Church Growth

Church growth is good HOWEVER, our focus is on spiritual growth (maturity) in order for a local church to GROW. We belong to a local Church because God told us through the Word (Romans 12:1-8; 1 Corinthians. 12:25-31; 14:12, 26; Hebrews 10:24-25; I Tim. 3:14-15). The primary reason to become a participating member is not to gain a personal advantage, but to identify with the characteristics of biblical maturity and commitment to the mission and future of a local church. The Scriptures teach every believers to be committed to a local church where he or she is loved and cared for, instructed in the things Christ commanded, encouraged to grow spiritually, and serving Christ effectively. If we serve effectively, a local church can and WILL grow. We are to grow spiritually and allow the Holy Spirit do the rest including church growth. CHURCH GOD PLANTS HIS PEOPLE IN A NEW COMMUNITY by J.I. Packer

Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. EPHESIANS 2:19-22 The church (Greek: ecclesia, meaning “assembly”) exists in, through, and because of Jesus Christ. Thus it is a distinctive New Testament reality. Yet it is at the same time a continuation, through a new phase of redemptive history, of Israel, the seed of Abraham, God’s covenant people of Old Testament times. The differences between the church and Israel are rooted in the newness of the covenant by which God and his people are bound to each other. The new covenant under which the church lives (1 Cor. 11:25; Heb. 8:7-13) is a new form of the relationship whereby God says to a chosen community, “I will be your God; you shall be my people” (Exod. 6:7; Jer. 31:33). Both the continuity and the discontinuity between Israel and the church reflect this change in the form of the covenant, which took place at Christ’s coming. The new features of the new covenant are as follows: First, the Old Testament priests, sacrifices, and sanctuary are superseded by the mediation of Jesus, the crucified, risen, and reigning God-man (Heb. 1-10), in whom believers now find their identity as the seed of Abraham and the people of God (Gal. 3:29; 1 Pet. 2:4-10). Second, the ethnic exclusivism of the old covenant (Deut. 7:6; Ps. 147:19-20) is replaced by the inclusion in Christ on equal terms of believers from all nations (Eph. 2-3; Rev. 5:9-10). Third, the Spirit is poured out both on each Christian and on the church, so that fellowship with Christ (1 John 1:3), ministry from Christ (John 12:32; 14:18; Eph. 2:17), and foretastes of heaven (2 Cor. 1:22; Eph. 1:14) become realities of churchly experience. The unbelief of most Jews (Rom. 9-11) led to a situation depicted by Paul as God breaking off the natural branches of his olive tree (the historical covenant community) and replacing them with wild olive shoots (Rom. 11:17-24). The predominantly Gentile character of the church is due not to the terms of the new covenant but to Jewish rejection of them, and Paul taught that this will one day be reversed (Rom. 11:15, 23-31). The New Testament defines the church in terms of the fulfillment of Old Testament hopes and patterns through a relationship to all three Persons of the Godhead, brought about by the mediatorial ministry of Jesus Christ. The church is seen as the family and flock of God (Eph. 2:18; 3:15; 4:6; John 10:16; 1 Pet. 5:2-4), his Israel (Gal. 6:16); the body and bride of Christ (Eph. 1:22-23; 5:25-28; Rev. 19:7; 21:2, 9-27); and the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 3:16; cf. Eph. 2:19-22). Those in the church are called the “elect” (chosen), the “saints” (consecrated ones, set apart for God), and the “brothers” (adopted children of God). Essentially, the church is, was, and always will be a single worshiping community, permanently gathered in the true sanctuary which is the heavenly Jerusalem (Gal. 4:26; Heb. 12:22-24), the place of God’s presence. Here all who are alive in Christ, the physically living with the physically dead (i.e., the church militant with the church triumphant) worship continually. In the world, however, this one church appears in the form of local congregations, each one called to fulfill the role of being a microcosm (a small-scale representative sample) of the church as a whole. This explains how it is that for Paul the one church universal is the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:12-26; Eph. 1:22-23; 3:6; 4:4), and so is the local congregation (1 Cor. 12:27). It is customary to characterize the church on earth as “one” (because it really is so in Christ, as Eph. 4:3-6 shows, despite the great number of local churches and denominational groupings), “holy” (because it is consecrated to God corporately, as each Christian is individually, Eph. 2:21), “catholic” (because it is worldwide in extent and seeks to hold the fullness of the faith), and “apostolic” (because it is founded on apostolic teaching, Eph. 2:20). All four qualities may be illustrated from Ephesians 2:19-22. There is a distinction to be drawn between the church as we humans see it and as God alone can see it. This is the historic distinction between the “visible church” and the “invisible church.” Invisible means, not that we can see no sign of its presence, but that we cannot know (as God, the heart-reader, knows, 2 Tim. 2:19) which of those baptized, professing members of the church as an organized institution are inwardly regenerate and thus belong to the church as a spiritual fellowship of sinners loving their Savior. Jesus taught that in the organized church there would always be people who thought they were Christians and passed as Christians, some indeed becoming ministers, but who were not renewed in heart and would therefore be exposed and rejected at the Judgment (Matt. 7:15-27; 13:24-30, 36-43, 47-50; 25:1-46). The “visible-invisible” distinction is drawn to take account of this. It is not that there are two churches but that the visible community regularly contains imitation Christians whom God knows not to be real (and who could know this for themselves if they would, 2 Cor. 13:5). The New Testament assumes that all Christians will share in the life of a local church, meeting with it for worship (Heb. 10:25), accepting its nurture and discipline (Matt. 18:15-20; Gal. 6:1), and sharing in its work of witness. Christians disobey God and impoverish themselves by refusing to join with other believers when there is a local congregation that they can belong to. God does not prescribe for Christian worship in the detailed fashion of Old Testament times, but the New Testament shows clearly what the staple ingredients of corporate Christian worship are, namely, praise (“psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs,” Eph. 5:19), prayer, and preaching, with regular administration of the Lord’s Supper (Acts 20:7-11). Singing to God’s praise was evidently a big thing in the apostolic church, as it has been in all movements of spiritual power ever since: Paul and Barnabas, along with their praying (aloud), sang hymns in the prison in Philippi (Acts 16:25), and the New Testament contains a number of what appear to be hymn fragments (Eph. 5:14; Phil. 2:6-11; 1 Tim. 3:16; and others) while the “new songs” of Revelation are both numerous and exuberant, indeed ecstatic (Rev. 4:8, 11; 5:9-10, 12-13; 7:10, 12; 11:15, 17-18; 12:10-12; 15:3-4; 19:1-8; 21:3-4). Any local church anywhere that is spiritually alive will undoubtedly take its singing, praying, and preaching very seriously indeed, and be jealous for all three.

From: Concise Theology: A Guide To Historic Christian Beliefs

Presbyterian Government

In a denomination, democracy is good in terms of the government in general however, I believe democracy can only work in a local church along WITH the denomination's rules and policies that are biblical. The Presbyterian church derives its name form the Greek word, presbyters, which is translated elder. So a Presbyterian church is one that is governed by elders. the Presbyterian church is not a "democracy." Democracy is a form of government in which a body governs itself, with every member exercising an equal voice in decisions affecting the life of the whole body. Keep in mind, Presbyterian church is also NOT a "monarchy." The monarchical form of government is represented by those churches following the episcopal order, that of government by bishops. The Presbyterian church follows neither the "democratic" nor the "monarchical," form of government. The Presbyterian format accords with the New Testament pattern that elders are elected by the congregation (democracy) for the purpose of governing. Once ordained and installed, they assume full spiritual authority and democracy is no longer in affect. The only authority any pastor or elder has is the Word of God. When you step beyond the Word of God, you’ve overstepped the bounds of your authority. God reveals Himself primarily through the pages of Scripture; that is why I believe the Bible as my absolute authority. 1 Peter 4:11 instructs me to handle biblical truth: "If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God." If the Bible is true, then it is also authoritative. As divinely revealed truth, it carries the full weight of God's own authority. A church must understand that Christ is the head of the church (Eph. 1:22; 4:15) and that He mediates His rule in the church through godly elders (1 Thess. 5:13-14; Heb. 13:7, 17).The elders have been recognized by the whole congregation as men of integrity and trustworthiness--men who have made commitment to themselves and to God that they are to serve the church by following as best they can the principles of God's Word and giving leadership and direction to the procedures of following that Word, no matter what the consequences or where it will lead. What I like about The Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) is that PCA is able to keep out false teachings. I have been in many local churches and I have seen false teachings creep into them. We should all take a long hard look at what things we consider to be important. We need elders to PROTECT the Word of God and make sure there is no false teachings.

Removing an Elder or Pastor

I have been thinking and trying to look back how churches remove their pastors. I want to look at from the Bible's point of view how to handle this. I personally never dealt with any local church that officially removes a pastor so this will be my first experience. "Do not receive an accusation against an elder except from two or three witnesses. Those who are sinning rebuke in the presence of all, that the rest also may fear. I charge you before God and the Lord Jesus Christ and the elect angels that you observe these things without prejudice, doing nothing with partiality" (1 Timothy 5:19-21, NKJV). When a local church lose their respect for their pastor, it is a sure sign that this pastor has outlived his usefulness to that congregation. It is important for us to relize that the pastor-church relationship is very sensitive and vitally important issue. For 3 years, Jesus taught His Disciples who became Apostles after His death. What kind of education did Jesus gave them? Reading all of the New Testament, I have come to conclusion that Jesus taught them Spiritual matters. The only Apostle that didn't follow Jesus was Paul however, Paul did have extensive education background regarding Jewish Laws that were very useful for God to use Paul when He wrote the letters of the New Testament. I believe the hardest part as a Christian is being like-Christ and try to live in a "blameless" life. We do not expect our pastors to be the only ones who are acting like-Christ and live in a blameless life. ALL members of the Church must live in a blameless life, be the shining light to the lost and bring them to Christ. The pastor should be known as a man of Christian character and conduct and there should be demonstrable evidence of his mature, Christian character. God is obviously concerned with the character of the men put in the office of pastor. Pastor/Elder qualifications: Titus 1:6-9 ".....must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. Since an overseer is entrusted with God's work, he must be blameless-not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. Rather he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it. The only authority any pastor or elder has is the Word of God. When you step beyond the Word of God, you’ve overstepped the bounds of your authority. God reveals Himself primarily through the pages of Scripture; that is why I believe the Bible as my absolute authority. 1 Peter 4:11 instructs me to handle biblical truth: "If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God." If the Bible is true, then it is also authoritative. As divinely revealed truth, it carries the full weight of God's own authority. A church must understand that Christ is the head of the church (Eph. 1:22; 4:15) and that He mediates His rule in the church through godly elders (1 Thess. 5:13-14; Heb. 13:7, 17). Removing a pastor should be followed by the following verses in 1 Timothy 5 (NIV): 17The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching. 18For the Scripture says, "Do not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the grain,"[b] and "The worker deserves his wages." 19Do not entertain an accusation against an elder unless it is brought by two or three witnesses. 20Those who sin are to be rebuked publicly, so that the others may take warning. 21I charge you, in the sight of God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels, to keep these instructions without partiality, and to do nothing out of favoritism. Love hopes all things and those who love their pastor should be very slow to believe a bad report about him. "And we urge you, brethren, to recognize those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake." In other words, because of the job that pastors are called to do, and the office they are fulfilling, the congregation is to esteem them "very highly in love." (1 Thessalonians 5:12). Paul wrote very precisely, "Do not receive an accusation against an elder, except from two or three witnesses" (1 Timothy 5:19). Just make sure the evidences are backed up before removing a pastor. Let's look from a Reformed view of removing a pastor from John Calvin. 1 Timothy 5:18 For the Scripture says, "Do not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the grain," and "The worker deserves his wages." In his Commentary on 1 Timothy 5:18, made a good example:

"For none are more liable to slanders and calumnies than godly teachers. Not only does it arise from the difficulty of their office, that sometimes they either sink under it, or stagger, or halt, or blunder, in consequence of which wicked men seize many occasions for finding fault with them [in other words, the pressures of the ministry sometimes get weighed down so much that the temptations become more formidable and the defenses are weakened and sometimes these slip-ups and sins do come in light of that]; but there is this additional vexation, that, although they perform their duty correctly, so as not to commit any error whatever, they never escape a thousand censures. And this is the craftiness of Satan, to draw away the hearts of men from ministers, that instruction may gradually fall into contempt. Thus not only is wrong done to innocent persons, in having their reputation unjustly wounded, (which is exceedingly base in regard to those who hold so honourable a rank,) but the authority of the sacred doctrine of God is diminished. And this is what Satan, as I have said, chiefly labours to accomplish;… Not only so, but as soon as any charge against the ministers of the word has gone abroad, it is believed as fully as if they were already convicted.… We need not wonder, therefore, if they whose duty it is to reprove the faults of all, to oppose the wicked desires of all, and to restrain by their severity every person whom they see going astray, have many enemies. What, then, will be the consequence, if we shall listen indiscriminately to all the slanders that are spread abroad concerning them?"

The elders have been recognized by the whole congregation as men of integrity and trustworthiness--men who have made commitment to themselves and to God that they are to serve the church by following as best they can the principles of God's Word and giving leadership and direction to the procedures of following that Word, no matter what the consequences or where it will lead. The elders are obligated to make a very careful and detailed investigation of the whole issue, to research it and go through the evidence, to hear testimony and bring in witnesses, to see what is going on, how it has arisen, and get to the bottom of the issue. That is their duty and their responsibility before God for the welfare of the congregation. If the charge or charges can be proved and the situation does appear to be serious, then the matter is not to be over-looked because Paul says, "Those who are sinning rebuke in the presence of all, that the rest also may also fear" (1 Timothy 5:20). If the investigation concludes that yes, there is doctrinal or moral sin of serious nature, then the pastor should be addressed and rebuked publicly by the congregation. While we ALL understand that pastors (as well as Elders) are not above sin as well as they are not above the temptations, which are both doctrinally and morally. When a pastor is guilty of doctrinal or moral sin in a way that hurts the local Church, then this pastor should be dealth with in a biblical way.