 |
Barry
McGee
Teaching Pastor |
The
Government of the Church. In the New Testament we find four
titles used for the officers of the local church: Elder, Overseer,
Pastor, and Deacon. The first three terms are used interchangeably
to refer to the same office. Elders (Pastors), then, were appointed
to oversee and shepherd the overall direction of a local church.
Deacons, on the other hand, were appointed for the efficient
functioning of the local church.
Since there are only two lists of qualifications for church
leadership in Scripture, it would seem that only two offices were
intended. Also, Scriptural references to church leadership within a
local church are always plural, indicating a group of Elders and
Deacons. Except for our Lord Jesus, who is called “the Chief
Shepherd,” no single person in Scripture is referred to as “THE
Pastor.” Therefore, CCCC does not have a Senior Pastor other than
Jesus, but a board of Elders who pastor the church.
Our Elders, then, are our Pastors. Our Deacons are those who help
the Elders meet the needs of the church. Decision making on the
Elder board is done only when all the Elders are in agreement
regarding a particular issue. Each Elder has the same amount of
authority as any of the others. However, this is not to say that
each has the same role or specific ministry to fulfill. Depending on
their spiritual giftedness and availability, our Elders will vary in
their time commitment or public ministry.
Qualifications for an Elder are given in 1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus
1:5-9; and, 1 Peter 5:1-3. Qualifications for a Deacon are given in
Acts 6:1-3 and 1 Timothy 3:8-13. Persons may be considered for
leadership when they have demonstrated by their life and witness
those qualifications and agreement with the doctrine and philosophy
of CCCC for a period of at least one year. |
