Tag Archives: Church Polity

Planning the Ordination Service

Posted on by
If the Bible gives little information on how formal ordination took place in the early church, it tells even less about what a formal ordination service should contain. However, as previously demonstrated, ordination is a function of the local church. Whatever other elements may be included in an ordination service, at the least it provides an occasion for the church to take official action to ordain one of its members. Further, because this service is part of the normal activities of the gathered church,1 it should include the Biblically mandated elements of church gatherings, such as singing, praying, Scripture reading, and preaching.

Doing Church God’s Way

Posted on by
Issues of church government continue to dominate much of the thinking and practice of contemporary churches. Misconceptions concerning roles of congregations, deacons, and pastors reduce churches to confusion, conflict, and inertia. Several key questions arise that demand answers. Why do we need church leaders in the first place? Some argue that if Christ is truly Head of His Church, and if all believers are Spirit-controlled, organization is superfluous. Others believe that organization is death to a “spiritual” ministry. But a biblically-defined government is mandated for the following reasons: 1.

On Service Organizations

Posted on by
But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth (1 Timothy 3:16). It appears to be a penchant of Western culture that whenever people see a task bigger than they can perform, they start a specialized society, club, institution, or agency to carry out the task. The impulse carries over into the Lord’s work. We have three organizations clearly authorized in Scripture: the family, the government, and the local church.

The Doctrine of the Church and Its Identifying Marks

Posted on by
There is much confusion these days over what the Bible teaches about the church. Here at Faith Baptist Bible College and Theological Seminary we are often asked what we believe in this area, and we are glad for the opportunity to set forth our convictions. There is much more that could be said about the church but these comments reflect our basic understanding of what the Scriptures teach. Significance We believe that the doctrine of the church is just as significant as any of the other grand teachings of Scripture.

Pastoral Direction and Congregational Motivation

Posted on by
One of the factors that contributes to spiritual and numerical growth in a congregation is that of the direction given by the pastor. Perhaps we need a new pastoral determinism in our churches today. There appears to be a great deal of wishing and hoping, but little wise planning. I’ve heard some of the expressions (and I have used some myself) such as, “We need new blood in this church. We need more motivation. We need new programs. We need a shot in the arm.

Congregational Rule Versus Elder Rule

Posted on by
Most Bible-believing Baptist churches today follow an organizational system in which a pastor guides the people by means of his moral example and his preaching of God’s Word, but in which the congregation itself is the decision-making body. This approach is well expressed by Edward T. Hiscox in his important book written in 1894 entitled, The New Directory for Baptist Churches [reprinted under the title, Principles and Practices for Baptist Churches]. Hiscox says: “The government is administered by the body acting together, where no one possesses a preeminence, but all enjoy an equality of rights; and in deciding matters of opinion, the majority bears rule.