The Organization of the Church Part 3 Ecclesiology The Organization of the Church Part 3

Authority The local church is an autonomous _____________. Theocracy means that the church is ruled by ______, specifically by Christ as the head of the Church. While Christ is everywhere at once (omnipresence) He is not visibly present with the church. He rules __________ His chosen leader, the pastor. This was the continuous pattern through the theocracy of the Old Testament time of the Exodus and Judges. The implication is that the pastor is and _______ be chosen by God. This in itself accentuates the necessity of the congregation for a local church to _______ the will of God with care, diligence and _________. Human opinion is not nearly as important as finding the man that ______ has appointed to be the pastor. Because of his unique position of leading the people of God even as Moses and Joshua led the children of Israel, both the pastor and the congregation must appreciate and respond ___________ to the office. As previously noted, the Pastor is both responsible and ______________ to God for how he exercises his office. (Heb. 13:17)

Constraints Upon the Pastor Heb. 13:7,17,24 address the issue of pastoral authority. It is significant that three times the term “_______” is used in this chapter. (1 Th. 5:12) God brings this man of God to every congregation that seeks His face. When the pastor begins to function in his God given role, it is incumbent upon God’s people to ______ God’s leadership. As a fallible person, the pastor needs prayer support (2 Th. 5:1,2; Heb. 13:18) and respect for his office (1 Tim. 4:17-20). Constraints Upon the Pastor Love – 1 Cor. 5:12-15; John 10:12-15) Biblical Qualifications – 1 Tim. 3:1-7 The Word of God itself – Isa. 8:20 Responsibilities of the Pastor Effective communication of God’s Word Careful exposition and accurate application Demonstration of truth through honest, transparency, and integrity Faithful leadership

Deacons Qualifications Support Because of the heavy burden of leadership God established a second office for the church. (Acts 6:1-7) If the foremost ministry of the Pastor is the ministry of the word, he must be ___________ of other aspects of ministry. The congregation is to look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom. These are to be men of integrity, ______________, and ability. These men are further qualified in 1 Timothy 3:8-13.   Deacons Qualifications Sincerity – Honesty – Sobriety – Generosity – Spirituality – Maturity – Integrity – Leadership in Marriage – Leadership in the home –

Deacons serve the Pastor and the church Deacons serve the Pastor and the church. Contrary to the thinking and practice of many, deacons have _____ inherent authority. They lead by force of ____________ and testimony. Their role is service oriented (ministering). Their counsel is ___________. Because they are godly men they can offer sound advice to a service oriented Pastor. Both the Pastor and the deacons are seeking the __________ of the congregation in doing the work of God. Pattern of Acts 1 Assembled in a spirit of expectant prayer. (12-14). Peter led a business meeting. He gave a scriptural perspective of the business at hand (15-20). He gave the parameters within which the decision was to be made (21,22). The church continued in prayer seeking the leadership of God (23-25). Then they voted (26). As Spirit led believers in touch with God, any local assembly can find and _________ the will of God. When the church has done so, the congregation then supports and ____________ the decision rendered. This is the practice of the theocratic rule of God. In mutual love and _________ the members of the local assembly labor together to advance the cause of Christ. (Gal. 3:28).

Remembering that the church is rightly the property of Christ and ruled theocratically, it also functions with ___________. There were no church associations, much less ________________ in the New Testament Church. These are the inventions of _______. The motive for these inventions may well have been noble with the view of cooperation for greater ministry. The problem is that fallen man cannot create a ___________ entity without dominating that entity and eventually turning it from the original purpose. Power mongering supersedes ministry and ____________________ (always the product of denominationalism) begins to dominate churches. This does not preclude cooperation among like-minded churches; it prohibits ________________. Autonomous congregationalism means that guided by the Bible through the Pastor the local congregation makes its ______ decisions. Those decisions must ever be a prayerful attempt to understand and ratify the will of God. The republican form of government and congregational decisions are not the same thing. The church is ______ a democracy! If it were the power to ignore and disobey the will of God would __________ it.