Solomon wrote, “Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it” (Psalm 127:1).  While Solomon has the home in mind, the application is certainly transferable to the church.  The church is the Lord’s house (Isaiah 2:2; 1 Timothy 3:15).       

We saw last night that Jesus only built one church (Matthew 16:18; Ephesians 1:22-23; 4:4).  I was referring to the universal church that is made up of all the saved.  This church is not made up of denominations, or even local churches, but of individual Christians who became such by obeying the gospel.  Paul wrote, “Now ye are the body of Christ and individually members of it (1 Corinthians 12:27).  Churches are not baptized into Christ; individuals are (Galatians 3:27).

Those who obeyed the gospel in the first century joined themselves to local churches of Christ (Acts 9:26; Romans 16:16).  While there is only one universal church, there are many local churches that belong to Christ.  These churches are made up of individual Christians who agree to work together in specific geographical areas.  In the New Testament, we read of local churches at Jerusalem, Philippi, Corinth, Troas, Thessalonica, and several other places.  Today, the organization, work, and worship of the local church have been corrupted by man; thus, sound local churches must be defended.

In this blog, let’s deal with the organization.  The local church is made up of elders (bishops or pastors), deacons, and saints.  Now, here is the key—in New Testament local churches, there was always a plurality of elders, NEVER just one.

Acts 20:17 (ESV)
¹⁷  Now from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders [plural] of the church [singular] to come to him.

The church referred to here is the local church at Ephesus.  Notice that the church is singular while the elders were plural.  That is the consistent pattern of the New Testament church that is never broken in scriptural. 

Acts 14:23 (ESV)
²³  And when they had appointed elders [plural] for them in every church [singular], with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.   

Acts 15:4 (ESV)
⁴  When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church [singular] and the apostles and the elders [plural], and they declared all that God had done with them.

James 5:14 (ESV)
¹⁴  Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders [plural] of the church [singular], and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.

Any church that is overseen by one pastor, or that has a head pastor who is over the others, is not a New Testament church, but, instead, is unscriptural, having an organizational structure conceived by man.  Sadly, this is found almost exclusively when it comes to churches today.  God’s pattern must be followed.  As we have seen, that pattern consists of local churches made up of elders, deacons, and saints where elders have the oversight (Acts 20:28),   We must be ready to defend this truth.     

As you wind down for the night, think about these things