Principles of Church Government (2) Ecclesiology

Practical polity: The underlying question Is the NT offering a prescription or a guideline for church government in its pages?

Church Government (concepts) Definition: A church “is an assembly of professing believers in Christ who have been baptized [Trinitarian] and who are organized to carry out God’s will.” Church government is defined by the rules of organization under which a local congregation exists.

Types: Minimal Church Government Led by a small group of elders Emphasize the exercise of spiritual gifts by all adherents Downplay the concept of formal membership Emphasize the headship of Christ

Types: Minimal Church Government Not unorganized – but structure de- emphasized Generally can be more aggressive on church discipline than other types Similar to the “federal” type of government but with less congregational input Typical of small groups and large groups like the Quakers (not really Christian) and the Plymouth Brethren

Types: National Government A group organized under the head of state or within the limits of the state State retains the implicit right of exercising control in the churches May convene councils or synods May involve itself in discipline at some level May collect tithes through taxation

Types: National Government State may or may not allow the co- existence of ‘free’ churches alongside the national church Usually also includes hierarchical structure on the church side of the arrangement Key: a formal relationship exists between the state and the church Examples: Anglican church in England; Lutheran church in Germany

Types: National Government - Scriptures Jesus distinguished between the realms of state and religion (Mt 22.21) The apostles defined Christian responsibility to the state (Rm ; 1 Pt ; Titus 3.1) Believers have scriptural precedent for civil disobedience when the state attempts to interfere with religion (Dan 3, 6; Ac 5.29) Believers can appeal to legal rights in order to attempt to force state to behave with justice (Ac 16.37) The state is completely absent from all church discipline passages (Mt 18.17; 1 Cor 5; 2 Thess ) Some difficult practical problems arise in the effort to keep church and state separate. Should churches accept tax exemptions? To what extent should churches use the legislative process to promote religious goals in society? Should the church advocate tax credit for tuition paid to Christian schools?

Types: Hierarchical Government

The clergy is the ruling class in this type of government The clergy are organized into a system of ranks Examples: Methodists, Anglicans, Roman Catholics Varying ‘intensity’ of authority Methodists: less absolute Anglicans: more pronounced (with state involvement) Catholics: hierarchical authority absolute

Types: Hierarchical Government Alleged support The primacy of the apostles [especially, allegedly, Peter] The theory of apostolic succession

Scriptural considerations The apostles are the foundation of the church (Eph 2.20) Peter was prominent among the apostles, but not primary (Gal 2.11) The terms “elder”, “bishop” and “pastor” are equivalent in the NT (Ac 20.17, 28) A secondary office, deacon, is clearly taught in Scripture (1 Tim 3.8) The ‘ascendancy of bishops’ developed fairly early (2 nd century) but is nowhere taught in the NT Types: Hierarchical Government