One of the longest standing debates within the realm of Christian thought is that of Church government and systems of polity. Roman Catholics and Presbyterians and Baptists and virtually every other denomination included in the Christian sect has held that their system of church polity is the "true" and "biblical" form. All quote the Bible for support, but all do not look closely at what the Bible has to say.

Let the Bible speak for itself, then determine how the Church should be governed. It will be the function of this paper to examine exhaustively the biblical texts which relate to church polity and allow them to build whatever polity structure they purport.

For any examination on the church it is necessary to look to its beginnings, its foundation. In Matthew 16:18 Jesus declares, "Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." Jesus appears to be making a strong statement about the role Peter will have in the establishment of Christ's church.

But not only does Peter have an important role, but also the other disciples, for Jesus at his ascension says that "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples...." (Matthew 28:18-19). Jesus is giving to his disciples his authority and power to continue his ministry on earth. The awesome task of spreading the message of the Gospel and building a church is now the responsibility of the disciples. Jesus had appointed the 11 disciples as his overseers of his church.

Peter's leadership and organization began very early as he pointed out to the other believers (about 120) that it was important to choose another witness to fulfill the vacancy left by Judas. Two men were proposed, Justus and Matthias. The first decision made by the church was handled in the following manner:

"Then they prayed, 'Lord, you know everyone's heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs.' Then they drew lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles." (Acts 1:24-26)

Peter and the other apostles asked the Lord to appoint a new apostle through the casting of lots. Peter saw the need for more help, and they went to the Lord to ask for his decision in the matter. As seen through this event, God was now allowing his apostles to do the business of spreading the Gospel as best as they saw fit.

Because the task of spreading the Gospel was a great one, the apostles, as they began to establish churches, found it necessary to also develop some local leaders amongst the congregations of those churches.

In Acts 11:29 the disciples wanted to help their brothers living in Judea so they sent gifts, via Barnabas and Saul, to the elders. From Acts 14:23 we find that these elders were usually appointed. Paul and Barnabas "appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord in whom they had put their trust." The Greek word used here to describe those who were appointed is presbuterous, which is translated "elder." These elders were perhaps in age older or more knowledgeable than the others within the church, however their is no job description given in this account. The apostles apparently appointed some people to oversee the business of the church in their place, because they could not, of course, oversee all the new church plants.

This appointment process did not necessarily have to come directly from Paul. In his letter to Titus, Paul gives the job of appointing elders in the churches to Titus (Titus 1:5). Moreover, Paul states that it is the Holy Spirit who has made the elders the overseers (Acts 20:28). The appointment process seems to be guided by the Holy Spirit through Paul and others.

The position of elder was not a single office in a particular church. In Acts 20:17, Paul "sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church." And in 1 Timothy 4:14 Paul refers to a "body of elders" signifying a group. In each church, probably according to size and need, there were a number of elders. How many, we ar not told specifically, but one could assume a group of three or more in most instances.

As far as the responsibilities of this elder position, there are some specifics given throughout Acts and the Pauline epistles. In Acts 20:28, Paul warns the elders at Ephesus to "Guard yourselves and all the flock," and exhorts them to "Be shepherds of the church of God." Paul's exhortation declares that the elders are to be not only leaders but caring shepherds who see to the needs and "pastor" those within the church. Paul also states that it is the elders who "direct the affairs of the church" (1 Timothy 5:17). Peter likewise encourages the elders to be "shepherds of God's flock, serving as overseers" (1 Peter 5:2).

Preaching and teaching (1 Timothy 5:17) and praying for the sick and anointing them with oil (James 5:14) are also seen as being among the duties of the elders.

Paul also charges the elders with some more specific duties which centered around the spiritual well-being of the church. In Titus 1:9, Paul states that elders should "encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it." They are responsible for the stability and soundness of the Gospel message.

There are also qualifications given for those who might be appointed to the position. Paul, in his first letter to Timothy, declares that the position is one of honor, and in his letter to Titus he states that:

"An elder must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient...not overbearing, not quick tempered, not given to much wine, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. Rather he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught..." (Titus 1:6-9)

It appears from this list, that the apostle was not looking for anything especially exceptional, but rather God wanted men who were respected, well rounded, and sound in judgement to oversee his flock.

Peter, the rock, himself was not only an apostle but also an elder (1 Peter 5:1) who had responsibilities of oversight like his fellow elders within the Jerusalem church.

Another term used interchangeably with that of elder (presbuteros) was "overseer." The word translated often in the New International Version as "overseer" is translated in the King James Version as "bishop." The term itself is the Greek word episkopos, which means one who oversees. Roman Catholic tradition has held that the overseer or bishop was a sperate office from that of the elder. However, the terms presbuteros and episkopos are often used in an interchangeable fashion, merely fleshing out the identity of the office (Acts 20:17 with 28, and Titus 1:6-7 are examples). In 1 Timothy 3, Paul uses the word episkopos to refer to the elders. This passage is very similar with Paul's charge to Titus concerning the elders, where he uses presbuteros.

Another office which appears to be present within the New Testament is that of the deacon. In Philippians 1:1, Paul seems to triliniate the identity of "saints" (hagiois), "overseers" (episkopos), and "deacons" (diakonois). The Greek term diakonos, is related to the word "servant" and is also sometimes translated as "minister."

Paul identifies himself and Apollos as deacons, or ministers, or servants, in 1 Corinthians 3:5. Paul claims that he attained this "by the gift of God's grace given me through the working of his power" (Ephesians 3:7)

Paul's stated requirements or qualifications for the position of deacon are stated in 1 Timothy 3:8-12);

"Deacons, likewise, are to be men worthy of respect, sincere, not indulging in much wine, and not pursuing dishonest gain. They must keep hold of deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience. They must first be tested; and then if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons. In the same way, their wives are to be women worthy of respect, not malicious talkers but temperate and trustworthy in everything. A deacon must be the husband of one wife and must manage his children and his household well."

This list of qualifications is very similar to those of the elder.

There is also some possible evidence for the existence of deaconesses, female deacons. The separate phrase in the 1 Timothy 3 passage "In the same way, their wives..." may indicate that the wives of deacons served the church in something of an official way. Paul refers to Phoebe in Romans 16:1 as a diakonon, servant or minister, of the church of Cenchreae.

Other possible roles within the church may be referred to by Paul in 1 Corinthians 12:27-31. Included here in the list of gifts within the church members are prophets, teachers, workers of miracles, administrative assistants, healers, and those who speak in tongues. These are not however, given any more real attention.

We now turn the discussion in the direction of what the Bible says about how the early church was actually governed--how were decisions made.

It would appear that Jesus had given the ultimate authority on earth to his disciples, and especially to Peter. However, Paul does not view himself as being under their authority. In fact, at times he was in opposition to Peter's authority (Galatians 2:11). Paul states that he did not consult with any man. "I did not go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was. Instead, I went out immediately..." (Galatians 1:17).

Paul, as we have discussed earlier, delegated responsibility as he saw fit to others to oversee the welfare of the churches that had been founded. To some degree then it would appear that Paul had a great deal of authority within the early church. But, Paul's authority was not by any means ultimate. He was more of an encourager than a ruler. The mere fact that the Bible contains 13 of his letters attests to his importance to the early church. His word was authoritative, however, he was not the grand decision maker, rather he was a developer and encourager to those within the churches, saints and elders alike.

One method of decision making is discussed briefly within the New Testament. Acts 6:3-6 describes the selection of the seven. The disciples gathered together and selected seven men to serve the widows, and "This proposal pleased the whole group" (v. 5). And, in Acts 15:22ff "the apostles and elders, with the whole church, decided to choose some of their own men and send them to Antioch..."

There appears to be from these texts a gathering together of the people within the church and a coming to a consensus on various issues.

Other texts seem to stress the role of the leaders. 1 Thessalonians 5:12 encourages the brethren to "respect..those who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you." Paul may not be referring to elders or anyone of position within the church here, he may just be alluding to those who are more mature in Christ. Hebrews 13:17 calls for the people to "obey your leaders and submit to their authority." Most likely the author of Hebrews is exhorting those within the church to respect and listen to the leaders of the church, probably for the sake of order. In 1 Corinthians 14:40 Paul reminds all that "everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way." Respecting each other and the leaders of the church was important.

What can be concluded then with regards to what the Bible says about church offices and church government. Perhaps as important as what it does say is what it doesn't say. Dogmatic attitudes regarding church polity are unfounded. Scripture is virtually silent on the specifics of church government. If God had wanted the church to have a blueprint of the perfect church polity structure, if it would have been necessary for the survival of the church and the Gospel message itself, it certainly would have been part of the Canon. However it is not.