Building up from Self-Government and Family Government is Church Government. This one may come as a bit of a surprise to many because what the Bible teaches likely will be very different from what is done according to the doctrine of some Christian denominations. Before you object though, do you follow the Bible or what men say? Do you believe the Bible is the Word of God? If so, what you may have been taught to believe by people will need to be re-examined. Will you go with the Word of God or the words of men?

The governance of a church is to be broken up into deacons, elders, and overseers. The pastor / priest or whatever you call it comes from the elders and to a degree the overseers. Each has their own duties but let me focus on the qualifications for these positions as it may come as a surprise. So you can double check what I am saying and what my 2nd grader’s curriculum says, you can refer to 1 Timothy 3:1-13, 1 Timothy 5:17-20, and Titus 1:1-9.

Let me post 1 Timothy 3:1-13 here. The other two portions confirm this. Please, read this section very carefully.

“ 1 This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work. 2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach; 3 not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous; 4 one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence 5 (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?); 6 not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil. 7 Moreover he must have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. 8 Likewise deacons must be reverent, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy for money, 9 holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience. 10 But let these also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons, being found blameless. 11 Likewise, their wives must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things. 12 Let deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well. 13 For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a good standing and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.”

If you noticed, most of that is about the men serving in the role of a deacon / overseer / elder. The list of requirements is long but the one that jumps out is any bishop / deacon / overseer / elder/ pastor must be married and be raising or have raised a sound family. That sounds a little different from what I was taught.

What about us women? Look at verse 11. We are charged with being respectful, reverent to God, level headed, trustworthy and faithful in all things, and don’t lie or engage in gossip.

Next up is Civil Government. Isn’t this fun to find out such details?

Thanks,

Anah

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