Government
The New Testament and the Old Testament record scriptural elements that have been traditionally interpreted into three types of church government:
- Monarchial (typically used in the Catholic Church)
- Presbytery (used in Presbyterian churches, sometimes known as elder lead)
- Congregational (used in many Baptist churches)
Each of these claims to be biblically-based and do incorporate elements used and prescribed in the Bible. However, any version of them will be dependent on the quality of the people in leadership. The leaders determine more about the quality of the government than the structure.
Each form of church government mentioned has flaws inherent in its structure. Although the Bible records elements and events in its teachings about church government, the flaws exist because there is little specific command about how much authority is delegated to the offices and how much to the congregation.
The offices are mentioned and the qualifications of the offices are given, but the job description is not definitive; and, therefore, has been worked out by each church and/or denomination as they needed.
Our church is no exception. The church government and decision-making policies will evolve as they are needed. To begin, though, some precedents need to be set; and they need to be based on specific hard-learned principle that the church through the ages has suffered to discover.
The elements and precedents of church government recorded in the Scriptures need to act as examples under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, the government should be designed from the beginning to meet them. This is often referred to as reverse engineering. We are determining what is needed to begin and designing a form of government to meet those needs.
First, a church government should be responsible for hearing God as to His desire for the church.
Second, a church government should be responsible for distributing church resources.
Third, a church government should be responsible for delegating authority. Distinct lines of decision-making power should be delegated to the pastor, the church leaders, and the congregation.
Fourth, the church government should be accountable to the Lord and to His people.
The people pay the bills. In the past, the frustration that some congregational members can cause church leaders has caused some churches to exclude the entire congregation from decision-making responsibilities. That exclusion often results in various feelings which can ultimately result in a spectator congregation.
The other side of the coin is when political maneuvering can be used to control the leadership and hinder the decisions of the leadership. The church stops growing and becomes a little "kingdom" of the control group.
The choice is not between whom will dictate -- the congregation or the elders. A balance of power can and will be maintained.