Status Updates From Baptist Foundations: Church...

And in this community meal [the Lord’s Supper] we bolster one another’s faith by looking together to Jesus in the present, based on his completed work for us in the past, knowing that he will take us to be him in the future.

Still, the fact that a regional synod was called to discuss infant baptism suggests that the practice was not universal, even in the mid-third century.

In the history of the church, the so-called sacraments came to predominate over the gospel, which gives us some reluctance about the term...We believe *ordinances* is the better term. The term *ordinances* refers to the fact that Christ has ‘ordained’ these rites as a means of visibly portraying the gospel.

The task of raising up new leaders in the church does not belong primarily to Bible colleges or seminaries. It is the task of elders to identify young (or not so young) men who will be faithful to carry on the gospel message.

It is a sign of an unhealthy church when the pastor is gone and no one in the congregation can step in and fill the pulpit. Biblical eldership includes training others to do the task of preaching and teaching [2 Tim 2:2].

Biblical leadership is humble, servant leadership [Mark 10:42-44; John 13:1-20; 1 Pet 5:3].

The emphasis of the qualifications given in 1 Timothy and Titus stresses the present situation of a man’s moral and spiritual character. The real issue is not so much where he has come from but who he is now by God’s grace. If a man is currently faithful to his wife, being above reproach [1 Tim 3:2; Titus 1:6], and has proven himself in that relationship, then it is possible for him to become an elder.

[It] is doubtful that Paul was holding elders to a higher standard of morality than he required of all believers. All of the moral and spiritual qualifications given to the elders are what is expected of all believers.

The qualifications of an elder are generally the basic character traits expected of all believers. Elders are not superspiritual people but are those who are mature in their faith and live consistent, humble lives. They are not content to look spiritual on Sundays or Wednesdays, but their spirituality pervades their entire lives. . . . He is not perfect, but his life is characterized by integrity.

[The] qualifications to be an elder are basic characteristics all Christians should have. The only exceptions are that an elder must not be a new convert and must be able to teach. The focus of the qualifications is on who a person is more than what he does.

It should also be noted that “elder” (presbuteros), “overseer” (episkopos), and “pastor” (poimēn) refer to the same office... the terms *elder*, *overseer*, and *pastor* represent the same office [because] they are used interchangeably [Acts 20:17, 28; Titus 1:5, 7; 1 Pet 5:1-2].

Corrective church discipline should seek restoration of the offender in a spirit of gentleness [Matt 18:15; Gal 6:1-2; Jas 5:19-20]....We must remember that the desire to punish or inflict vengeance has no place in church discipline, no matter how great the wrongdoing [Rom 12:19].

Equally important to the steps of [corrective church] discipline is the attitude and goal of discipline. Previous generations’ abuse of church discipline led some to abandon the practice altogether.

Church discipline breaks down into two categories—formative and corrective. Formative discipline means forming spiritually mature believers through teaching and training...Every church engages in formative discipline to one degree or another [Matt 28:20]...A steady practice of formative discipline will produce healthier followers of Christ.

The absence of church discipline demonstrates a lack of biblical love in churches.

Some situations warrant departure. Teaching and preaching that obscure or miss the gospel render a church less than a church and are strong warrants for leaving. Moral failures among leaders that render them unfit to lead and yet go unaddressed are also grounds for departure. An overall toxic spiritual atmosphere can develop in a church that makes it dangerous to one's spiritual health or the health of one's family.

Congregationalism locates authority in the church as a whole as it follows the directives of its Lord in the Scriptures. Elders and deacons provide leadership and guidance in the church’s work. Where the church and its leaders are at odds with each other, one or both are wrong . . . they need to go back to the Scriptures and sort out their differences.

We must do justice to all the biblical data, which better fits with a congregational-rule and elder-led structure.

Unfortunately, what often occurs in discussions of church government is that one side of the biblical evidence is elevated over against other biblical evidence. Either the rule of the congregation is elevated at the expense of the leadership, or the authority of the leadership is elevated without acknowledging the final authority of the congregation. Such reductionism must be rejected.

Put together, then, the NT presents a picture of congregational *rule* that is *elder led*. The elders lead and guide the church to fulfill and carry out its responsibilities as the church.

[Most] New Testament letters were written to churches as a whole and not merely to church leaders.

Determining the suitability of elders based on these qualifications [1 Tim 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-9] will require the assessment of members. Paul also said that deacons “must first be tested; and then if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons” (1 Tim 3:10 NIV). As with assessing elders, such testing requires input from the congregation, not merely the leadership team.

There is a sense in which elders make commands. But since they do not have the power of excommunication at their exclusive disposal, they cannot enforce their commands without the congregation’s assent. This protects them from abusing their authority because they are forced instead to rely on persuading church members according to the Word. (70-71)

This chapter defends the former [elder led], not the latter model [elder rule], while numerous churches today adopt the latter. The leaders of these churches may be well intentioned, but this form of governance is highly problematic. In worst-case scenarios leaders treat questions as a sign of disloyalty. When healthy discussion is ended, churches will soon become highly dysfunctional. (48n4)

In today’s discussion often a distinction is made between *elder led* within a congregational rule and *elder rule* without congregational involvement. (48n4)

Whether we admit it or not, churches are often influenced by the leadership and organizational models in the surrounding culture... But the main goal must always be biblical faithfulness. As in all areas of the Christian life, faithfulness to the Bible in leadership and church structure is essential for the long-term health and usefulness of local congregations.

[Ultimately] Scripture should drive our view of church governance, as [the] early proponents of congregationalism made clear.