Scriptural Government

By Ellis Crum

[Page 8]

     The God we serve is a God of order; He is the author of government. The Bible teaches that God hath set "governments" in the church. Every congregation needs some form of government, and the Great Designer, who planned the church before the foundation of the world, made arrangements for leadership in each local congregation. We know that elders and deacons constitute the permanent government of the Lord's church. What about churches without elders?

     Sometime ago a writer in the Gospel Advocate wrote: "It has been suggested that when a congregation does not have qualified men for elders, some brethren should be selected as 'leaders of the church.' But this does not solve the problem. To appoint men in the church to do the work of elders, give them the responsibility and require them to assume it, and call them 'leaders,' instead of elders, is simply beating around the bush; for such men are elders in every sense of the word, so far as their work and responsibility are concerned, with the exception of the name. This arrangement is no more scriptural than to appoint men elders in name only. We should be careful lest we create an office in the church by human authority."

     Another equally unscriptural plan is for the elders of one congregation to oversee the work of a new congregation. The work of the eldership is limited to "the flock of God which is among you" (1 Pet. 5:2). Each New Testament congregation is autonomous. What is God's divinely approved system of government for congregations without bishops?

     H. Leo Boles wrote the following uninspired words, though in harmony with the Inspired Writ: "Another duty of the evangelist was to gather those who had believed on the Lord, who had repented of their sins, and who had been baptized into Christ, into one group and thus organize them into a church. Those who were converted needed to be developed; they needed to be fed on the sincere milk of the word and taught how to live the Christian life. A large part of the work

[Page 9]

of evangelists consisted in teaching the young converts and developing men who would take the oversight of the congregation. Preachers have sermonized and can make 'talks' or speeches on Bible subjects, but cannot train young converts in the work of the Lord. Truly, there is an incompetency in many preachers, or evangelists... The churches and the world need men who can do the work of an evangelist.... Another duty of the evangelist was to set in order all things that were wanting in the churches and to see that each member was busy in the place which his qualifications assigned him. The care of the churches in the early day rested upon the evangelist" --The Eldership of the Churches of Christ, pp.30, 31, published by the Gospel Advocate Company.

     Don DeWelt states in his recent book, "That the evangelist, by reason of his office, must of necessity do the work of an elder, deacon, and Christian appears to be self-evident. Especially is this true in a new congregation where there are no Christians qualified to be elders or deacons" --The Church in the Bible, p. 94.

     This conception of the work of an evangelist is not new. Thomas Campbell, answering questions in the Harbinger, wrote: "Now, Timothy being thus divinely favored with the gift of the evangelical office, and, no doubt, with the gift of the Holy Spirit also, by the laying on of Paul's hands: see 2 Tim. 1:6, 7, with Acts 19:6, 7; he was, therefore, duly qualified to perform all the duties of the evangelical office; namely, to preach, teach, and rule: see 1 Tim. 1:3, 4 and 4:11-16, and 2 Tim. 4:1-5, with Titus 1:5, etc." --Quoted in Restoration Readings, by O. J. Swinney, p.74. In the above quotation it is declared that part of the work of an evangelist is to rule. This is in harmony with the Divine Writ; otherwise, we would have congregations existing for years with no divinely approved form of government. We sometimes speak of the New Testament churches as being congregational in government. In reality, they are only congregational from the standpoint of choosing their own offices. Nowhere in the scriptures do we read of congregations deciding matters by majority rule. The Bible declares, "Obey them that have the rule over you" (Heb. 13:17). While this may primarily refer to elders, it is also applicable to evangelists. The original word for rule as used here is defined by Strong as follows: "to lead, i.e. command (with official authority)."

     Titus, one of the early evangelists was commanded by Paul, to "speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority" (Titus 2:15). It is impossible to set in order" as mentioned in Titus 1:5, without authority. No store manager or plant foreman could carry out his duties without authority. Evangelists who are laboring as Titus did at Crete are not usurping authority, but are working under apostolic authority. The noted scholar Robert Young translates Titus 2:15 in this literal fashion: "be speaking, and calling upon, and convicting, with all over-arrangement; let no one be thinking (himself) above thee" --Concise Critical Comments. Members should submit to an evangelist in the same way they submit to bishops. If evangelists err, and they will, the members should first go to the evangelist. If the matter cannot be settled in this way, then the elders of his home congregation should be consulted. There is no room for a rule-or-ruin attitude upon the part of any evangelist, elder, or member of the body of Christ. It is a sad fact that many do not want to submit to authority. They "despise government" and Peter says they are "presumptuous" and "self-willed" (2 Pet. 2:10). Such individuals are not afraid to "speak evil of dignities" (Jude v. 8). For an evangelist to "correct...defects" and make things "thoroughly right," he must have the whole-hearted cooperation of the congregation.

     Evangelists are guilty of spiritual neglect when they leave a new congregation without scriptural government. The word government signifies "a steering, a piloting or a directing" according to Young. Alexander Campbell, writing on the theme of "Order," said, "He is a worthless shepherd who marks his lambs and turns them out into the forest to shift for them-

[Page 10]

selves. As worthless he who gathers a few disciples, immerses them, and gets them adrift in the wilderness of sin. Such were not the apostles, the evangelists, and first preachers of Christ.-- Millennial Harbinger, Vol. VI, pp. 526. In William Hayden's book Church Polity, on page 99 he declares, "A company of disciples must therefore remain under the oversight and instruction of a competent evangelist until persons are trained for official duties (as elders) who have the qualifications required by the rule of discipline."

     Another mistake many evangelists make is the failure to exercise their God-given authority. Some evangelists are just a figurehead government, used by the congregation only in time of trouble. While the best government is that which rests lightest upon the people, the wise evangelist will not allow the congregation to make important decisions and plans without his consent. He errs greatly who lets certain individuals take too much upon themselves. In love he must lead and direct, inspire and protect. His work in the congregation is temporary; however, he must lay a solid foundation upon which a mature and working church can be established.