In our last article, we demonstrated that denominationalism is unscriptural. While denominations are made up of churches (a denomination is a church of churches), the universal church of Christ is made up of people. While denominational churches are a part of a man-made organizational structure, the universal church in the Bible has no organizational structure. The New Testament church was simply made up of Christians who obeyed the gospel of Christ, at which time they were added to the church by the Lord (Acts 2:47). While there is a plurality of denominations in the world today, the Lord only built one church (Matt. 16:18; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Ephesians 4:4). While denominational churches have men as heads over them; men who can change or add laws within the different denominations, the universal church in the Bible only has one head—Jesus, the Christ (Ephesians 1:22-23; Colossians 1:18). You see, then, that denominationalism is unscriptural (not seen in the scriptures), and anti-scriptural (condemned by the scriptures), and, therefore, displeasing to God.

Let us now turn our attention to the local church. The local church is made up of Christians who have agreed to work together in a specific geographical location. While there are many distinctions between the local and universal church, one that we should particularly be interested in concerns organization. As we previously stated, the universal church does not have an organization, but the local church does. Let us take a look at it.

Church Organization

When it comes to the divine organization of the local church, we do not have to guess what it is. The Bible spells it out for us.

Philippians 1:1-2 (ESV)
¹ Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons: ² Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

In this organization, elders have limited authority delegated to them by the Lord. What is the job of elders in the local church? It is to oversee and feed the flock.

Acts 20:28 (ESV)
²⁸ Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.

Hebrews 13:17 (ESV)
¹⁷ Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.

It is clear from these passages that elders, or bishops, as they are sometimes called, have a grave responsibility. There can be no higher responsibility in the church than to be called on to watch over the souls of the flock.

A few things must be pointed out about this rule of elders.

•  First, elders are to only rule according to the Word of God (Acts 20:32).

Elders have no authority to make new laws or change the laws that are outlined in the Word of God.

•  Second, elders only have the rule over the flock among them (1 Peter 5:1,2).

This is important. Elders ruling over members of more than one congregation is unscriptural and, therefore, sinful.

•  Third, there must be a plurality of elders in each local church that has them (Acts 14:23; 20:17; Titus 1:5).

All three of these scriptural facts are violated by denominational churches today. Most of them have one pastor that rules the flock. The pastor might have assistant pastors, but he has the final say in all things concerning the local church. In the New Testament church, there was no such thing as a chief pastor or assistant pastors. Every elder in a given church had equal authority. This is still what you should be looking for in a local church today.

Next week we will have more on the local church, emphasizing the work God has given her to do, as well as the autonomous nature of the local church.