Church Government
“So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Feed My lambs.” He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you…
“This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work.” – 1 Timothy 3:1 “And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then He said to…
“I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word…
The word deacon is derived from the Greek, diakonos, meaning servant. Deacons are trusted servants, helpers, assistants, and administrators within a well established framework that ministers to many needs within a congregation. The OPC Book of Church Order (BCO), Form of Government (FG), Chapter XI describes the office of the Deacon and his responsibilities as:…
If we go back a few generations, the centrality of the family unit was normal in the cadence of society. Through the industrial revolution the functions of the family unit started to change. With industrialization families moved off from the land and into cities and suburbs. Few today have even faint awareness of the radical…
The work of the deacon was well established in the Old Testament administration. God’s people are unlike those who are outside the household of faith, the Lord God dwells [1] with his people. The Lord God is unlike the gods [2] of the heathen. Their gods are made of the stuff of the earth, their…
Special officers are appointed and charged with various responsibilities that were established by the Lord in the Old Testament administration. The various roles of office were carried forward under the New Testament administration by calling, and appointment of representative offices. This is recognized in Forms of Government (FG) Chapter 1.3 as: “Christ orders his church…
Few Christians step back to carefully consider the nature of the church of Jesus Christ. To be clear, I’m not making reference to a particular organized church by that name but rather to the whole body of which Jesus is the head. In previous articles we have considered the nature of the Session and its…
This series of articles so far has described the nature of oversight within the church, the responsibilities of the three persisting offices in the church, the qualifications for office, and how elders govern the life and conduct of the church. This is the final article in the series, and closes with an overview of the…
Ministers Among those who minister the Word, Scripture distinguishes the evangelist, the pastor, and the teacher. (BCO FG Chapter VI:2). Ministers must be of sound faith, appropriate human learning and preparation for office, able to teach others, and must exhibit a walk of life that fits his calling. Ministers are called by a congregation with…