Tag Archives: ecclesiology

Elders in a Baptist Church: Plural, Yea; Lay, Nay (4)

Elders in a Baptist Church: Plural, Yea; Lay, Nay (4)

This entry is part 4 of 4 in the series Elders in a Baptist Church You can read more posts from the series by using the Contents in the right sidebar.

Our study of elders in New Testament churches has suggested that the concept of lay elders is not as self-evident as some of its advocates propose. Our argument consists of four premises. First, Scripture describes plural elders in first-century New Testament churches, but does not prescribe this plurality, removing the need to find and appoint… Continue Reading

Elders in a Baptist Church: Plural, Yea; Lay, Nay (3)

Elders in a Baptist Church: Plural, Yea; Lay, Nay (3)

This entry is part 3 of 4 in the series Elders in a Baptist Church You can read more posts from the series by using the Contents in the right sidebar.

In considering the question of lay elders, we have seen that the New Testament describes but never prescribes a plurality of elders in a New Testament church. It does, however, prescribe the remuneration of elders that rule well. In part 2, we saw that ruling well is likely best understood as equivalent to laboring in the… Continue Reading

Elders in a Baptist Church: Plural, Yea; Lay, Nay (2)

Elders in a Baptist Church: Plural, Yea; Lay, Nay (2)

This entry is part 2 of 4 in the series Elders in a Baptist Church You can read more posts from the series by using the Contents in the right sidebar.

In some cases, “lay” elders are introduced into Baptist churches because those doing so believe that a plurality of elders is an explicit or implicit requirement of the New Testament. Many believe a church with only one pastor has a sub-standard or sub-biblical ecclesiology, and the pragmatic solution to achieving this supposed requirement of multiple… Continue Reading

Elders in a Baptist Church: Plural, Yea; Lay, Nay (1)

Elders in a Baptist Church: Plural, Yea; Lay, Nay (1)

This entry is part 1 of 4 in the series Elders in a Baptist Church You can read more posts from the series by using the Contents in the right sidebar.

I’ll sometimes hear the claim from some men that a plurality of elders, made up of “staff elders” and “lay elders” in a local church, represents orthodox, biblical ecclesiology and that any church (such as mine) with only one paid elder, several deacons and no lay elders represents a deviation from biblical church polity, or… Continue Reading

Love for Christ & Scripture-Regulated Worship 6: Love for Christ and New Testament Authority

Love for Christ & Scripture-Regulated Worship 6: Love for Christ and New Testament Authority

This entry is part 6 of 8 in the series Love for Christ & Scripture-Regulated Worship You can read more posts from the series by using the Contents in the right sidebar.

This is the sixth post in this series (Part 1, 2, 3, 4, & 5). The whole of the first five parts could be summarized in the final paragraph of the last post: In sum, the Christian religion is subservient to Christ’s authority. Christ gave that authority to his apostles and prophets, and they sealed… Continue Reading

Roger, Roger | Part Two: Fundamentalism and New Evangelicalism

Roger, Roger | Part Two: Fundamentalism and New Evangelicalism

Kevin T. Bauder I am responding to colleague Roger Olson who, in a recent blog post, attempted to articulate the difference between fundamentalism and evangelicalism. His argument relied upon an old critique in which Edward John Carnell labeled fundamentalism as “cultic orthodoxy.” My first step was to flesh out Carnell’s critique by placing it in… Continue Reading

Instrumental En and Personal Agency

Instrumental En and Personal Agency

Scholars dispute whether Greek nouns have five cases or eight cases. They certainly display five forms, and those who hold the five-case system see a one-to-one correspondence between case and form: vocative, nominative, genitive, dative, and accusative. Those who hold the eight-case system insist that the same forms are sometimes used for different cases. They… Continue Reading

Thoughts on Baptists and Independence

Thoughts on Baptists and Independence

Sometimes things that look alike are actually quite different. One mushroom cooks up into a delectable repast, while another that appears almost identical can kill. A gold nugget will buy a new car, but a pyrite crystal is a mere curiosity. Careful minds learn to distinguish things that look alike when they are not the… Continue Reading

Did They Vote?

Did They Vote?

The name Baptist stands for a set of principles and practices. Those who use the name are attempting to copy the order of the New Testament churches. The principles and practices are known collectively as the Baptist distinctives. Together, they distinguish Baptists from other varieties of Christians. What are these distinctives? They include the following:… Continue Reading

Church Accountability and Sexual Abuse

Church Accountability and Sexual Abuse

Central Seminary has just finished its 2013 Fall Conference. The title was “Gospel Restoration: The Church’s Response to Abuse.” Several speakers provided help for church leaders who are trying to learn how to minister to victims of sexual abuse. Of course, this conference was far from the last word on the subject. It could have… Continue Reading

Church or Seminary?

Church or Seminary?

Pastors need to be trained in and by churches. The local church is the center of God’s work during this age. It is the focus of biblical ministry and the heart of biblical discipleship. It is the pillar and ground of the truth. It is the place for developing character, imparting skills, and maintaining the… Continue Reading