I have Joshua C. Brown (not to be confused with Joshua Mathan Brown) to thank for this post whose original comments can be found in the comments under “Individual Discipleship?” from a few months back. Here is a part of his comment (edited for style):
I agree with you totally on discipleship. But I also have a thought about the way we as Baptists do church government and view church. Sometimes it is said that the pastors and deacons are the ministers, and I will give it to them that deacons can be ministers or servants, but the Bible makes it very clear that pastors (or elders) are the equippers of the people, and if we view our purpose as a church as equipping rather than just feeding and entertaining, we would do church in a totally different way.
How do you feel about the “congregation rule” form of church government? I think church democracy is unbiblical because the Bible always shows the elders making decisions, NOT the congregation. I’m not saying that we should let them be untouchable, but we need to let wise men govern and equip the church rather than let the congregation guide it and sway the church wherever it would go.
First of all, thanks to Josh for weighing in and being bold enough to share his opinion. In the interests of full disclosure, Josh and I have some ideological differences regarding Reformed theology, but we have thus far had a few good discussions together, and I consider him to be “becoming” a friend. (Does that make it Platonic? LOL, I am such a nerd!) Those things said, I think there is good and bad to Josh’s argument. On the positive side, I agree wholeheartedly elders are to lead the congregation and that many Baptist churches have a problem – not with being “purpose-driven” but with realizing what that purpose is. I will, however, disagree with Josh when he says that congregations in Scripture did not make decisions. That is not to say that I believe in “congregation rule.” Scripture teaches rather clearly a four-point view of church polity:
A scripturally governed church is
- Ruled by Christ,
- Governed by the Congregation
- Led by the Pastor, and
- Served by Deacons
There is much leeway within this model. For instance, a congregation may elect committees or handle everything corporately. Churches may choose to follow the model of multiple elders. Deacon boards may serve every physical need of the body or the church may opt to have no deacons at all. All of these (and many others) are permissible by Scripture. Let us now briefly look at each of these points and the germane Scriptures associated with them.
Ruled by Christ
That Christ is Lord of the local church is an indispensible doctrine of the highest order. He is her foundation (Mat 16:18; I Cor 3:11), her groom, head and savior (Eph 5:22-33). He dwells in her midst when she comes together (Mat 18:20), and her simple confession is that Jesus Christ is Lord (Mat 16:16; Phil 2:9-11). Consider also Colossians 1:15-20:
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
This speaks straight to the heart of Josh’s correctly ascertained problem with congregationalism as it has come to be in 21st century America. The church is not a democracy (in that she does not have the right to decide her direction or her beliefs). She is a Christocracy. Christ has commanded her doctrines and laid out her form and structure. Holy Spirit God has been sent from the Father through the Son to guide the Lord’s churches in the paths they should walk! Woe to anyone who, reading the above passage, considers himself to be “head” of the church – be he pastor, deacon, or founding builder’s great grandson. Christ – and only Christ – is head of the church.
Governed by the Congregation
Scripture clearly shows that the congregation has the right of self-governance within the bounds of Christ’s commands. This is the true meaning of autonomy: not that a church has the right to act contrary to Christ’s teachings and commands, but that she is accountable only to Christ for her decisions as she follows him. To whom else would the bride answer but the bridegroom? Get out a Bible because there is no way I can individually list all the Scriptures that prove this point, but I will reference them quickly:
- Matthew 18:15-20 – the congregation – not elders or an episcopacy – is to settle personal disputes and mete out discipline if necessary.
- Acts 6:3 – the congregation was instructed by the apostles to choose her own deacons.
- Acts 13:2-3 – Holy Spirit God instructs the church to set aside Saul and Barnabas for his work and to ordain them. This is one of the strongest passages in favor of congregationalism. God does not set Saul and Barnabas apart and then inform the church; He instructs them to do it.
- Acts 15:22 – Notice that throughout this passage relating what many have come to see (wrongly) as the first ecumenical council that the churches decided to send messengers and chose those messengers. Later, when the messengers reported back, the church accepted the saying. This is a far cry from the forced decisions of the ecumenical councils from Nicaea on.
- I Corinthians 5:1-5 – While it is accurate to say that Paul “had ruled” on the matter of the adulterous man, notice that he does not exclude the man with apostolic authority. He instructs the congregation to exclude him when they next gather.
- II Corinthians 2:6-8 – In a passage that may be referring to the same man, Paul instructs the congregation to restore the penitent brother. I grant that Paul instructed it, but he did not do it. The congregation restored him. (Notice also that the wording here may mean that he was put out “by the majority.”)
So to Josh’s question of congregational rule, I answer with a firm “yes and no;” and a hearty “it depends.” Christ rules, but the congregation is instructed to handle affairs of membership, discipline, ordination, and discernment. I agree and amen that the purpose of the church is to equip its members, and indeed the pastor is to lead in this, but if you look at the main passages that deal with equipping the saints – such as Romans 12:4-5; I Cor 12 (esp. 12,27); Eph 4:11-12 – the gifts are given not to the elders but to the body! In fact, according to Eph 4:11, the pastor himself is a gift to the church for this very purpose. This leads us naturally to the next point.
Led by the Pastor
First and foremost, it is important to understand that “bishop”, “elder”, and “pastor” are three terms referring to the same office. (For more on this, consider Acts 20:17 with 20:28; I Peter 5:1-2; and I Tim 3:1 with Titus 1:5.) This man (or group of men) is to lead the congregation through the proclamation of the Word. Consider Paul’s heart in Acts 20:17-38 as he bids farewell to the elders at Ephesus and spurs them on to lead the people even as he led and equipped them through the preaching of the Word. Hebrews 13:7,17 relate that the leaders (the same people who spoke the Word to them) are to be imitated, followed, submitted to, and honored. It is all tied to their faithfulness in preaching the Word – not to casting vision (whatever that means) or to their mad CEO skillz. Furthermore, elders are accountable to God for what they teach; the undershepherds must answer to the Great Shepherd for their care of His flock. Thus, let the pastor take care that he leads where Christ leads; that he walks where Christ walks. And if the Word is silent or ambivalent on an issue (so far, there are no Bible codes that uncover what color of carpet goes best with burgundy pews) so ought to be the pulpit.
Served by Deacons
On this, Josh and I seem to agree. Deacons are servants. Table waiters. Foot washers. It is not necessary that they be great theological minds. It does not matter whether they have attended seminary. They must be head over heels in love with Jesus and His Word, yes, but they are not devoted to it as elders are. Consider that the whole reason for their call was so that others could devote their time to Scripture – Acts 6:1-7. Deacons, by virtue of their position, are not leaders in the church.
And yet…
Luke 12:37 and many other passages show that Christ was the quintessential deacon. To be a good deacon is to emulate Christ. At his most humble, Christ was a table waiter and a foot washer. Furthermore, both Stephen and Phillip were deacons. One became the first Christian martyr for his preaching and the other was the apostle to the Samaritans and the Ethiopians (or at least one of them.) So while I do not grant that “deacon boards” have any place of leadership in the church simply by virtue of their office, a good deacon is a fine man (or woman?) to emulate in service to Christ and his people.
This has been long, so I will dispense with the closing statement. I hope it has been helpful!

Dekker, Ted. The Circle Trilogy. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2008. $12.95 at Lifeway.