Church Government Pt 1: Order in God's People

Introduction

Our culturs negative view of politics, authority, power, and leadership can easily skew our view of how God wants the church to opperate.

Paul’s Concern for the Cretan Church

This short pastoral epistle is not some friendly letter between believers, although it is certainly written with affection. Paul gets right down to business, explaining his role in the church and how it leads him to write this letter.

He introduces himself, as he often does, as a slave of God. This is not a debasing title for him, but instead a part of his title to emphasize the Apostolic authority of God and of Jesus Christ that is present in his ministry. If he is truly a servant of God, people better listen.

“for the sake of...” This unique part of Paul’s introduction to the letter gives a defense for the purpose of his ministry. This is related to the content of the letter, which is addressed to a man sent by the Apostle to establish the apparently immature church at Crete.

“the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth” Specifically, all that Paul will instruct is in accord with this main purpose: building up God’s people in faith. Again, this is at the heart of the entire letter, where the church Titus is serving at is full of false or distracting teachings that harm the faith.

“which accords with godliness” The kind of knowledge that Paul wishes to impart is the truth that leads to practical application and godly lifestyles. This is clear in 2:1-5, where the teaching of sound doctrine is very practical.

The Concern

Paul’s concern for the church was enough that he sent one of his close associates to attend to it. This is not just one church, it is all the churches in this particular geographical location, which all apparently have similar problems.

These problems are discussed in verses 10-11.

Insubordinate

The first charge laid on some members of these churches was insubordination or rebellion. It is the opposite of submission and obedience.

This is a problem, as Christians are committed to serving both God and each other (Eph 5:21). The Christian life is not a free life, it is one where we have given ourselves, body and soul, to Jesus our master. He owns us. The very literal idea of given up ever right that you have and becoming someone else’s property is exactly the kind of relationship Paul sees between himself and Jesus.

We are not given specifics about what this rebellion looks like, but we can get clues from reading the rest of the epistle.

Cretans, in general, had a reputation of being liars, passionate animals, and people who were both lazy and indulgent. Paul deems this report accurate, even in the church as he goes on to rebuke them (meaning the Cretan believers) sharply, that they may be sound in faith.

There are also hints of alcoholism, gossip, wives who were not submissive to their husbands, men who were lacking decency and self-control. Parents letting their children run wild without any proper discipline or instruction. This apparently young church had a bit of a mess when it came to acting properly and respectfully in a way that mirrors our world today in many ways.

Empty Talkers

Probably referring to both gossips and people who spend their time talking about things that don’t really matter.

How many Christians get caught up in some minor theological disagreement while ignoring the primary things, and a consistant Christian life.

Deceivers

False teachers.

Those who teach legalism (like the Cretan jews apparently did 1:14) and put undue weight on the philosophies and teachings of the world rather than on Biblical truth.

Perhaps the Galatian heresy, which taught works righteousness by requiring submission to a strict obedience of the OT law, including circumcision, had come to Crete.

There is a consistant link in this letter between truth and godly living. This suggests that the false teaching in Crete may have been more of a practical nature than a theological one.

Paul’s Solution: Church Polity

Almost as soon as Paul is finished introducing the letter, he begins giving direction for how Titus is to go about appointing elders in the various small churches around this Mediterranian Island.

Establishing Order (we will get to the other two in the next couple weeks)

We are told that Paul had left Titus in Crete, knowing that they were not yet ready for an absense of apostolic authority or the imput of their church planters.

“Put what remained into order.”

Another church that had a problem with order was the Cornithian church. In that case, spiritual gifts were being used chaotically and lovelessly. Paul’s teaching to them on this is summed up

English Standard Version Chapter 14

33 For God is not a God of confusion but of peace.

These churches, and all churches, desperately needed order. In fact, organization is necessary for any human community.

People who say they are against organized religion don’t understand this, but all religion is organized. It has to be because every belief system is. Every society is. Every neighbourhood is, every family is, every relationship is, every government is. Without social organization, we are just a bunch of people walking around with no unity in anything. Every member in a community has responsabilities, commitments, expectations, and understandings towards the other members of that community. When these are commonly understood and accepted, the community thrives. When they are challenged or ignored, the community is in turmoil and eventually breaks apart.

Every church does have structure. This is the question: is that structure orderly and centred around the worship of Christ, or is it chaotic, hostile, or confused and not centred around Christ, or perhaps anything.

The Necessity of Order and Establishment in the Church

Paul will then go on to tell Titus to establish elders, a working church government. Paul believed in what is called church polity. The politics of the local church.

Policy is necessary in any organized community. It communicates a common understanding of how things are done, what role everyone plays, what our common goals are, and how we are going to pursue those goals.

Our goal is the glory of Christ, our roles inn the kingdom vary, and the Scriptures tell us that communicating this through policies and godly leadership who enforce those policies is necessary to achieve our greatest of goals.

“The difference between a local church and a group of Christians is nothing more or less than church polity. To argue for polity is to argue for the existence of the local church.” Jonathan Leeman

“Polity is inevitable. The only question is whether one’s polity is coherent, orderly, and, most of all, biblical.” - Jonathan Leeman

Polity, politics, and policy all come from the Greek work polis which means city. Which is fitting because the Kingdom of God, as the new Jerusalem, is the greatest city of all, and so it is important that the politics of this city are glorifying to Christ.

Why do we have heirarchy in the Church? Isn’t it a place where everyone is equal in Christ?

Everyone is equal as a citizen of the Kingdom of God, and everyone is loved equally by God. But we are not equal. Some have more faith than others, some have more experience than others, some have better theology, certain gifts, unique temptations and struggles, and each of us are gifted with different tasks from God. Although God loves me and John Calvin the exact same, there is no way that I could be called John Calvin’s equal in the work of ministry or our help to the Church.

Like citizenship. We are all equal under the law, but that doesn’t mean we all have the same power, influence, or authority as our PM.

A Quick Note on Baptist (congregational) Policy

Built on Recognizing the Purity of the Universal Church, seeks to have that purity in the local church.

Recognizes the Priesthood of all baptized believers.

Normally appoints elders and deacons democratically as shepherds and servants of the church. Since the Spirit is at work in all believers, a true, Spirit-led church should idealy select people for these offices according to the movement of the Spirit and the congregation’s knowledge of Scripture and what makes a biblical leader.

Although these positions are democratically appointed, the authority of Christ resides with them while they are appointed. While the elders have authority over the congregation in the teaching and practice of sound doctrine, the congregation ultimately has authority to remove leaders that are not leading biblically.

When a new church is founded, it will often be necessary for the planting church to appoint or send elders and deacons until the church is mature enough to function on its own, and the people knowledgable enough in the Scriptures to vote biblically.

Conclusion

Lexham Survey of Theology Church Polity

Regardless of one’s view, church polity is a critical facet of church life. Polity establishes the existence of a church, gives organizational guidance, demarcates appropriate levels of leadership, and also gives guidance as to how a local church relates to its own leadership as well as churches within its own denomination and associations.