Help me understand how Philippians 1:1 deals with elders having scriptural oversight over deacons?  How does this passage say that “deacons serve elders”?

Sincerely,
Context Please

Dear Context Please,

In hindsight, Php 1:1 does seem like a rather obscure reference without a little clarification.  Our point was that the only time that deacons are ever mentioned is with elders.  There are multiple references of elders without deacons, but zero Bible examples of deacons without elders.  Paul told Titus of the urgency to appoint elders in every church (Tit 1:5).  Paul and Barnabas appointed elders in the congregations that they had started (Acts 14:23).  As Paul said, the elders have the responsibility to feed the church (Acts 20:28), and that is the pattern we see over and over again.  Congregations need elders because elders lead those congregations.  On the other hand, we are never told that congregations have that same need for deacons, nor do we see any congregations that had deacons without elders.  Php 1:1 was a reference (albeit all too vaguely) to that fact.

The word ‘deacon’ just means ‘servant’ and is used throughout the Scriptures.  Matt 22:13 uses the same Greek word to describe a king’s servants.  Rom 15:8 refers to Jesus as a deacon of God to the Jews.  Deacons are always mentioned alongside those that they serve.  Since the deacons we are talking about are never mentioned without elders, the implication is that the deacons serve the elders, and if you don’t have elders, you wouldn’t have deacons… the exact pattern we see throughout the New Testament churches.

The Bible gives no example of a congregation having deacons without elders.  Where the Bible is silent, we must be to (1 Cor 4:6).  Hope that provides the clarification we should have given in our first answer.

     The New Testament gives qualifications for men to serve the local congregation as elders and as deacons.  If there are men qualified to serve as deacons but there is not a plurality of men qualified to serve as elders, should the congregation ask men to serve as deacons when there are no elders?

Sincerely,
Deacon Dilemma

Dear Deacon Dilemma,

No elders means no deacons.  A deacon without an eldership is a servant without someone to serve.  Deacons are servants of the church.  The word ‘deacon’ comes from the Greek word ‘diakonos’ which literally means ‘servant’.  The deacons who meet the qualifications of 1 Tim. 3:8-13 are a specific type of servant in the church – they serve the eldership (Php 1:1).  Deacons are given authority by the elders to oversee various responsibilities within the church.  These responsibilities might be building maintenance, the treasury, benevolence, etc. – whatever tasks the elders need help doing are the tasks deacons are to fulfill.

My family and I go to a small Baptist church.  One deacon didn’t like the preacher even though the congregation loved him.  The deacon didn’t like the way the preacher walked back and forth across the pulpit, and the preacher was too emotional when he gave testimony.  Our preacher resigned, and we lost over half the congregation because of it.  My two kids and one other are the only children there now.  My husband won’t go back because he thinks it is corrupt now.  I asked him if we can go visit other churches, and he said, “Why?  If one is corrupt, they all are.”  How can I convince him they are not all corrupt?  I want to keep my family in church.  I don’t know what to do.  My kids are getting where they don’t want to go on Wednesday night now because they are the only kids there.

Sincerely,
Grasping At Straws

Dear Grasping At Straws,

There are congregations all around the country that aren’t corrupted by denominationalism, personal opinions, or traditions.  Our recommendation is that you show our article “Down With Denominationalism” to your husband and read it together.  There are so many problems with modern religion, and it all comes down to opinions being placed above Scripture.  When we leave the Bible pattern, all sorts of chaos and trouble ensues (2 Tim 1:13).  The church is supposed to be the pillar and ground of the truth (1 Tim 3:15), but most churches have become places for petty arguments or the latest worship fad.

We know of congregations all over that reject this philosophy and really do put the Bible first.  It may be hard for your husband to believe because he has seen so much of the opposite, but it is true.  Just because there are lots of bad mechanics doesn’t mean that you stop driving a car – just because there are lots of bad churches doesn’t mean we can give up on the Lord.  Comb through past articles on our site, and you’ll see that we do our very best to always give book, chapter, and verse for what we do.  Our congregation isn’t alone, and if you want, we can help you find one near you that has the same attitude.  Feel free to e-mail us at askyourpreacher@mvchurchofchrist.org with any further questions or if we can help you locate a church.

     This guy made a video that has had over 15 million views on YouTube.  It’s entitled ‘Why I Hate Religion But Love Jesus’.  Is this Scriptural?  Thanks.

Sincerely,
Viewer 15,000,000,001

Dear Viewer 15,000,000,001, 

We watched the video, and we can sympathize with that young man’s frustration with religion.  We share a lot of his feelings… but like all the other manmade views that he talked about, his views aren’t totally biblical either.

We are saved by grace, and no one can live a good enough life to deserve forgiveness (Rom 4:3-5).  If you need forgiveness, that, by definition, means you did something wrong!  Salvation is based upon our faith in Christ, not some behavior that we could boast of (Rom 3:27).  Yet, what we do does matter.  The man that says he has faith in God but shows a life of wickedness isn’t faithful at all (Matt 7:20, Jas 2:17).  Faith without works is as dead as a body in a casket (Jas 2:26).  Christians must strive to modify their behavior, but we can’t just modify our behavior, we must give our hearts and loyalty to Christ.  When the choices we make are controlled by our love and faith in Christ, then we are becoming the people we ought to be.  We would agree with this young man that it isn’t enough to “talk the talk”; we must “walk the walk” (Jas 1:25).

On the other hand, to use the blanket statement that, “I hate religion but love Jesus,” makes no sense.  The English Dictionary defines ‘religion’ as ‘a) the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, b) a particular system of faith and worship’.  Using either definition, Jesus died to set up religion!  Jesus purchased the church with His own blood (Acts 20:28), and the church is guided by the systems and laws found in the Bible (1 Tim 3:15).  Jesus also died, so people would worship God and devote their lives to Him (Jhn 3:16).  Jesus’ death was designed to start a religious movement that would change the world (Acts 17:6, Matt 28:19-20).  If we say that we love Jesus but hate religion because it gives us rules and ordinances for “behavior modification” (as that video calls it), we are making a contradictory statement.  If we love Jesus, we will modify our behavior (Jhn 14:15).  Jesus hated false religion and manmade religion, but He loves His church (Eph 5:25).

So, we would say the video gets some things right and some things wrong… about par for the course when we talk about spiritual things without using the Bible as our manual.

      Is a congregation responsible for caring for the health of its needy saints?

Sincerely,
HMO

Dear HMO,

One of the things the church is told to do is to take care of Christians in need.  Acts 11:28-30 shows the saints in Antioch taking care of the hungry brethren in Judea because of a famine.  Paul told Timothy there was a time to help out poor widowed Christians (1 Tim 5:9-10).  We also see the church in Jerusalem doing this (Acts 4:34-35).  When brethren have needs, including health needs that are beyond their ability to care for, the church has the right and responsibility to step in and help.

      What can a church do when they outgrow their building but do not have the money to build or buy a new one?

Sincerely,
Busting At The Seams

Dear Busting At The Seams,

What a wonderful problem!  Church buildings have always been an expediency for a local church to assemble and fulfill the commands found in Heb 10:24-25, Acts 20:7, and 1 Cor 16:1-2, etc.  The word ‘expedient’ means ‘convenient or practical’.  The command for the church to assemble has to be fulfilled somehow, and church buildings have often been a convenient and practical way to do that… but in your situation, the building is no longer practical or convenient.

A congregation doesn’t need to own a building to be faithful.  Renting out a school gymnasium, movie theater, or other facility is just as Scriptural and in your case, probably more expedient since it is cheaper than purchasing a facility.  The issue of where and how to meet is a matter of wisdom, not right or wrong.  A congregation that is getting too big for the space they are in can do everything from starting a second congregation in a nearby town to renting a larger facility for Sunday worship.  It is just a matter of what is the most convenient and practical solution to a problem that is really a blessing.

      I’m looking to become a pastor/minister/preacher, but how do I know for sure that this is what God is calling me to do?  And how do I know where God is calling me to go?

Sincerely,
Seeking Direction

Dear Seeking Direction,

A pastor is not the same thing as a minister/preacher.  A pastor is an elder who shepherds a local congregation (1 Pet 5:1-2).  You will know you are called to be a pastor when the congregation assesses you as a qualified man to serve in the eldership – after all, elders are always in groups.  There is no example of a pastor leading a congregation by themselves.  A congregation knows a man is qualified to serve as an elder when he meets the qualifications found in 1 Tim 3:1-7 and Tit 1:5-9.  There is a lot of confusion in the religious world over this role, and the fact is that pastors aren’t the same thing as preachers!

If you want to know whether or not you are qualified to preach, read through 1^st and 2^nd Timothy which are letters Paul wrote to the young preacher, Timothy, and see if you are doing what a preacher should do.  Preaching begins with studying to know what the Bible says and then actively doing it.  If you are in a faithful congregation, you can ask them about how to get practice preaching and experience in the pulpit – that is what we do with our young men in our congregation.  If you need a faithful congregation, (after all, lots of them aren’t following the Bible pattern) we would be happy to help you find one.  Simply e-mail us at askyourpreacher@mvchurchofchrist.org.

     Hello again, and may God continue to bless you all.  My question is concerning a trend in the Lord’s church and its consequences.  I am having trouble concerning fellowshipping with the denominational world.  I don’t believe it is a good idea for the Lord’s church’s members to be thrown up together with speakers that are not Christians… i.e. at Christian youth rallies, inviting them in during Bible study, or holding breakfast with them to show our support for each other.  We are to be in the world, NOT of the world.  I think it shows an acceptance of their false doctrine, and waters us down… not to mention confusing our own on where we stand and why.

I don’t hate the sinner, just the sin, but we need to draw the line and say, “That’s it.”  Thanks a lot.

Sincerely,
Influenced

Dear Influenced,

There is nothing wrong with studying with people from the denominational world in hopes of converting them to the one true church of Jesus Christ (Eph 4:4-6), but it is dead wrong to support false teachers.

2 Jhn 1:10 says that we shouldn’t even give a greeting to those that are false teachers.  We cannot in any way confuse people by supporting the denominational world.  The denominations have left the basic teachings of Christ, and these religious leaders are destroying people’s souls.  They nullify God’s laws in order to keep their traditions (Mk 7:9).  Jude warned that false teachers are like hidden rocks that sink ships and shepherds that fail to protect the flock (Jude 1:12).  God’s church should have no communion with the doctrines of demons (1 Tim 4:1).

     Are there different things a church can do when they are assembled together versus not in an official assembly?

Sincerely,
Events Planner

Dear Events Planner,

Whenever the local church functions as a group, they have only three things that they are authorized to do: teach the saved, preach to the lost, and care for needy Christians (read “Purpose Driven Church” for specifics on the work of the church).  This is true in the worship service, and it is also true with any other group decision and action.  The local church is the pillar and ground of the truth every day of the week (1 Tim 3:15).

     It is clearly the will of God for local churches to be scripturally organized with elders (and deacons).  Is a local church that is not scripturally organized with at least qualified elders still pleasing to God?  Is such a church sinful?  How can we know (scripturally)?

Sincerely,
By The Book

Dear By The Book,

It is definitely God’s desire for congregations to appoint elders and deacons, but if a congregation doesn’t yet have elders, that doesn’t necessarily mean they are unfaithful.  In Tit 1:5, Paul instructed Titus to appoint elders in the congregations in Crete, but it is also worth noting that there were already congregations in Crete!  The congregations needed elders, but they were already faithful.  When Paul and Barnabas preached together, they didn’t appoint elders in the churches of Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch until they were on the return trip (Acts 14:21-23).  That means that each of those cities were originally without elders.
A congregation that refuses to put elders in place is fighting against God’s will, but many congregations are too young or too new to have qualified men who meet the requirements for elders found in 1 Tim 3:1-7 and Tit 1:5-9.  The question is whether a congregation is working toward an eldership or whether they are disregarding the command.

     Is the phrase “go to church” a biblical concept?  Also, does a local church exist outside of an opening and a closing prayer?  Thanks.

Sincerely,
Church Goer?

Dear Church Goer,

The phrase “go to church” isn’t wrong, but it is often misused.  1 Cor 11:18, 1 Cor 14:19, and other verses use the word ‘church’ to refer to when the church is assembled together.  Therefore saying “go to church” simply means ‘going to the church assembly’.  Having said that, many people have forgotten that the church is the people, not a building.  Many people who say, “I’m going to church” are referring to the church’s building.  As long as you understand that the church is the people, then you are fine in using the phrase.

As for your second question, since the local church is the people, they do exist outside of the worship services.  The very fact that 1 Cor 14:23 refers to the church in Corinth “coming together” means that they are still the church when they aren’t together.

     I see things; I think God is contacting me; He wants me to do something, but I don’t know what.  Please, please answer this and tell me what to do!

Sincerely,
Motivated

Dear Motivated,

What you need to do is go to church.  The days of dreams and visions have passed.  In the past, God spoke to various people through dreams, visions, and prophecy, but today, He speaks to us through His Son, Jesus Christ (Heb 1:1-2).  Now that we have the complete and perfect Bible there is no need for God to give people individual dreams or visions (1 Cor 13:9-10).  It is through the Word of God that we learn how to live faithfully (Rom 10:17).

We are sure that the things you are seeing mean something, but they don’t mean anything supernatural or prophetic.  Our guess is that you have a great deal of internal struggle in your life, and this is affecting your vision, your mind, and everything else.  The fact that you are writing into this site tells us that you are trying to put the pieces together and get help.  One of the things that we do here at AskYourPreacher is try to connect people with a desire for answers (such as yourself) with congregations near them that can help them find long-term relief.  If you would like us to do that, just e-mail us back at askyourpreacher@mvchurchofchrist.org, and we will happily help in whatever way we can.

I am a minister that has been called to minister for about six years.  Though I have been called, I have not always followed; I have recently accepted the position of youth pastor.  I am expected to teach on purity and abstinence before marriage; how can I teach something that I myself did not preserve?

Sincerely,
Feeling Hypocritical

Dear Feeling Hypocritical,

If it is impossible to teach on something unless you have done it right yourself, nobody could say anything about morality because all have sinned (Rom 3:23).  Paul preached on peace after killing Christians (Rom 12:18), and Peter preached on boldness after denying Christ (1 Pet 5:15-16).  The truth is the truth regardless of how well we have personally followed it.
On a separate, but related note: a minister is different from a pastor – which one are you?  If someone is going to be a pastor, he must meet the qualifications found in 1 Tim 3:1-7 and Tit 1:5-9.  Another thing to consider is that the Bible never talks about ‘youth pastors’ and ‘senior pastors’.  We would encourage you to read “Senior Citizen Pastor” because it sounds like you are caught up in a religious movement that doesn’t take God’s pattern for the church seriously, and if we don’t take God seriously, it doesn’t matter how much we clean up our lives.

I wanted to know if when you read I Timothy on the qualifications for a bishop, you read “…must be the husband of one wife” as excluding women from the office of a bishop.  I always understood that particular verse to address having more than one wife since Israel had practiced that in their history.  Also, the Scripture in I Corinthians as pertaining to women teaching was based on the Corinthian church at that time, etc.  I would love to hear your expanded thoughts on this.

Sincerely,
Ladies’ Lib

Dear Ladies’ Lib,

Pastors (Eph 4:11) – also known as elders or bishops (Tit 1:5-7) – are always men.  The qualifications for pastors are given in 1 Tim 3:1-7 and Tit 1:5-9.  As you said, one of those qualifications is that he must be “a husband of one wife” (1 Tim 3:2, Tit 1:6) – that clearly rules out females from becoming bishops.  People have tried to say that these verses are just cultural or that they only pertained to those particular churches, but there is nothing in the Bible that says that.  If we just take the Bible for what it says – elders must be men.

Everyone agrees that women can be servants in the church – the question isn’t whether women can serve; it is how they can serve.  Phoebe was a servant of the church (Rom 16:1) and was praised for her service.  Priscilla was also commended for her labor on behalf of the church (Rom 16:3).  The Bible clearly shows women working in the church and in a very positive way.  Women are seen serving in many capacities in the church, but they are never seen in positions of authority.  Women are forbidden from having authority over men in the church… they are also forbidden from publicly teaching men (1 Tim 2:12).  Women cannot be preachers or have positions within the church that allow them to have dominion (the word ‘dominion’ means ‘to have authority over’).  Women are encouraged to teach other women (Tit 2:3-5) but to take a less authoritative role than men within the church and family.  Paul explains the reason for this structure in 1 Tim 2:13.  Adam was created first, and Eve was created as his helper.   In both the family (Col 3:18-19) and the church (1 Cor 14:34), this principle is carried out.  Eve was no less valuable than Adam, but she was designed for a different role.

     My wife and I are members of a church of Christ, the kind that has a fellowship hall, youth minister (and stuff like that), but no instrumental music (or anything like that).  My point is, my wife and I have become a little uncomfortable with this zeal and not being able to find the authority for these things.  We went to a very conservative type of church of Christ, like your congregation (from what I gather from y’all’s answers). There is more to it than that but, my question is: what can we expect with a change from a “liberal” type of church of Christ to a “conservative” church of Christ?

Sincerely,
Motivated To Move

Dear Motivated To Move,

Oftentimes, the worship service at liberal congregations doesn’t seem all that different from the worship service at conservative ones, but the principles behind why they each do what they do is vastly different.

The fundamental difference between the more conservative congregations and the more liberal ones is how closely they adhere to the Bible pattern.  In a conservative congregation, you will see the focus of the church being upon preaching the truth to the lost, teaching the saved, and carrying for needy saints – that’s it.  A conservative congregation believes that the church is sufficient to do God’s work, and they shouldn’t delegate that work out to another organization like a missionary society.  Conservative congregations support preachers directly, and they send funds directly to care for other needy christians… just like the Bible pattern.  This is why conservative congregations are sometimes referred to as ‘non-institutional’.  They don’t believe any other institution should take the place of the church – not a missionary society, not a federation of congregations pooling their funds, not a group of preachers controlling the direction of multiple churches.

The other thing that you will see is that a conservative congregation believes that there is a difference between individual responsibilities and congregational responsibilities.  Individuals have the responsibility to spend time together and socialize with other christians.  Individuals have the responsibility to do good to all mankind and be involved in their community as helpers of the poor and friends to strangers (Gal 6:10).  The church has the responsibility to be the pillar and ground of the truth (1 Tim 3:15).  You won’t see the church using its resources (including its building) for purely social activities such as potlucks – it is our responsibility as individuals to show hospitality (Heb 13:2).  You also won’t see the church getting caught up in secular charity activities like food pantries for the poor or community activism – it is our responsibility as individuals to effect change in our communities and help our neighbors. When we blur the lines between what the church should be doing and what individual christians should be doing, we get into all sorts of trouble.  Conservative congregations do their best to keep those lines as distinct as the Bible does.

In short, a conservative congregation will always show you Bible authority for what it does.  We speak where the Bible speaks and are silent where the Bible is silent (Rev 22:18-19).

    I have been a minister (ordained in the Baptist faith) now for nearly twenty-seven years.  My wife left me after twenty-eight years of marriage, and I’m currently still the pastor.  However, I need a helpmate.  I want to date, but all women are scared of dating a preacher.  I understand that, too.  I don’t want to cause a “black eye” on the church, so here is my question:

I’m fifty-one and alone… if I start dating women, should I quit preaching?  Not quit serving God, NO!  Quit preaching.  I think that would look best on God and His church… not a denomination, but the church of all believers of the Son of God.  Please give your honest opinion.  Again, thanks for your honestly.

Sincerely,
Single Baptist

Dear Single Baptist,

You say that you don’t believe in denominationalism, but you are preaching for a denomination.  You’ve been through a lot, and we cannot imagine the pain you must feel having your wife leave you – tragedies like your divorce are a time to evaluate quite a few things in life.  What if we told you that the Lord’s church does exist without denominationalism?  What if we told you there are groups of people that do just what the Bible says without denominational ordainings, traditions, and hierarchies?  After twenty-seven years of preaching for a denomination, would you be willing to consider that the Lord’s church isn’t part of that world?  In the Lord’s church, preachers are just men (Acts 14:15) and are treated like all other christians – even when it comes to dating.  There is another way; we urge you to read the article “Down With Denominationalism“, and if you are interested, we would be happy to study these issues out with you.

     We went to a church that believed if you were married more than once you couldn’t be a deacon or preacher. This is because the Bible says you can only be the husband of one wife.  Is this a correct interpretation?

Sincerely,
Counting Criteria

Dear Counting Criteria,

The qualification you are referring to can be found in 1 Tim 3:12.  The phrase ‘husband of one wife’ literally means a ‘one-woman man’ in the Greek. He must be devoted exclusively and faithfully to his one wife. A man who is widowed and then remarried could still be properly described as a ‘one-woman man’ because he was completely devoted to his first wife until her death, and now is fully devoted to his current wife.

The question a congregation has to wrestle with is if a divorced brother has shown the character trait of monogamous fidelity. Why did he get divorced? Was it for infidelity? Was he always faithful to her? Did she leave him, or did he leave her? How does he behave with his current wife? How long has he been married to his current wife? The answers to these questions will help assess whether he is a faithful ‘one-woman man’.

Divorce is a red flag that should make us pause before appointing a man as a qualified deacon, but depending on the circumstances surrounding the divorce, the man may still be qualified.

     Your answers about tithing have been very biblical and correct.  Thank you.  And I already know your thoughts on our responsibilities as stewards of those funds… so what do you think about a huge treasury?  If we are to be using these funds to do God’s will, then how can we justify, as His church, “storing up for ourselves on earth”?  I mean, if we are to give of our means and know that God will take care of us… then why does His church need to try and keep bulk money in the account?

Sincerely,
Not A Hoarder

Dear Not A Hoarder,

A congregation’s leadership would have the same reason for saving money as an individual would – savings is part of stewardship.  If someone lives their life without a “rainy day” fund, we consider them unwise.  Congregations have regular expenses and unexpected expenses – the problem with unexpected expenses is that you don’t expect them!  God says that we must be wise stewards in all that we do (Lk 12:42-43, Matt 25:23).  It is possible for a congregation to hoard money – this is wrong.  It is also possible for a congregation to spend their money unwisely and not prepare for future expenses – this also is wrong.  As in all issues of wisdom, there is a balance.  You are right that churches should be using the funds they collect to do God’s will – that isn’t in question.  The question is simply how and when to use those funds.  That is trickier and requires wise elders to properly manage each individual church’s finances (1 Tim 3:5).

     I am happy to write to you.  I am wanting to know how you conduct your worship on Sundays.

God bless you.

Sincerely,
Looking For Order

Dear Looking For Order,

The Bible gives us examples and commands for five different elements to the public worship.

1. Teaching/Preaching (1 Cor 4:17)
2. Singing (Eph 5:19)
3. Prayer (Acts 12:5)
4. Taking A Collection – Sunday only (1 Cor 16:1-2)
5. Lord’s Supper – Sunday only (Acts 20:7)

Of these five elements, two of them are specifically allowed only on Sundays.  The others can be done any time the brethren get together.  The congregation here in Monroe, WA is a simple New Testament congregation, and our worship is just what you find in the Bible.

What are the dangers of church hopping?

Sincerely,
Bunny Steps

Dear Bunny Steps,

Being a member of a congregation is about more than just hearing God’s Word; it is about being a committed, active participant in supporting and encouraging God’s people.  There are no examples of christians in the Bible who weren’t members of a local church.  Even the apostle Paul, with all of his traveling, was a member of the church in Antioch (Acts 11:25-26).  God tells us that part of the purpose of the church assembly is to stimulate and encourage one another to love and good works (Heb 10:24-25).  Is it enough to just stay at home and watch sermons on television or listen to ones you have downloaded from the internet?  If the only purpose of church attendance is to hear the Word, then those would be acceptable alternatives to going to church.  We are supposed to get together each Sunday and partake of the Lord’s Supper (Acts 20:7, 1 Cor 11:20), and God intended for christians to be a part of a local congregation with elders and deacons to help shepherd them (1 Pet 5:2).  God knows what is best for us, and it is in our best interest to assemble with other christians in a local church.  We are all different, and our differences help to strengthen us, protect us, and better serve Christ (Eph 4:14-16).  If all you do is “church hop”, then you don’t have the blessings of the local eldership, interwoven lives with other local saints, and participating fully in the growth of the church’s work.  Church membership isn’t just about what you get; it is about what you are able to give.

     My wife and I attend the church of Christ, but most of our families do not.  I have heard our families and even some visitors say they don’t like a large congregation. Our congregation started in 1950 with about forty people; today, we have 350 to 400 members.  My point is, sometimes I get the impression that some think that larger congregations are unscriptural and lean more towards the doctrine of man.  However, our elders have always made sure to stick to Scripture at all cost.  My question is: does the Bible reveal how many people gathered to worship God in the first century church (the church of Christ)?

Sincerely,
Part Of A Big Family

Dear Part Of A Big Family,

Christ’s churches have been as small as two or three, as big as several thousand, and everything in between.  Jesus said that “where two or three are gathered together in My name, there I am” (Matt 18:20)… so a congregation can in fact be very tiny.  Some first century churches met in homes, which probably meant they weren’t too big (Col 4:15).  However, we also see that the first congregation was over five thousand strong (Acts 4:4).  The size isn’t the issue – it is the adherence to the Bible pattern of truth that God cares about (1 Tim 3:15).  It is sometimes more difficult to hold to that pattern the larger a congregation gets because there are more voices and more potential for division, but that doesn’t mean that large congregations are somehow unscriptural by default.  If your group is large and faithful – what a wonderful blessing!

You say you are a New Testament church and not a denomination, but isn’t the Church of Christ just an offshoot of the Campbellite movement of the 19^th century?

Sincerely,
Fess Up

Dear Fess Up,

Historically speaking, the Restoration Movement (sometimes referred to as the Campbellite Movement because Alexander Campbell was a prominent preacher at that time) is a bunch of different churches that adhere to similar doctrines… biblically speaking, the movement to restore New Testament Christianity is a principle, not a denomination.  The Monroe Valley church of Christ isn’t affiliated with any other congregation; we aren’t associated with a grouping of churches or national religious body.  Our congregation is completely independent of all others – our responsibility is to the Lord and none other, just like the first-century churches (Acts 14:23).

In the darkest days of the nation of Israel, a young king named Josiah rose to power.  The nation had reached such a state of wickedness that the temple was near ruins and in complete disrepair.  Josiah made a decision to have the temple repaired (2 Kgs 22:3-5).  In the process of repairing the temple, the workers found a copy of the Bible (2 Kgs 22:8).  The Old Testament Law was brought to Josiah, and he read it for the very first time (2 Kgs 22:10).  Josiah was mortified when he heard the words of the law; never before had he realized how wicked the nation was and how deeply entrenched in sin Israel had become (2 Kgs 22:11-13).  Josiah decided then and there to simply return to doing what the Bible said.  Josiah let the Bible be his guide in restoring the nation of Israel to what God intended it to be (2 Chr 34:30-31).  That is the ideal of the Restoration Movement.  Regardless of what man says, the church in Monroe is not a part of a denomination or some earthly hierarchy.  We appeal to the New Testament as our guide and daily attempt to restore biblical Christianity in our little corner of the world.  If other congregations around the globe take this same attitude, that doesn’t make us a denomination; that makes us brethren all serving the one true head, Jesus Christ (Eph 5:23).

When members leave the church, is it required for those members to inform the church that they are leaving?

Sincerely,
Still Here

Dear Still Here,

The Bible never specifically says that people need to inform a congregation when they leave and begin attending another congregation, but it does say that the elders of the congregation have a responsibility to watch over the souls of the saints in their local church (Heb 13:17, 1 Pet 5:2).  Since the elders are accountable to God for these folks, it is useful to them if folks kindly let them know when they are moving.

     If a man has been christian for many years and starts to miss services for many months, should he be called on to say a pray when he comes to services for the first time and has not asked to be back in fellowship with the local church?  How should the elders approach him on this matter?

Sincerely,
Perplexed From The Pew

Dear Perplexed From The Pew,

The elders should approach him with wisdom – and not approaching him might be the wise thing to do as well.  The Bible tells us to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves (Matt 10:16).  When someone is struggling in their attendance, the elders, as watchers of the flock (Heb 13:17), have a responsibility to help them.  (Having said that, all christians have a responsibility to pull alongside those who are struggling – it is just that the elders have an increased responsibility).  How the elders deal with that person is completely a matter of wisdom, and it will vary from situation to situation.  For all you know, the elders already approached this man and have dealt with him privately – that certainly would be a biblical approach (Matt 18:15-17).  The best thing to do is to either talk to this man yourself if you are worried about him, or if you are simply worried about the image of the church… talk to the elders.

     Is it wrong to go to another church for Bible class if you are not getting anything out of your own Bible class?  The Bible class that I attend is very uplifting and encouraging.  I retain more and get a better understanding, and my husband enjoys it.

Sincerely,
Feeling Kinda Guilty

Dear Feeling Kinda Guilty,

There is nothing wrong with attending another congregation for Bible class as long as you are making sure to test what they are saying against the Bible (1 Jn 4:1) and making sure that wherever you attend is faithful to God’s Word.  You might read our post, “Finding A Church”, on how to find a church using Bible principles.  That article might help you weigh the pros and cons of these two congregations.

     I have been attending a United Methodist church for about two years now and really enjoyed the teaching of the Bible from my clergy; recently, he told me the Bishop was transferring him to another church, one that in distance would prevent me from attending.  I feel I have lost a good teacher, one that had and could capture all my attention and others’ when we would hear his words on the teachings of the Bible.  Why would a church replace a man that meant so much to the people he ministered to?  I have tried to listen to the new appointed minister, but somehow, it’s just not giving the blessings of the Word of God that were there for me with my last clergy.  I am a bit disappointed, and we are now looking for new church… again.

Sincerely,
Left Behind

Dear Left Behind,

The reason the United Methodist church did this was because they haven’t been following the Bible – they’ve been following their own traditions.  Your frustrating situation is a great example of what has gone wrong with the religious world.  God never intended for congregations to take orders from some regional archbishop or governing council.  The Bible pattern for local churches is much simpler – and it avoids the sort of congregational disruption you experienced.

Every congregation of the New Testament had independence. Only local elders were over them (1 Pet 5:1-2, Acts 14:23). They were bound to follow Christ as their only head (Eph 5:23)… no boards or committees, no headquarters in some other state, no popes or potentates.  If a congregation was happy with their preacher, he stayed.  If they were unhappy, they stopped supporting him.  Simple as that.

What you are looking for is a local body of believers who are accountable to Christ and His Word, not some district office or United Methodist jurisdiction.  Congregations like this exist all over America and the world.  If you’d like, we’d be happy to get you in touch with a congregation that plays by God’s rules, not their own.  E-mail us at askyourpreacher@mvchurchofchrist.org if we can be of service.

     What or who is the bride of Christ?

Sincerely,
Missed The Wedding

Dear Missed The Wedding,

The church is the bride of Christ.  John the Baptist referred to Jesus as the groom (Jhn 3:29).  Eph 5:23 says that Jesus is like a husband, and the church is like a wife.  In 2 Cor 11:2, Paul says that the christians in Corinth were betrothed to Christ and that it was his job to present them as a pure bride to Jesus, their groom.  All of these verses point to the same teaching – the church is the bride that Jesus purchased through His sacrifice (Acts 20:28).

      I was recently reading Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, specifically the chapters involving the first few hundred years of Christian history.  I attend a local autonomous congregation whose structure seems entirely different than the hierarchical structure of the church described in the book.  They use terms like the bishop’s “see” which, when I looked up the definition, is the official seat of a bishop.  The bishop’s seat is the earliest symbol of a bishop’s authority.  During periods of Roman persecution, they list bishops of Rome and other cities and mention their successors.  They also describe bishops as being “appointed” and “governing the church”.  The book states that a man named Ignatius was appointed to the bishopric of Antioch next after Peter in succession.  (The same term “bishopric” in Acts 1:20 KJV describes the office of Judas).  The book also alludes to a hierarchy amongst the clergy (bishops, presbyters and deacons).  In over a dozen historical examples of Roman persecution, it is the bishop of Rome (singular) that seems to be targeted for execution.  All of this hierarchical structure pre-dated Constantine and future state involvement in the Christian Church by up to hundreds of years.  Our local congregation just has a few elders, who say they are equals, and take turns leading worship and preaching a message.  Why such a difference in church structure?

Sincerely,
History Student

Dear History Student,

The reason you see the difference is because Foxe’s Book of Martyrs covers all those who called themselves christians while the Bible specifically only follows the pattern for the church laid down by God.  Paul warned that the church would quickly be attacked by false teachers (2 Pet 2:1), and as early as the end of the first century, we see the seven churches of Asia being exhorted and rebuked by Jesus to hold to the truth in Revelation 2 and 3.  Paul told the church at Ephesus that wolves would arise from amongst their eldership to try and devour the church (Acts 20:28-31).  Your congregation is right to stick to the Bible pattern – after all, the Bible is the book that we are saved by (Rom 1:16).

     In my area, there are churches that have a Wednesday night service. Where is this in the Bible?  Acts 2:46 seems to suggest the early christians met everyday.  Does you congregation meet everyday?

Sincerely,
Dedicated

Dear Dedicated,

Our congregation doesn’t meet every day, but we do have classes throughout the week.  The Bible only mandates that the church meet on Sundays to take the Lord’s Supper (Acts 20:7) and make their contribution to the work of the church (1 Cor 16:1-2).  Don’t get us wrong; the church is also told to pray together (Acts 12:5), study together (Acts 2:42), and sing together (Col 3:16)… but we can do those things whenever we want.  The church is told to make a habit of meeting together (Heb 10:25), but every day isn’t a requirement.  Wednesday classes are one way that congregations attempt to keep that routine and habit of meeting.

     What scriptures can we look at to show us that pastors, elders, and bishops have all the same meanings and duties?

Sincerely,
Name Nomenclature

Dear Name Nomenclature,

Pastors, elders, and bishops are all referring to the same job in the church.  We see this by looking at multiple passages that show that these titles are used interchangeably.  Tit 1:5-7 uses the terms ‘elder’ and ‘bishop’ as synonyms.  Acts 20:28 refers to bishops shepherding the local church (the word ‘pastor’ means ‘shepherd’).  1 Pet 5:1-3 also refers to elders as those who pastor/shepherd the church.  When you see that these three terms (pastor, elder, and bishop) are all used interchangeably, it means they are synonyms.

     A brother in Christ is turning forty this coming Sunday.  His wife has planned a surprise party to be held in the church building after evening worship.  She has asked that we should all write a message to be included in an “honoring note” to this brother.  The preacher is collecting these messages of “love, respect, and appreciation” and urging us to respond as soon as possible.  I am having a terribly hard time with this, not because I don’t appreciate and love this brother, but because I feel a birthday party in the church building isn’t scriptural, and the idea of writing an “honoring note” is giving me a very uncomfortable feeling.  I don’t want to offend this brother and his wife, but I am having a huge struggle with this.  I don’t know what to do.  Please help!  The honoring messages are due within the next couple of days.

Sincerely,
Birthday Blah

Dear Birthday Blah,

The key to the whole issue is to remember what the work of the church is.  The Bible specifically outlines three things that the church has a responsibility to do: care for needy christians (Acts 4:34), preach to the lost, and teach the saved (Acts 15:35).  Anything that a church does with its financial assets needs to fit into one of those three categories.  A church’s building is part of a church’s finances (the same as your house is part of your finances), and it is important that whatever we use the church’s finances for be authorized by the Bible.  1 Tim 3:15 says that there is a certain way that the church must behave when we work together collectively.  1 Tim 5:16 takes it one step further and says that there are certain financial things the church shouldn’t be burdened with.  Once our money goes into the church collection on Sunday (1 Cor 16:1-2), it becomes the Lord’s money – not ours.  The church can spend its money on the church’s work… and that’s it.

Bible classes, worship services, etc. all easily fit into the work of the church… but what about a social gathering?  The problem is that socializing is never shown to be part of the church’s work.  It certainly is important for individual christians to spend time with one another… but that is a command to individuals – not the church.  Individuals have a lot more freedom in what they do than the church does.  Social gatherings in the church’s building simply don’t fit the Bible pattern of the church’s work.  We don’t want to condemn the attitude of these folks – we’d like to think their intentions are pure, but zeal isn’t the same as Bible accuracy (Rom 10:2).  We have looked and looked, but we cannot find Bible authority for the church’s building, which is part of the church’s assets, to be used for a purely social gathering.

When the church collectively decides to use the building for a primarily social gathering, there is a problem.  As Paul said, “Don’t you have houses to eat and drink in?” (1 Cor 11:22).  Paul lambasted the church in Corinth for making the church’s work a social event.  There was a time when churches needed to hold potlucks because people traveled such long distances by horseback or foot that it was impossible for people to stay for the full day of worship unless they had a midday meal there… if they went home for a meal, they might as well have stayed home.  This was an appropriate use of potlucks because they were an expediency for worship.  This is the same reason that meals during work parties are no problem – the food is an expediency to make it possible for everyone to take care of the building… no different than if the preacher brings his lunch, so he can eat while working in his office.  However, the argument that the church should have a birthday party after services is no longer about an expediency to help people that traveled two hours by horseback.  A birthday party is purely for the purpose of socializing, not furthering the work of the church.  If the work of the church is to socialize, we also ought to have gymnasiums, playgrounds, movie nights, etc.  Once we begin to do small things that don’t have Bible authority for them, we’ve cracked the door to more and more behavior that goes beyond what God has written (1 Cor 4:6).

As we said, we aren’t trying to condemn the intentions of those who planned the party… we’re sure the folks have good desires, but it sets a dangerous, unbiblical precedent.  Like King Saul sparing the animals to bring them as a sacrifice to God – good intentions, but it got him in trouble because it wasn’t what God asked for (1 Sam 15:22).

     Hi, I have a question about leaving our church.  We have attended this church for almost four years.  The whole time we have been at this church, there have been various problems caused by one person (the Pastor’s daughter).  She continuously acts in ways opposite of the Bible; she gossips about people to others in our church and then turns around and acts as if she loves the person.  In the last four years, she has consistently changed for the worse.  She dresses in ways that can make a brother stumble.  During this time, her dad and mom (Pastor and Pastor’s wife) have lowered their standards and changed their views on many things because of their daughter.  My husband and I (and many others) have gone to the Pastor on several occasions concerning issues we have had with his daughter.  All of these times, the blame has been turned around on the person coming to the Pastor.  There seems to be a pull to this woman, almost like a spirit.  It affects our children and women.  We have tried to stick it out in this church, but it is really hindering our children and us.  There are other issues as well, but this is the main issue.  There has never been anything done openly to address this sin; wouldn’t this be overdue?  I really want to do what God wants, but this is really affecting our family and many other families in our church.  The situation is hard to explain and hard for you to get the complete feel of if you’re not in it, so I hope I have explained it well enough.  I am looking for Scripture and advice.  Thank you.

Sincerely,
When To Leave?

Dear When To Leave,

I have no doubt that we aren’t clearly seeing the total picture from what you have described, but truthfully, we don’t have to.  It is always more important to care for your own spiritual health than to remain with a church (Php 2:12).  In the end, your family’s spiritual health must come first.  This congregation is not helping you grow, and your souls are more important.  One of the issues you are facing is simply the fact that the congregation is led by a single pastor – the Bible teaches that congregations should have multiple elders guiding the church.  A multiplicity of pastors avoids situations like this where one man’s blindness leads to strife and destruction.  Read “Pastors” for specific verses on that issue.

For the sake of your family, you should look for a church that is trying to follow the New Testament pattern as closely as possible.  A congregation doesn’t need to be full of perfect people, but they need to be trying to faithfully follow God’s Word and not their own ideologies.  The following are a few markers of what you should find in every church that is faithful to Christ’s Word:

1. Their name should be Biblical. Church of Christ (Rom 16:16), the church (Acts 14:27), church of God (1 Cor 1:2), the Way (Acts 24:14) – all of these are Biblical names given to a local congregation. Having the right name on the front of the building doesn’t mean they are the right church, but if they can’t even get their name from the Bible, they probably aren’t worth wasting your time on.
2. Their doctrine should be a copy of the New Testament (Acts 2:42). Any creeds, ‘statements of faith’, articles of belief, manuals, or handbooks are from man and not from God. You want a congregation that uses the Bible to decide their practices.
3. They are autonomous. Every congregation of the New Testament had independence. Only local elders were over them (1 Pet 5:1-2, Acts 14:23).They were bound to follow Christ as their only head (Eph 5:23). No boards or committees, no headquarters in some other state, no popes or potentates – what you are looking for is a local body of believers which is accountable to Christ and His Word.
4. The church’s work should be simple. The church of the first century wasn’t involved in every community and political arena. Their work was focused on three things – caring for needy christians (Acts 4:34), preaching to the lost, and teaching the saved (Acts 15:35). Find a congregation who is committed to being about Christ’s work.
5. They should be open to examination. Any congregation that is serving Christ should be willing to explain why they do what they do. They should be willing to be examined because they are constantly examining themselves (2 Cor 13:5). There is nothing wrong with asking a congregation where their practices can be found in the New Testament.Ask questions and expect Bible answers for them.

These five things are by no means all of the characteristics of Christ’s church, but this should help narrow down your options significantly. Most people accept mediocrity from their church; don’t do that. It is unfair to expect the people of a congregation to be perfect… you will never find perfect humans. However, you should demand intellectual honesty and Biblical faithfulness from any congregation you want to be a member of. If you would like additional help as you look for a faithful congregation in your area, please email us at askyourpreacher@mvchurchofchrist.org and we would be happy to help you look.

     What is the “pure offering” referred to in this Old Testament prophecy?  Malachi 1:11 “‘For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same, My name shall be great among the Gentiles, and in every place, incense shall be offered unto My name, and a pure offering: for My name shall be great among the heathen,’ says the LORD of hosts.”

Sincerely,
Offering Up A Question

Dear Offering Up A Question,

The pure offering that the church will provide God with is in contrast to the polluted offerings that the Jewish nation was giving God.  Mal 1:7-8 says that the Jews were offering blemished, lame, and sick animals to God – the exact opposite of what they were supposed to do (Ex 12:5).  Israel worshipped God with the worst of what they had, instead of giving God the best of their lives and flocks.

In the church, the Lord’s people offer their lives as living sacrifices to God (Rom 12:1), and God’s people love Him with a whole heart.  The church doesn’t just offer God their pure offerings at Jerusalem like the Jews did; the church gives God their offerings all across the globe (Jhn 4:20-23).

     What about a woman being ordained as a pastor, bishop, or an apostle?

Sincerely,
What About Women?

Dear What About Women,

Pastors (Eph 4:11) – also known as elders or bishops (Tit 1:5-7) – are always men.  The qualifications for pastors are given in 1 Tim 3:1-7 and Tit 1:5-9.  One of those qualifications is that he must be “a husband of one wife” (1 Tim 3:2, Tit 1:6) – that clearly rules out females from becoming pastors.

As far as being an apostle, all of the apostles have long since died.  An apostle had to be someone who personally saw Christ in the flesh and witnessed His resurrection (Acts 1:21-26).  There were twelve apostles, and they were all men (Matt 10:2-3).

     It seems like you say that at least 75% of all churches in America are guilty of not being biblically-based churches and not taking the Bible seriously enough simply because they have youth pastors or senior pastors, right?  In which case, they would be a bad church to go to even if the Word of God were being preached and the church was prospering because they were applying biblical standards to their ministry and making it the church’s mission to teach others how to go out and spread the gospel.  I am not trying to argue with you; I am just trying to take what you say and apply it to most churches in the U.S.  I believe you’re right that the Bible never mentions these terms (youth and senior pastors) in the Bible and that they are man-made terms, but what would you then call your minister to the youth if there was one in your church?

Sincerely,
Too Many Technicalities

Dear Too Many Technicalities,

If a congregation isn’t doing what the Bible says (i.e. they aren’t following God’s standards for church leadership), they aren’t preaching the whole counsel of God, and just because a church is prospering doesn’t mean that it is doing what God wants.  Prosperity and faithfulness aren’t the same, and the number of people in the pews isn’t necessarily an indication that you are doing what God wants.

Part of the confusion here is that you are using the words ‘pastor’ and ‘minister’ interchangeably.  Those are two different jobs.  If someone is going to be a pastor, he must meet the qualifications found in 1 Tim 3:1-7 and Tit 1:5-9… do these two men (the youth pastor and senior pastor) do that?

On the other hand, a minister is anyone that preaches the gospel.  Pastors make decisions for local congregations, but ministers just preach and teach; they have no authority to make congregational decisions.  A minister doesn’t have to meet the qualifications of a pastor.  A pastor is an elder, an older man, but Timothy was a minister (1 Tim 4:6), and he was a young man (1 Tim 4:12).

Another thing to consider is that ‘youth pastor’ means that ‘one that leads the youth’, but ‘senior pastor’ rarely means ‘one that leads the seniors’.  A senior pastor is typically a man that has been given more authority than other pastors in the church – once again, something we never see in the Bible.  When congregations don’t pay careful attention to how their leadership should be run, they are bound to make other major mistakes in other important areas.

     You guys say you are not “denominational”, but isn’t church of Christ just the main branch of the “Restoration Movement” which started in the early 1800s in the United States?  From what I understand, the Restoration Movement has since split.  The three main branches are the “church of Christ,” the “United Church of Christ,” and the Disciples of Christ.

Sincerely,
Just Another Church

Dear Just Another Church,

Historically speaking, the Restoration Movement is a bunch of different churches that adhere to similar doctrines… biblically speaking, the movement to restore New Testament Christianity is a principle, not a denomination.  The Monroe Valley church of Christ isn’t affiliated with any other congregation; we aren’t associated with a grouping of churches or national religious body.  Our congregation is completely independent of all others – our responsibility is to the Lord and none other, just like the first-century churches (Acts 14:23).

In the darkest days of the nation of Israel, a young king named Josiah rose to power.  The nation had reached such a state of wickedness that the temple was near ruins and in complete disrepair.  Josiah made a decision to have the temple repaired (2 Kgs 22:3-5).  In the process of repairing the temple, the workers found a copy of the Bible (2 Kgs 22:8).  The Old Testament Law was brought to Josiah, and he read it for the very first time (2 Kgs 22:10).  Josiah was mortified when he heard the words of the law; never before had he realized how wicked the nation was and how deeply entrenched in sin Israel had become (2 Kgs 22:11-13).  Josiah decided then and there to simply return to doing what the Bible said.  Josiah let the Bible be his guide in restoring the nation of Israel to what God intended it to be (2 Chr 34:30-31).  That is the ideal of the Restoration Movement.  Regardless of what man says, the church in Monroe is not a part of a denomination or some earthly hierarchy.  We appeal to the New Testament as our guide and daily attempt to restore biblical Christianity in our little corner of the world.  If other congregations around the globe take this same attitude, that doesn’t make us a denomination; that makes us brethren all serving the one true head, Jesus Christ (Eph 5:23).

     Do you have to go to church to go to heaven?  I know you have to be saved, which I am, but I don’t go to church.  I read my Bible, so will I go to hell if I don’t go to church?

Sincerely,
Absent

Dear Absent,

The Bible teaches that we shouldn’t forsake the assembly (Heb 10:24-25).  God designed the church so that each individual would be strengthened by the power of the whole (Eph 4:16).  God never wanted christians to try and serve Him without the support of a local church; that is why He commanded the church to assemble.  It is impossible to do God’s work without being a part of a local church.  If you would like help finding a faithful congregation in your area, e-mail us at askyourpreacher@mvchurchofchrist.org.

     Why are there different religions?

Sincerely,
Having Trouble Counting

Dear Having Trouble Counting,

There are several reasons why there are so many different religions out there:

1. Paul condemned the Jews because they worshipped God without knowledge (Rom 10:2).  Many people follow whatever seems best to them and when our feelings design our religious beliefs, confusion ensues.
2. Rom 1:18-23 says that when people suppress the truth about God, they exchange the truth for a myriad of other false beliefs.
3. God warned that there would come a day when false teachers infiltrated Christ’s church and started teaching things contrary to Scriptures (2 Tim 4:2-4).  Paul told the first century christians to watch out for the “falling away” (2 Thess 2:3).  Division and false teaching in the name of Christ is a very common thing.  Wherever there is an opportunity for selfish gain, false teachers crop up and attempt to lead people astray.

There are tens of thousands of different religions in America that refer to themselves as “Christian”, and even more than that when you add things like Islam, Buddhism, etc.… yet God says there is only one true faith (Eph 4:4-6).  So how can you know whether a church is Christ’s church?

Jesus says that we can know them by their fruits (Matt 7:15-20).  A church is faithful if the way they worship, preach, and live is in accordance with Christ’s teachings.  A faithful church keeps Christ’s commandments (Jhn 15:14).  Most churches today have added all sorts of things to their worship (from rock bands to belly dancing) and leadership structure (popes, community boards, franchised churches, etc.) that were never intended by Christ.  We should never add to God’s Word, and we should never take away from it (Rev 22:18-19).  A faithful church should be able to give you book, chapter, and verse for everything they do.  We recommend the posts “Down With Denominationalism”, “Finding A Church”, and “Preacher Interrogation” for further information on what questions to ask.  If you would like us to help point you in the right direction of a congregation in your area, please e-mail us at askyourpreacher@mvchurchofchrist.org, and we will do our best to put you in contact with a Bible-founded congregation.

I am having a difficult time with a situation at my church. It seems that there is so much honor for the pastor, but none for his wife. There are many of the members who don’t care for the pastor’s wife, and it is evident around the church. I feel that I should not participate in any of the activities they have because of the situation. Is there any Scripture that can help me with this?

Sincerely,
Sticky Situation

Dear Sticky Situation,

Have you considered that the problem is rooted in the fact that having only one pastor is outside of the Bible pattern? Pastors (also known as elders and bishops – Tit 1:5-7, Php 1:1) are the overseers of the church and should never be left to serve by themselves. The Bible never gives examples of lone pastors; there is always a plurality (Acts 14:23). 1 Tim 3:1-7 and Tit 1:5-9 give the qualities a man must have in order to serve as a pastor. We recommend you read “Elders” to see more scriptures on the topic. We often have people write into the site with problems similar to yours. We have found that the common thread is that when a man serves as a pastor and has that kind of authority without the checks and balances of other pastors – inevitably, there are problems. Sometimes he becomes power hungry, sometimes he becomes lazy, sometimes he simply becomes indifferent, sometimes he receives too much honor… no matter what, the root cause is the same. We would recommend your church adopt the Bible pattern of multiple pastors to lead the flock. The closer we adhere to the Bible’s model for the church, the fewer problems we have.

     Is the Baptist religion one that goes by the Bible?

Sincerely,
Looking For The Truth

Dear Looking For The Truth,

We will admit that Baptist churches are much more Bible-centered than most of the denominational world, but just because they say that they do exactly what the Bible says doesn’t make it true.  Many of the things that the Baptist church believes are right, but there are some glaring practices that simply ignore Scripture.  Remember, if you avoid or ignore verses, that is just as bad as adding to the Bible (Rev 22:18-19).  We have to take every Bible teaching, no matter how unpopular, and accept it in order to truly call ourselves a “Bible-only” congregation.  So let’s take a look at a couple of areas that this Baptist church is ignoring obvious Bible text.

1. Baptism is necessary for salvation.  This is one of the clearest teachings in the New Testament.  Peter literally wrote, “Baptism saves you” in 1 Pet. 3:21.  Mark 16:16 teaches that when you believe and are baptized, you are saved.  There is not a single example of someone becoming a christian without baptism.  If a church is teaching that baptism is only symbolic… it is ignoring the text.  In fact, the Baptist church’s manual specifically says, “Baptism was the door into the church; now it is different” (Standard Manual for Baptist Churches pg. 22).  Feel free to read our article “Baptism” for further Scriptures on this topic.
2. The Bible openly teaches that you can lose your salvation.  Gal 5:4 says that people can be “severed from Christ” and “fall away from grace”.  1 Tim 4:1 also warns that people will fall away and follow false teachings.  Heb 3:12 also mentions falling away because of an unbelieving heart.  The clearest verse on this topic is Heb 6:4-6 because it talks about someone who was “enlightened” and had “tasted the heavenly gift” and yet were “crucifying Christ again”.  Once again, these are simple verses with clear and direct implications.  Most Baptist churches teaches that you cannot be lost.
3. The Lord’s Supper.  The Baptist church only takes the Lord’s Supper every once and a while.  Where is the Bible authority and support for that?  Where in the Bible does it show christians taking communion every four months, two weeks, yearly, etc.?  Acts 20:7 mentions christians taking the Lord’s Supper on the first day of the week.  Once again, this is a plain teaching with a simple consequence.  If we want to be like the first-century christians… we take communion every first day of the week.

This is hardly an exhaustive answer to everything that the Baptist church does, but it should be enough to give you an idea that there are some clear verses that are being avoided.  God tells us to test all teaching against the Scripture (1 Jn 4:1).  No congregation advertises that they are ignoring parts of the Bible, but many churches do exactly that.

     I have always heard, and still do, that a congregation cannot have one elder.  I cannot seem to find any Scripture to support this.  Thanks again for your help.

Sincerely,
Count Me In

Dear Count Me In,

The more accurate way to deal with this issue is to make your statement in the positive – a congregation must have a plurality of elders.   In everything that a congregation does, it needs to find biblical authority. Acts 14:23 says that they appointed elders in every church.  Acts 15:2-6 points out that the church in Jerusalem had multiple elders.  In Acts 20:17, Paul called for the elders of the church that met in Ephesus.  Jas 5:14 recommends that the sick call for the elders of the church to pray for them.  Also, Peter exhorts the elders of each congregation to tend the flock amongst them (1 Pet 5:1-3).  There is not a single example of a lone elder in the New Testament.  Every congregation was led by a multiplicity of pastors.  The final kicker on the issue is that Paul specifically commanded that elders (plural) be appointed in every congregation (Tit 1:5).  If we let the Bible be our guide, we have no precedent for a single elder congregation.

     Is money given to the Lord attached to a particular church location, or is it to be used by the members that gave it?  For example, when a church dissolves its membership, if the money is simply “the Lord’s”, can it be used by another body of Christ for the Lord’s work?

Sincerely,
Membership Required

Dear Membership Required,

The location of the building isn’t the important thing; it is the organization of people who are guided by the elders that makes up a congregation (Php 1:1).  The elders are in charge of properly using the money that sits in the local treasury (Acts 11:29-30).  The local congregation’s leadership is held accountable for the distribution and use of the church’s funds.  This Bible pattern ties the money to the congregation (even if they move down the street), not the specific physical building they meet in.

In the sad circumstance that a congregation dissolves, the faithful thing to do is to make sure the funds are properly used before dissolving – and one proper use would be to give the funds to another faithful congregation that could use them – just like Acts 11:29-30 shows.

     What are the jobs and differences between Bishops, Pastors, Elders, Deacons?  What is the chain of command or should I say the order between these positions?  Where in the Bible does it talk about each of these positions, or are they manmade?

Sincerely,
Rank And File

Dear Rank And File,

Elders are the superintendents of a local congregation, and they are always men. The word elder is one title to describe the leaders of a local church. Other titles include ‘overseer/bishop’ (depending on translation – 1 Tim 3:1) and ‘pastor’ (Eph 4:11). The title of the job explains their role. They have the oversight of God’s people. That oversight only extends to one congregation (1 Pet 5:2), the local congregation that they are among. Each congregation has elders appointed in it (Acts 14:23).

Elders must meet strict requirements before they are appointed. Those qualifications can be found in 1 Tim 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9. Elders are always referred to by the pronouns ‘he’ and ‘him’ – thus making them men. Also, one of the qualifications is that they be ‘a husband of one wife’ (Titus 1:6) which makes it pretty clear we are talking about men. Elders also never serve alone.  All the churches in the Bible had multiple elders. Elders serve an important role of protecting, leading, and guiding the direction of a congregation. They will give an account for every christian in their congregation (Heb 13:17). A congregation should never take lightly the responsibility of appointing only completely qualified elders.

Deacons are servants of the church.  The word ‘deacon’ comes from the Greek word ‘diakonos’ which literally means ‘servant’.  The Bible doesn’t give a detailed account of their job because there are so many ways that servants can serve.  Deacons in the church are men that meet the qualifications of 1 Tim 3:8-13.

These deacons are a specific type of servant in the church – they serve the eldership (Php 1:1).  Deacons are given authority by the elders to oversee various responsibilities within the church.  These responsibilities might be building maintenance, the treasury, benevolence, etc. – whatever tasks the elders need help getting done are the tasks deacons are to fulfill.  A good example of how this would work can be found in Acts 6:1-4 when the apostles needed help making sure the christian widows received their daily bread.  The apostles had too many responsibilities already, so they delegated that task to seven capable men (Acts 6:5-6).

In short, the local church is led by elders (also known as pastors or bishops) and those elders have qualified deacons that help them fulfill their responsibilities.

You said, “No congregation has the right to impose their decisions on another local church.” But in Acts 15, James, the bishop of Jerusalem (not an apostle) sends a letter of decree to the local congregation that was circumcising Gentile believers. This became binding on that local congregation (and the practice obviously stopped).  Also, you said, “The only difference would be that the council in Acts 15 affected the entire universal church because the apostles were there, and the apostles had authority over all the church.”  Where in the Bible does it specifically say that the authority of the apostles ended when they passed on?  Is that just an assumption?

Sincerely,
Make A Decision

Dear Make A Decision,

James wasn’t the only one who sent that letter – he was one of the elders from Jerusalem, but the letter was sent by the apostles and the elders (Acts 15:23).  The apostles were the ones with the authority to lay the decree down for all the churches.  Paul points out that as an apostle, he had that authority and responsibility in 1 Cor 7:17 and 2 Cor 11:28.

It isn’t an assumption that the apostolic authority ended with these first apostles.  In order to be an apostle, a man had to be specifically sent forth by Christ (the word ‘apostle’ means ‘one sent forth’) and have witnessed His resurrection (Acts 1:21-26).  Elders only have the authority to shepherd the local congregation they are at (1 Pet 5:2).  Universal church authority ended with the apostles.

      If christians of all different denominations are bound for heaven if they accept Jesus, why is there so much division?  If there aren’t different levels to heaven and varied eternal rewards based on your denominational allegiance, then why the need for so much variation?

Sincerely,
Too Many Choices

Dear Too Many Choices,

The denominational world is confusing… exactly the opposite of God’s church (1 Cor 14:33).  The term ‘denomination’ comes from the idea that a church believes that it is a subgroup of a larger religious body.  Lutherans worship and teach differently than Episcopalians, Catholics, Presbyterians, etc., but they all believe themselves to be christians – this is wrong.  Jesus said that there is only one path to heaven (Matt 7:14).  The apostle Paul said that there is only one church (Eph 4:3-6).  Denominationalism teaches that how you act and worship are matters of opinion, but Jesus said that how you act and worship are matters of truth (Jhn 4:24) and the Bible condemns the division we see in the religious world today (1 Cor 1:13).  The only way to avoid denominationalism is to find a congregation that simply teaches what the Bible says – no creeds, no opinions, no personal agendas.  If we truly love Christ, we will follow His commandments (1 Jn 5:2).

Everything a church does (worship, membership, how they teach to be saved, how they spend their money, even their name) needs to have Bible verses backing them up (1 Tim 3:15).  A church needs to be able to explain the reasons for why they do what they do (1 Pet 3:15).

Our congregation here in Monroe goes by the name ‘Monroe Valley church of Christ’ because ‘church of Christ’ is a Biblical name for a congregation (Rom 16:16).  We worship by singing (Col 3:16), studying the Bible (1 Tim 4:13), praying (2 Thess 3:1), taking communion (only on Sundays – Acts 20:7), and taking up a collection (also only on Sundays – 1 Cor 16:1-2).  We teach that you must hear God’s Word (Rom 10:17), believe God’s Word (Jhn 3:16), repent of your sins (Mk 6:12), confess Jesus as your Savior (Lk 12:8), and be baptized to be saved (Acts 2:38, 1 Pet 3:21).  We do all these things because they are practices found in the Bible.  As you said, you don’t want to go to a church that offers their own thoughts – you want God’s thoughts.

There are other congregations like ours scattered across the country and the world.  Most of them use the name ‘church of Christ’, but then again, many churches that use that name aren’t faithful.  A Bible name for a church isn’t enough to make it faithful.  We have helped others, like yourself, looking for New Testament Christianity find faithful congregations in their area by contacting other preachers and christians that we know.  We’d be happy to do the same for you.  If you feel comfortable, just let us know what general area you live in, and we will try and get you in touch with a congregation that lives like your Bible reads (our e-mail is askyourpreacher@mvchurchofchrist.org).  It is frustrating, confusing, and exasperating to deal with denominationalism.  Thanks be to God that there is a better option!

      When was the first appointed elder in the Bible?

Sincerely,
Age Before Beauty

Dear Age Before Beauty,

Elders have the oversight of local congregations, and in order to be an elder, a man must meet the qualifications outlined in 1 Tim 3:1-7 and Tit 1:5-9.  The first recorded elders are mentioned in Acts 11:39-40, and they were elders in the Jerusalem church.

     With no religious upbringing, I was baptized in 2008 according to Matthew 28:19 at a conservative evangelical church.  I moved and attended an apostolic church.  I was told I had to be re-baptized in Jesus’ name because I was not saved.  And then the whole tongues thing.  I made the decision to leave because I could not embrace their doctrine of Oneness, Jesus’ name only, speaking in tongues… forget all the holiness issues. How do you suppose the Lord looks upon me for leaving?  Should I have stayed to be a light of truth?  Thank you.

Sincerely,
Fleet Of Foot

Dear Fleet Of Foot,

You can only do so much to help others, but in the end, it is more important that you seek the truth and be part of a faithful congregation than it is that you stay and try and be the lone voice for a church that isn’t interested in changing.  Your own salvation comes first (Php 2:12).  Furthermore, it isn’t like the congregation showed an interest in studying or changing.  In such cases, God tells us not to “cast your pearls before swine” (Matt 7:6).

As far as the doctrinal issues, you may find the articles “Just Gibberish” and “Gifts That Stop Giving” useful for future reference, but you are right to not embrace the doctrines you mentioned.  Christianity is meant to be simple.  If we take what the Bible says and follow its pattern, we will have the truth.  All the religious division is wrong and completely unnecessary.  Read “Down With Denominationalism” for an in-depth look at how denominationalism has strayed from the Bible.  All we have to do is follow the Bible like an instruction manual, and we will be fine.  We congratulate you on your stand for the truth, and we would be happy to help you get in touch with a congregation that has your same love for truth.  We know of many simple, honest, Bible-patterned congregations; e-mail us at askyourpreacher@mvchurchofchrist.org if we can be of service.

If a church has money, as in a treasury, but the church is the people… if a congregation experienced 100% turnover in members, whose money is it? Suppose a small group of twelve members had a treasury of $30,000 and owned a building.  If two families moved, but a new family moved into town about the same time, could they just inherit the church’s treasury as their own?  How can a treasury of money be stored for generations and generations where the same members weren’t there who gave to it in the first place?  It seems like we have created an idea that the local church is an organization in and of itself apart from the people that define it.  We then give money to the organization, like giving to the Rotary club, and it doesn’t matter who the people are; the “club” still possesses the money.  Is this the biblical example?

Sincerely,
Membership Required

Dear Membership Required,

The local church is greater than the individuals that comprise it.  The local church is made up of the christians that meet in that particular location (like the saints that met in Corinth – 1 Cor 1:2 or the saints that met in Thessalonica – Php 1:1).  When a christian leaves that local area and attends elsewhere, they cease to be a member of that local congregation.  Over time, almost every congregation sees a complete (or near complete) turnover of its membership.  Christians have, and always will, be moving away because of jobs, life changes, retirement, etc.

This isn’t a problem because the church’s treasury doesn’t belong to the members – when new members come in, they don’t inherit anything because it belongs to the Lord, not us.  When churches take up a collection on the first day of the week (1 Cor 16:1-2), it is money that is collected from the christians and dedicated to the Lord’s work.

     You mentioned that the church of Christ is not a denominational church. Each congregation is supposed to use the Scriptures alone to be a guide. What if members of the congregation disagree with a particular doctrine or practice?  How are disagreements resolved when both parties use Scripture interpretation to support a point?  In Acts 15, there was a council set up to resolve a disagreement regarding circumcision.  The decision was binding on the universal church.  Do church of Christ congregations hold councils in compliance with the Acts 15 model?

Sincerely,
Make A Decision

Dear Make A Decision,

Acts 15 is a good pattern to follow when a congregation has questions or disagreements about a particular doctrine.  The only difference would be that the council in Acts 15 affected the entire universal church because the apostles were there, and the apostles had authority over all the church.  A local congregation is commended to their elders and to God – each group is autonomous (Acts 14:23), so any decision a congregation makes would affect them alone.  No congregation has the right to impose their decisions on another local church.

In Acts 15, we see how we are supposed to find Bible answers when discussing doctrinal issues. When we take Bible verses and combine them together to understand larger principles, we are doing exactly what God intends for us to do (Ps 119:160).  In Acts 15, we see that the apostles did that very thing.  When the issue came up regarding the circumcision of Gentiles, the apostles listened to the evidence (Acts 15:12), studied the Old Testament Scriptures (Acts 15:15-18), and came to a conclusion (Acts 15:19).  They looked for commands, approved examples, and then came to a necessary conclusion from the data.  That is exactly what every congregation should do.

     Hello.  I was curious to know from the Bible’s standpoint, is it mandatory for the believer to work in their church?  (Like sing, usher, handle the money, help with lighting and audio, things like that?)  I’m sure it’s a good idea, but if a believer wanted to just sit, is it his or her right?  Or is it a biblical duty to do something in the church?

Sincerely,
Ready To Rest

Dear Ready To Rest,

What you are describing is the church assembly, not the church.  The Bible describes the church as the people who make up a local congregation.  For example, Acts 14:27 talks about gathering the church together because the church is the people, and they needed to gather to have a meeting.  God designed the church to always be working, and every christian must be someone who works and bears fruit for God (Eph 4:16, Jhn 15:8).  It is impossible to be a faithful member of Christ’s church and not be actively serving Him in some way.

However, what you are describing is working in the worship service.  There are some parts of worship that every member must do (i.e. sing to the Lord – Eph 5:19 and take the Lord’s Supper – 1 Cor 11:33), but there are other tasks that aren’t group activities.  For example, women are specifically prohibited from preaching or leading during services (1 Cor 14:34).  Christians are expected to worship and not forsake the assembly (Heb 10:24), but that doesn’t mean someone needs to take a leadership role in the assembly in order to be faithful.  We must all be active participants in worship, but participation isn’t the same as having a specific leadership role.