Making decisions in the absence of Elders
Making decisions in the absence of Elders
The line of authority in the Lord’s church is really straight forward. Jesus is the head of the church (His people) Col 1:17-18 “He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.” No one should dream of challenging Jesus authority.
The scriptures speaks of Elders being appointed to shepherd the flock. The qualifications are laid out for us in the book of Timothy 3:1-7 and the book of Titus 1:6-9. We don’t get to choose the qualifications, the Lord has laid them down. Elders are servants, and dedicated to upholding what the Lord would want by the authority of the scriptures. Elders follow the teaching of the scriptures carefully.
But not every congregation is fortunate to have qualifying people to serve as Elders. So what happens then? To find out, we turn as always to the scriptures.
What is already determined
The Holy Spirit has revealed the Will of God concerning worship, finance, discipline and doctrine. No human authority has the right to alter what the Bible lays down. The Holy Spirit warns us about adding to or taking away from the scripture, Gal 1:9-10 “As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed! For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.” Our desire is to please Christ in our every word and deed. With this in mind, every conversation, every discussion must be taken capture to the Spirit and Will of God.
Decisions that have to be made
How we order our worship, use the church finances, conduct evangelism, are examples of the regular day to day activities of a church. To be clear, we are not acting in conflict with scripture, merely applying carefully the teaching of the Bible. These decisions are not made every day, but infrequently and once decided, don’t often change, unless circumstances change for the congregation as a whole or an individual member.
Examples from scripture involving the congregation
The unity of the congregation in decision making was demonstrated by the teaching recorded in scripture.
1 Cor 16:1-3 “Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I directed the churches of Galatia, so do you also. On the first day of every week each one of you is to put aside and save, as he may prosper, so that no collections be made when I come. When I arrive, whomever you may approve, I will send them with letters to carry your gift to Jerusalem;”
In this example, we have the Apostle Paul, instructing the Christians at Corinth, to follow his instruction given to the churches in Galatia. “Each of you” are to set aside funds on the first day of each week. When Paul arrives, “Whomever you may approve” will go with the gift to Jerusalem. It’s the same group who contributed, who make that decision, the church. Paul was leaving the contributing and decision making to the local church.
The contribution requirement is for all baptized believers, and the same contributors were to approve an individual to carry their gift.
1 Cor 11:18-19 “For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that divisions exist among you; and in part I believe it. For there must also be factions among you, so that those who are approved may become evident among you.” The existence of factions within the church at Corinth became evident when the church came together. In simple terms, Paul says there must be factions so that those who are approved become evident to all.”
Those who are approved, clearly are approved by scripture, those taking a stand for the teaching of the Holy Spirit. The church must never be controlled by a faction, the church must be controlled by Scripture. Those who were opposing the spirit needed to be visible to all.
The Christians came together as a church, all the members.
Acts 6:2-5 “So the twelve summoned the congregation of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable for us to neglect the Word of God in order to serve tables. Therefore, brethren, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” The statement found approval with the whole congregation; and they chose Stephen,”
The congregation was called for a decision to be made. The decision found approval with the whole congregation.
The process itself
Good order. The conduct of a church assembly must always be in keeping with 1 Cor 14:40 “But all things must be done properly and in an orderly manner.” The spirit of brotherly love demands nothing less.
The Proposition. The matter needing attention is laid before the church (Baptized believers) as clearly as possible. Matt 18:20 teaches us “For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.“ The matter is being brought before our Savior, and this must be done carefully and truthfully.
Speakers are limited to the male members. In 1 Tim 2:11-12, it states “A woman must quietly receive instruction with entire submissiveness. But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet.” (See also 1 Cor 14:34) The responsibility for making the decision rests with the male members of the church, and they alone may contribute to the discussion.
Speaking during the discussion. Col 4:6 is helpful here, “Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.” We come together to serve our Lord, and respect one another. Rom 12:10-11 “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;”
Decision is examined in light of relevant scripture. 1 Peter 4:11 is helpful here “Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ,” It may be the case that a decision will be delayed so the necessary scriptures can be studied and brought before the church, to help deliver a response that honors our Lord and Savior. This also permits families time to consider the proposition, and for helpful discussion outside church gatherings. The working out of decisions is a very useful teaching tool for young and old.
Prayer is part of the process. The early church was a praying church, devoted to prayer. We need to continue to value church prayer, and like the church in Acts 2:42, Acts 12:12, we pray about our decision and for one another, that we uphold scripture, and honor our Father.
Decision is confirmed and recorded. So there is authority from the church for an action, good practice would be to document the decision for future reference, and to instruct those who act on the decision as to its limits.