Whose Church Is It?
It is not uncommon in our day for a man to affirm that he rules over a church. This man may wear different titles, but he is referred to commonly as “the pastor.” The pastor is the one who is over the congregation. He has authority over all the members and is “in charge” of things. I have actually heard some claim “ownership” of a church.
It is interesting that when one reads the New Testament, one never reads about the one-man-rule system. Rather, the organization for the New Testament church involves elders who are the overseers of local congregations. On the occasion of Acts chapter 20, the apostle Paul had important matters to discuss with the church of Ephesus. The Scripture says that on that occasion Paul “called the elders of the church” (Acts 20:7). Please observe that the term “elders” is plural. There were men—not just one man—whom Paul called to discuss matters pertaining to the Ephesian congregation. The text reveals why Paul called for the elders. He charged them saying: “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood” (Acts 20:28).
Please observe from this reading that elders are referred to as “overseers.” Obviously this does not refer to “a pastor.” Perhaps we should ask why Paul did not call for “the pastor” of the congregation in Ephesus. If the one-man-rule system is scriptural, then Paul should have called for the pastor (one man), instead of calling for “the elders.” The reason Paul did not call for the pastor is clear—there was no “pastor” over the Ephesian congregation. The pastor system was unknown in Ephesus, just as it is unknown in the pages of the Bible. There is no verse in the New Testament which teaches that one man is to rule over a congregation. Elders are the ones who have authority over local congregations, not preachers. A preacher has no authority over all the church, nor does he have authority over “any” member of the church.
It is sad that there are those so desperate for power and authority that they create offices in the church for which there is no biblical authority. Since the one-man-rule system cannot be found in the scriptures, it must, therefore, be unscriptural.
The Lord’s church found in the New Testament is governed locally by elders and universally by Christ. Jesus alone is the head of his church (Ephesians 5:23). No man has the right to claim ownership of a church.
