In Jesus, Ken Page

The local church is a gathering of believers bound together by their common source of Life- Jesus. They may disagree on other things, but they resoundingly agree that Jesus is their only hope for a relationship with God. They gather to strengthen this foundation and to be used by God to expand His Kingdom. The local church is comprised of individual members who have been drawn together by God in order to love Him, to love each other and to love people still in the world.

God uses the local church to bring about growth in the individual members and it is there that they are equipped for ministry. All members are of equal value and necessary for the proper function of the Church. The Scriptures say that as the members gather this contact between one another brings about growth. It is in this fellowship that believers are challenged, encouraged, taught, loved and sometimes "tried". It gives them opportunity to be real and vulnerable with others and to receive help.

Church is not the event that is held on Sunday mornings. The church is a place of relationships. Ideally, we are friends who enjoy each other’s company and know each other well. We cry together, laugh together and help to meet one another's physical needs. We are family. We should be concerned that people are experiencing personal love, encouragement and help. We should ask ourselves whether the members are increasingly learning to depend and draw upon the life of Christ. Are they discovering their God given function in the Body and in ministry? Is our church reaching out to the lost?

Jesus is the Head of the Church. He is also the primary leader of every individual member in the Church. Paul best defines human leadership within the church when he said, "Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ." (I Corinthians 11:1). A true leader is an example of one who is dependent on Christ. The leader’s responsibility is to guide those whom he is leading to follow Christ. Leaders help feed, protect, guide and bring together other members of the Body.

I believe that scripture instructs the local church to have a group of leaders referred to as elders. Some of these elders may do their work full-time and some will even be paid in order to lead full- time. We often call these paid elders- pastors. While full-time elders may have more influence on the Body (because of the extra time they have to influence), I do not believe they have any more authority. Authority comes from God and His Word. Everyone is subject to Him.

There are times when the elders are called upon to make decisions for the body. If there are doctrinal differences within the church that effect the whole church a decision might need to be made about that doctrinal difference. The elders may need to make choices about what kind of practices will be allowed in the public meetings. They need to be on the alert for false teachers. There may even be a need to carry out discipline within the church as outlined in Matthew chapter eighteen.

I believe any full-time elder (pastor) should be an example of someone that is abiding in Christ, is enabled to teach the Word of God and can help equip other members to carry out the ministry God has given to those members.

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