 Corinthians 9:3-15…

³My defense to those who examine me is this: ⁴Do we not have a right to eat and drink? ⁵Do we not have a right to take along a believing wife, even as the rest of the apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas? ⁶Or do only Barnabas and I not have a right to refrain from working? ⁷Who at any time serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat the fruit of it? Or who tends a flock and does not use the milk of the flock? ⁸I am not speaking these things according to human judgment, am I? Or does not the Law also say these things? ⁹For it is written in the Law of Moses, "YOU SHALL NOT MUZZLE THE OX WHILE HE IS THRESHING." God is not concerned about oxen, is He? ¹⁰Or is He speaking altogether for our sake? Yes, for our sake it was written, because the plowman ought to plow in hope, and the thresher to thresh in hope of sharing the crops. ¹¹If we sowed spiritual things in you, is it too much if we reap material things from you? ¹²If others share the right over you, do we not more? Nevertheless, we did not use this right, but we endure all things so that we will cause no hindrance to the gospel of Christ. ¹³Do you not know that those who perform sacred services eat the food of the temple, and those who attend regularly to the altar have their share from the altar? ¹⁴So also the Lord directed those who proclaim the gospel to get their living from the gospel. ¹⁵But I have used none of these things. And I am not writing these things so that it will be done so in my case; for it would be better for me to die than have any man make my boast an empty one.
1 Corinthians 9:3-15

1. Paul was an apostle, not a pastor. He corresponds more to what we call a missionary. In his ministry, Paul had to travel from town to town, and often had to leave town hurriedly. He did not have a permanent residence in any of the towns where he ministered, and it would have been difficult for him to find steady secular employment to support himself.
2. Although he had a right to their support, Paul was willing to relinquish this right to avoid hindering the gospel.

17The elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching. 18For the Scripture says, "YOU SHALL NOT MUZZLE THE OX WHILE HE IS THRESHING," and "The laborer is worthy of his wages."
1 Timothy 5:17-18

When a man in the church was appointed to be an elder, he undoubtedly already had a secular occupation. His appointment as elder meant that he now had additional commitments… now he would have to devote part of his time to sermon preparation, and to other duties, such as visitation or counseling.

Whether he had to take time from his secular job, his family, or from some other activity, it required some sort of sacrifice on his part, and so it is fitting that those who benefit from his teaching should repay him in some material way.

However, the passage does not suggest that he was to become a full-time pastor. We have already seen that each church had several pastor/elders, and it is unlikely that the churches were able give full-time support to so many men.

The Biblical pattern appears to be that several men (the elders) shared the work of shepherding the church. Those who were not elders shared in this work by providing financial support. No single man was to be the sole "pastor", who worked "full-time", depending upon the church to provide his full income.

The idea of a solitary "full-time-pastor" is not new, but it lacks the many advantages of the Biblical pattern of a shared part-time pastorship…

1. By sharing the pastorate, it gives other gifted men an opportunity for service.
2. There is safety in many counselors (Proverbs 15:22). The pastor has great responsibility for the spiritual welfare of his flock. When this responsibility is shared among several spiritual men, they can benefit from their combined wisdom.
3. It provides the pastor with opportunity to sit under the preaching of others. Pastors, too, need to feed on the preached Word of God. He is less likely to become narrow-minded or opinionated when he receives teaching from others.
4. When a man does not receive his full income from the church, he is less tempted to please men rather than God (2 Timothy 4:3-4).
5. It eases the transition when a pastor leaves the church.
6. It eases the financial burden on the church. The church can remain flexible to withstand major fluctuations in giving or attendance.
7. When the load is shared, each pastor has more time for "everyday" activities, and it will be easier for the flock to remember that he too, though a shepherd, is but one of Christ’s sheep.
8. There is less temptation for pride on the part of the pastor. The pastor must remember that the church is not his church, but Christ’s. When a man is exalted as the primary leader and figurehead of the church, it is all too easy to develop an autocratic, opinionated style of leadership.
9. There is less temptation for the members of the church to exalt the pastor too highly. They too must remember that the church is Christ’s church, and not the pastor’s church.
10. When the pastorate is shared, then the church members will more readily understand that their gifts, too, can be used in some capacity in the church, and it will encourage their participation in other ministries.

In Scripture, churches either met in private homes, or else met in a public area or a rented facility.

also greet the church that is in their house. Greet Epaenetus, my beloved, who is the first convert to Christ from Asia.
Romans 16:5

The churches of Asia greet you. Aquila and Prisca greet you heartily in the Lord, with the church that is in their house.
1Corinthians 16:19

Greet the brethren who are in Laodicea and also Nympha and the church that is in her house.
Colossians 4:15

and to Apphia our sister, and to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house:
Philemon 1:2

But when some were becoming hardened and disobedient, speaking evil of the Way before the people, he withdrew from them and took away the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus.
Acts 19:9

Then he left there and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God, whose house was next to the synagogue.
Acts 18:7

But property and buildings are expensive. They require a fairly large attendance, and they devour a large portion of the church’s budget. Think of how much more could be given to true needs, such a mission work or helping the needy, if the mortgage and insurance costs did not cut so deeply into the church’s income.

Church leaders often feel pressured to increase attendance in order to meet these financial needs, and far too often, they seek unscriptural solutions to such problems… entertaining those who attend, promoting unqualified people to ministries within the church as an inducement for them to stay, and (worst of all) watering down the preaching and teaching so that it will not be so offensive to those who disagree with what is taught.

When a split arises in a church which owns property, neither side is willing to just "walk away". Rather, a big political or legal fight is likely to ensue over who gets to keep the property. On the other hand, when a church meets in a home or a rented facility, it is much easier to just remove yourself and start again elsewhere.

Churches today seem to place great importance upon church membership. Baptist churches usually require an individual to be baptized by immersion, often in another Baptist church of the same variety. Other denominations have various requirements for church membership. But are any of these concepts of church membership Biblical?

The Baptist view is based on Acts 2:41…

So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls.
Acts 2:41

Scripture never divides believers into the two classes of "baptized believers" and "unbaptized believers," although such a distinction is common in Baptist thought. This distinction may swell the ego of some Baptists, but it is an offense to Christ to treat some believers as "second-class Christians" when they too are joined by faith to Christ and are thus brothers in the Lord.

Just 6 verses later, in Acts 2:41, Scripture says that the saints were…

praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.
Acts 2:41

Naturally, it is assumed that those who believed would submit to baptism, but it was salvation, not baptism, which characterized those who were added to their number.

Nowhere in the New Testament is there any thought of a believer who does not belong to the church. Church membership is not some "second blessing" which a believer may receive after coming to Christ. Rather, the Christian’s faith is his membership card. We belong to the family of God, having the full rights of sonship, the very instant the Holy Spirit brings forth saving faith within our hearts.

It is true that the local church must sometimes exercise discipline…

deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh
1 Corinthians 5:5

keep away from every brother who leads an unruly life
2 Thessalonians 3:6

¹⁰Reject a factious man after a first and second warning, ¹¹knowing that such a man is perverted and is sinning, being self-condemned.
Titus 3:10-11

do not regard him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.
2 Thessalonians 3:15

Many churches today employ a congregational form of church government. This means that the congregation votes on important church issues.

While this may seem very egalitarian and fair, it is actually a very dangerous and destructive system. Important decisions should be made by spiritually mature men who are familiar with Biblical principles.

Congregationalism encourages the people-pleasing, entertainment-oriented type of churches which abound today. When the congregation chooses a pastor, they are often more likely to choose one who tells interesting anecdotes rather than one who faithfully preaches the Word of God. Scripture warned that such a time would come…

³For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, ⁴and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.
2 Timothy 4:3-4

The apostles and the elders came together to look into this matter.
Acts 15:6

and they sent this letter by them, "The apostles and the brethren who are elders, to the brethren in Antioch and…
Acts 15:23

The elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor…
1 Timothy 5:17

For this reason I left you in Crete, that you would set in order what remains and appoint elders in every city as I directed you,
Titus 1:5

There is one passage which is often used to support congregationalism…

²So the twelve summoned the congregation of the disciples and said, "It is not desirable for us to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables. ³"Therefore, brethren, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task. ⁴"But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word." ⁵The statement found approval with the whole congregation; and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch.
Acts 6:2-5

1. It was the apostles’ decision to let the congregation select the men… the congregation did not have an authority above the apostles. Rather, the apostles delegated a one-time authority to the congregation to select these seven men.
2. The reason why it was left to the congregation to decide who the seven should be is that some in the congregation were being neglected in the daily distribution of food. The apostles left it to the congregation so that those who felt that they had been overlooked could participate in selecting someone whom they could trust to distribute the food fairly.
3. Nothing is said here about taking a vote. From the passage, it appears that those Hellenistic Jews who were being overlooked were in the minority. Majority rule would not necessarily solve the problem. What was needed was for all parties concerned to be satisfied with the final solution. This was no doubt worked out with cooperation, communication and good will until a consensus was reached. 50% agreement was not good enough. A 2/3 vote was not enough. With like-minded, Spirit-filled Christians who are interested in the welfare of one another, a 100% consensus should be attainable.

The English word deacon comes directly from a Greek word which means a servant. A deacon is one who serves. Whenever the New Testament speaks of a deacon or of serving, it uses a form of this word. 1 Timothy 3:8-13 gives requirements for a deacon, and this implies that a believer may not automatically serve in any official capacity in the church… he must first be received as a deacon.

Since the office of a deacon was one of serving rather than of leadership, it was perfectly proper for a woman to be a deacon. Indeed, Romans 16:1 identifies Phoebe as a deaconess of the church at Cenchrea. 1 Timothy 3:11 would seem to give specific qualifications for a deaconess.

Ephesians 4:11-12 indicates that it is the work of the church leaders to prepare the saints for work as deacons and deaconesses, that they, in turn, might build up the Body of Christ…

¹¹And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, ¹²for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ;
Ephesians 4:11-12

We must realize, however, that there are many ways in which Christians may use their gifts in an unofficial capacity in the church. In the lists in Romans 12:6-8 and 1 Corinthians 12:28, the gifts of giving, showing mercy and helping would not necessarily need to be done by a deacon or elder.

There are very few passages which address the issue of music in the local church. The few times that singing is mentioned among a group of believers, they always sang together corporately...

After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
Matthew 26:30

After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
Mark 14:26

But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them;
Acts 16:25

Performances, such as solos, duets, quartets, choirs and the like, where one or more people sing while the rest listen, usually appear to exalt the performers, regardless of whether that is the intent. Our society is intoxicated with entertainment in its various forms… television, movies, live concerts, recordings, etc. When individuals perform in front of the church, are they not mimicking the world? Is the saying of "Amen" after such a performance merely a sanctified form of applause for the performers? Some churches make no attempt to disguise their applause.

Often, those with musical talent are encouraged to "use their gift for the Lord" by performing in front of the church. But is this truly what Scripture means when it speaks of our gifts? There are several lists in scripture, enumerating the various gifts which God has given to the saints for the edification of the church (Romans 12:6-8; 1 Corinthians 12:8-10; 1 Corinthians 12:28; Ephesians 4:11; 1 Peter 4:10-11). Not one of these lists identifies musical talent as a gift by which the church is edified. Ephesians 5:19 and Colossians 3:16 make it clear that the apostles knew about the value of music to the church. If musical talent qualified as an edifying gift, then the apostles would surely have included it in their lists.

Another issue with regard to music is the type of music sung. Some of the old hymns, written in the 1600’s and 1700’s, exalt God’s majesty, holiness and sovereignty. Men such as Martin Luther, Isaac Watts, Philip Doddridge, Charles Wesley, and John Newton wrote music which exalts God, and His works of salvation, creation and providence. Their music generally has a proper view:

1. of God as the sovereign Creator, Provider and Judge of mankind,
2. of man, as a vile sinner who desperately needs God’s grace,
3. of a merciful and gracious God who paid the ultimate sacrifice, giving His only-begotten Son, for our sins, and
4. of the greatness of Christ’s sacrifice, of the pain He bore and the love He had for us.

It was also about this time (1850) that choruses became the norm in hymn writing… you sing a verse of music, then you sing the chorus.. you sing the second verse, then you sing the chorus again… and so it goes. There may have been a practical reason for this, since it provided a way for illiterate men and women to join in the song—the chorus was sung repeatedly so many times that it was easily learned. But the repetitive nature of such music sometimes tends to cheapen it.

Some of the great old hymns were modified in the latter half of the 1800's, to add choruses and to bring the tunes "up to date." The shallow, repetitive choruses which were added draw our attention away from the beauty and depth of the original verses. Some examples are...

Ralph Hudson cheapened Isaac Watt's beautiful "Alas, and Did My Savior Bleed" when he added the bouncy, self-focused chorus "At the cross, at the cross, where I first saw the light, and the burden of my soul rolled away, It was there by faith I received my sight, And now I am happy all the day."

Robert Lowry did the same to Watts' "Come, We that Love the Lord" by adding the chorus "We're marching to Zion, Beautiful, beautiful Zion; We're marching upward to Zion, The beautiful city of God." Lowry also added some repetition to Watts' verses which, rather than reinforcing their message, tends to interrupt and dilute it.

Much of what I have presented is critical of how the church is organized today. My comments are not intended as attacks against sound churches today or in the past. My intent is rather to point out the Biblical pattern of how a church ought to be organized and conducted.

Individually, we are each greatly contaminated with sin and fleshly lusts. Yet, God in His grace still uses us as clay vessels containing great treasure. Likewise, God often greatly uses churches which, in many ways, fall far short of what a Biblical church should be.

We need to draw nearer the Biblical pattern, both individually and corporately, without becoming a stumbling block to others. We should seek to build up rather than to tear down. It is much easier to start a new church on the right path than to steer an existing church to the right path. We need to know how to start a new work without harshly condemning an existing work. Of course, if a church no longer believes the Bible to be the Word of God, or does not proclaim the gospel, then it is a false church, and deserves our censure.

One thing is essential, however… a true church of Jesus Christ must proclaim the Biblical gospel. The true Biblical gospel is well expressed by the "doctrines of grace", sometimes known as "The Five Points of Calvinism", or the "TULIP". God may at times be pleased to save individuals by an imperfect presentation of this gospel; but if we would be faithful to Him and to His Word, we will preach His gospel in all its fullness and clarity, which means to proclaim man’s absolute depravity and inability, and God’s absolute sovereignty in salvation.

No man should be appointed as a pastor who does not believe and preach this gospel of grace. No man or woman should be appointed as a deacon or deaconess who does not believe and love this gospel of grace. We may be able to affirm that an individual is a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ if he or she does fully understand or accept these doctrines, but that does not mean that such an individual should serve or teach in an official capacity in the local assembly until such time as they joyfully accept this precious gospel of God's grace!

Heavenly Father, may you be pleased to return your church to the pattern outlined in Your Holy Word! Amen.