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Theology IV Professor Christopher Ullman

Theology IV Professor Christopher Ullman. Church Government Part One. Authors. Wayne Grudem Professor at Phoenix Seminary (2001-present) Professor at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (1981-2001). Why Bother Studying Church Government?.

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Theology IV Professor Christopher Ullman

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  1. Theology IVProfessor Christopher Ullman Church Government Part One

  2. Authors • Wayne Grudem • Professor at Phoenix Seminary (2001-present) • Professor at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (1981-2001)

  3. Why Bother Studying Church Government? • The Economic Reason: Each church has a finite quantity of donated • Wealth, including • Capital (physical plant) • Real estate • Supplies • Time • Energy

  4. Why Bother Studying Church Government? … and how each of these are utilized is related to how power is viewed and managed, in the church • Inefficient church government wastes the valuable commodities available to the church • Efficient church government maximizes the value of the donations

  5. Why Bother Studying Church Government? • The Political Reason: Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely • Church politics is unavoidable … Decisions must be made • Politics does not have to be corrupt • Power requires oversight

  6. Why Bother Studying Church Government? • The Social Reason: forming close relationships involves trust • Good government secures the safety necessary for trust • Leadership integrity encourages trust • Government monitors integrity

  7. Why Bother Studying Church Government? • The Missional Reason: each church has missions to fulfill • Universal missions: minister to God, minister to the church, minister to the world • Specific missions: gift-dependent and field-dependent • Fulfilling missions requires coordinated effort

  8. Why Bother Studying Church Government? • The Lord’s Anointed, the Spirit’s Appointed • God’s prophets, priests, and kings were anointed • The anointed were respected • The Holy Spirit appointed men for work (Acts 13:2), counsels the church (Acts 15:28), etc., so

  9. Why Bother Studying Church Government? • Jesus is ruling as Head of the Church through anointed, appointed believers • I need to pay attention to them • I need to understand the basis for their authority • I need to obey God by submitting to His government

  10. Jesus Christ: the Head of the Church “and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will received the crown of glory that does not fade away” (1 Pet. 5:4) Greek: archipoimen arche (chief, first place) + poimen (shepherd, pastor) cf. Eph. 4:11; Lk. 2:8

  11. Jesus Christ: the Head of the Church • Jesus: The Shepherd • “. . .the shepherd of the sheep” (Jn. 10:2) • “. . .the good shepherd. . .” (Jn. 10:14) • “. . .one shepherd” (Jn. 10:16) • “Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep. . .” (Heb. 13:20). • “. . .the Chief Shepherd. . .” (1 Pet. 5:4)

  12. Jesus Christ: Head of the Church • “And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church” (Eph. 1:22) • “but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—from whom the whole body, joined and knit together. . .” (Eph. 4:15,16) • “For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is the head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body” (Eph. 5:23)

  13. Jesus: Possessor of All Authority “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth’” Matthew 28:18 • What is the claim? • Who gave this authority? (see 1 Corinthians 15:24-28) • How much independent authority does that leave for church leaders?

  14. How is Jesus’ authority revealed today? • God speaks through the Son (Heb. 1:1-2) • Jesus’ word is revealed through the apostles’ word (1 Cor. 14:37) • The Bible is God’s complete and final revelation (2 Tim. 3:16, 17) • He has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness (2 Pet. 1:3)

  15. Pictures of the Church Demonstrate Christ’s Preeminence “And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence” (Col. 1:18)

  16. Pictures of the Church Demonstrate Christ’s Preeminence ChurchChrist Royal Priesthood (1 Pet. 2:9) High Priest (Heb. 3:1) House of God (1 Tim. 3:15) Chief Cornerstone (Eph. 2:20) PREEMINENCE Flock of God (1 Pet. 5:2) Chief Shepherd (1 Pet. 5:4) Body (1 Cor. 12:27) Head (Col. 1:18) Kingdom (Rev. 1:6) King (1 Tim. 6:15)

  17. In heaven where Christ sits and rules Not on earth “For if He were on earth, He would not be a priest. . .For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us” (Heb. 8:4; 9:24) The Church’s Headquarters?

  18. Church Officers Biblical Titles • Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers • Eph. 4:11, 1 Pet. 5:2 • Elders (bishop, overseer) • Ex. 3:16, Titus 1:5 • Deacons • 1 Tim. 3:8, Acts 6:3 • Priests • Ex. 28:1, Rev. 1:6

  19. A. Church Officers • 1. Apostle. • a. Qualifications of an Apostle: • (1) Having seen Jesus after his resurrection with one’s own eyes. (Acts 1:2-3, 22; 1 Cor 9:1) • (2) Having been specifically commissioned by Christ as his apostle. Matt 10:1-7; Acts 1:24-26) • (3) Performing among you “signs, wonders and miracles” are “ things that mark an apostle” – 2 Cor. 12:12

  20. A. Church Officers • b. Who Were Apostles? • At least the initial twelve, minus Judas • Matthias, who replaced Judas (Acts 1:26; Rev 21:14) • Barnabas and Paul (Acts 14:14) • James, the brother of Christ (Gal 1:19; 2:9) • Maybe a few others, such as Andronicus and Junia, Silas (Silvanus), Timothy. (Rom 16:7; 1 Thess 1:1 with 2:6) • Not all meet every qualification

  21. Church Officers Commonly appearing titles • Treasurer • Secretary • Board member • Director of ______ (a specific area of ministry) • Business manager • Trustee • Staff member

  22. Church Officer Defined Someone who has been publicly recognized as having the right and responsibility to perform certain functions* for the benefit of the whole church. –Grudem p. 905 *The functions of an apostle are still needed, even if the office no longer exists Grudem asserts: “No apostles were appointed after Paul, and this office does not continue today.” (1 Cor 15:5-9)

  23. The Five-Fold Ministry Ephesians 4:11-13 • The Hand of God memory aid • Gift ministries: People whose whole lives are gifts to the Church (“He gave some to be …”) to prepare God’s people for works of service … until we all reach unity in the faith … • Has the goal been reached?

  24. The Five-Fold Ministry Ephesians 4:11 • Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers • Each are mentioned in the Bible • Each had their counterfeits • Do false claimants to an office result in the obsolescence of that office?

  25. Five Types of Ministers Given to the Church Ephesians 4:11 • Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers • Each are mentioned in the Bible • Each had their counterfeits • Do false claimants to an office result in the obsolescence of that office? • What if we find out that Obama isn’t a natural-born U.S. citizen?

  26. B. How Should Church Officers Be Chosen? • Two major approaches: • Hierarchical – Top-down, authorities selecting authorities • Congregational – The local church selects its own officers.

  27. B. How Should Church Officers Be Chosen? • Points in favor of the congregational approach: • (1) This seems to be the NT pattern. (Acts 1:23; 6:3) • (2) In the NT, final governing authority seems to rest with the local church as a whole. (Matt 18:17; 1 Cor 5:4) • (3) This approach creates more accountability on the part of the officers. • (4) This approach protects from the top-down dissemination of false doctrine. • (5) Government works best with the consent of the governed.

  28. Should Women be Church Officers? • 1. 1 Timothy 2:11–14. • “Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.” (ESV) • Paul is speaking about the assembled church. (vv. 8-9) • The functions “teach” and “have authority” describe the office of elder.

  29. Should Women be Church Officers? • 1. 1 Timothy 2:11–14. • Objections: • Paul is addressing heretical women teachers at Ephesus. • Paul is prohibiting teaching by uneducated women. • Responses: • Paul never says that these women were teaching false doctrine. • Education was never a requirement in Scripture for church leadership. (Acts 4:13)

  30. D. Should Women be Church Officers? • 2. 1 Corinthians 14:33b-36. • “As in all the churches of the saints, the women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says. If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church. Or was it from you that the word of God came? Or are you the only ones it has reached?” (ESV)

  31. Should Women be Church Officers? • 2. 1 Corinthians 14:33b-36. • Paul is not prohibiting all public speech by women in the church. (cf. 1 Cor 11:5) • He is prohibiting them from evaluating and judging prophecies in the congregation—this would be a governing role. • This is consistent with 1 Tim 2.

  32. Should Women be Church Officers? • 3. 1 Timothy 3:1–7 and Titus 1:5–9. • Both of these passages assume that elders are going to be men. • “Husband of one wife” • “Manage his own household well”

  33. Should Women be Church Officers? • 4. The Relationship Between the Family and the Church. • 1 Ti 5:1-2: Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity. (ESV) • It is inevitable that leadership patterns in the family will reflect leadership patterns in the church and vice versa.

  34. Should Women be Church Officers? • 5. The Example of the Apostles. • Jesus established a pattern of male leadership in his selection of the apostles. • These apostles will remain in a role of authority in heaven. (Matt 19:28) • Therefore, there will be no eternal modeling of equal roles for men and women at all levels of authority in the church.

  35. Should Women be Church Officers? • 6. The History of Male Teaching and Leadership Through the Whole Bible. • From Genesis to Revelation, there is a consistent pattern of male leadership among God’s people. • Moreover, there is not one example in the entire Bible of a woman doing the kind of congregational Bible teaching that is expected of pastors/elders in the New Testament church.

  36. Should Women be Church Officers? • 7. The History of the Church. • The overwhelming pattern through history has been to reserve the office of elder/pastor for men.

  37. Should Women be Church Officers? • 8. Objections: • “Ministry should be determined by gifts, not by gender.” • Response: The Holy Spirit does not want us to use his gifts in disobedience to his words. • “If God has called a woman to be a pastor, she should not be prevented from acting as one.” • Response: God will not call a person to fulfill a role from which he has prohibited them. • We should encourage full and free participation by women wherever Scripture does not make restrictions.

  38. Should Women be Church Officers? • 8. Objections: • “The NT emphasis is on servant leadership, so this concern about authority is a pagan concern.” • Response: Jesus modeled servant leadership, but he also had great authority. • Elders should follow his example, but they should not neglect to govern with authority when charged with this task by Scripture. (1 Tim 5:17)

  39. Should Women be Church Officers? • 8. Objections: • “As the church finally realized slavery was wrong, so should the church today recognize that male leadership is wrong.” • Response: There is a difference between discarding a wrong cultural institution and recognizing roles which God established at creation. • “Priscilla and Aquila both taught Apollos.” • Response: This is true, and it shows one way in which women can play a significant role in the church. • It does not overturn the restrictions in 1 Tim 2.

  40. Should Women be Church Officers? • 8. Objections: • “It is inconsistent to let women vote, but not to serve as elders.” • Response: The authority of the church as a whole is not the same as the authority given to specific individuals within the church.

  41. Should Women be Church Officers? • 9. What About Other Offices Within the Church? • All offices are open to women apart from those which include the governing and teaching functions reserved for elders in the NT. • The office of deacon may be open to women, though there is a significant difference of opinion among evangelicals as to the functions of deacons.

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