Posts Tagged ‘Church Polity’
Thinking About Deacons (Part Five)
[Our friend and frequent contributor, Thomas Overmiller, is working through a series of studies on the office of deacon. He is posting these as short studies, we are combining several posts into this post. We hope it is profitable for you. See part one, part two, part three, part four. – Editor.] Deacons in the…
Read MoreThinking About Deacons (Part Four)
[Our friend and frequent contributor, Thomas Overmiller, is working through a series of studies on the office of deacon. He is posting these as short studies, we are combining several posts into this post. We hope it is profitable for you. See part one, part two, part three. – Editor.] Deacons in the Church: Benevolent…
Read MoreThinking about Deacons (Part Three)
[Our friend and frequent contributor, Thomas Overmiller, is working through a series of studies on the office of deacon. He is posting these as short studies, we are combining several posts into this post. We hope it is profitable for you. See part one and part two.– Editor.] In a previous study, we learned that…
Read MoreThinking About Deacons (Part Two)
[Our friend and frequent contributor, Thomas Overmiller, is working through a series of studies on the office of deacon. He is posting these as short studies, we are combining several posts into this post. We hope it is profitable for you. See part one here. – Editor.] Deacons in the Church: Essential Personal Qualities A…
Read MoreThinking about Deacons (Part One)
[Our friend and frequent contributor, Thomas Overmiller, is working through a series of studies on the office of deacon. He is posting these as short studies, we are combining several posts into this post, expecting more to come. We hope it is profitable for you. – Editor.] Deacons in the Church: A Servant Role Truths…
Read MoreHow Churches Provide for Multiple Pastors
A Biblical Study on the Question of Multiple Pastors in a Church (Part Four of Four) As a church grows and/or as the spiritual and administrative needs of a church increase, the pastor(s) and/or the congregation may sense the need for adding another pastor. When this happens, they should prayerfully consider men who are available…
Read MoreThe Congregation and its Relationship to One Pastor or Many Pastors
A Biblical Study on the Question of Multiple Pastors in a Church (Part Three of Four) The NT teaches congregational polity. This means that authorities outside the congregation do not make decisions for the church (as Presbyterian churches practice). It also means that a single pastor or a group of elders do not exercise ultimate…
Read MoreBalancing Pastoral Leadership with Pastoral Accountability
A Biblical Study on the Question of Multiple Pastors in a Church (Part Two of Four) While the NT does not require every church to appoint multiple pastors, it does reveal that multiple churches benefited from this arrangement. That said, how did multiple pastors within a congregation relate to one another? On one hand, any…
Read MoreHow Many Pastors Did NT Churches Have?
A Biblical Study on the Question of Multiple Pastors in a Church (Part One of Four) What is the right number of pastors for a church to have and how should a church approach the selection of a new pastor? To answer these important questions, we need to consider thoughtfully what the NT says (and…
Read MoreElders Rule! But Congregations Decide
Those who think that churches should be governed by a self-perpetuating boards of elders have two main arguments. The first is that the sheep (i.e., ordinary believers under the care of shepherds or elders) are not competent to make church-wide decisions. This argument is easily refuted by even a cursory reading of the New Testament.…
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