Church Polity, part 2

One of the fundamental realities of church polity that must be recognized (or re-recognized) is the fact that Jesus is the head of the church--the universal church and local congregations that are expressions of the universal church. This is a truth that cannot be overstated because if Jesus is the "head" of the church, then He is the one to whom we must give account as to how we are organized, structured, and how we make decisions. Therefore, in one sense, our opinions do not matter on issues related to the church and her decision making processes. What matters is what Jesus has already said. If there are items to which the bible is either silent, it is imperative that we spend much time in prayer asking for the wisdom of God and seeking to follow principles in the scripture that speak to the subject at hand. For example, the bible says that churches ought to have deacons. However, the scripture does not say anything about "terms of service" nor does it give us an exact "job description".


We are responsible and will be held responsible for following what Jesus has said. What flows from this is the reality that Jesus has not left us to ourselves in the structuring of the church. Jesus has spoken to us in his word; therefore, if we believe that God has spoken in His word and his word is binding on us, we are obligated to follow his word if we are to be a faithful church.


One of the first places we find this in scripture is Acts 6:1-7. In Acts 6, we find an internal conflict occuring in the church at Jerusalem. A particular segment of the congregation (i.e., Greek-speaking Jewish widows) were being neglected in the daily distribution of the food. In this exchange, there is a partnership in making decisions among the congregation. The apostles came up with the plan action. Then, they involved the congregation in the carrying out of the plan. Then, they (the apostles) affirmed the input from the congregation. Then, they moved forward, which is defined in terms of v. 7--"and the word of God continued to increase, and the number of disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith."


Next week, we will lay out a basic outline of church polity we glean from this passage.


What do you see in the passage? How should the church make decisions? Who has the final say--congregation, elders, deacons, committees, etc.?