01.02.02. Offices and Supervision of Doctrine Articles 2-27.
Chapter 4.
Offices and Supervision of Doctrine Articles 2-27.
1. The Offices The churches have agreed in Article 2 that there must be three offices in the church of Jesus Christ.
FRCA: Article 2 - The offices (CanRC: Article 2)
The offices are those of the minister of the Word, of the elder, and of the deacon. This article closely echoes what the churches have confessed in the Belgic Confession: "We believe that this true Church must be governed according to the Spiritual order which our Lord has taught us in His Word. There should be ministers or pastors to preach the Word of God and to administer the sacraments; there should also be elders and deacons who, together with the pastors, form the council of the Church" (Article 30) and "We believe that ministers of God’s Word, elders, and deacons ought to be chosen to their offices by lawful election of the Church..." (Article 31). The Confession, and the Church Order with them, echoes what the Lord has revealed in His Word. The following material draws this out.
1.1 EldersEph. 4:11: "And [Christ] himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers." 67. The offices of apostles, preachers, and evangelists were temporary offices used by the Lord in the founding years of the New Testament Church. In the span of one generation these offices ceased. The office which continued, and by which the Lord is pleased to rule His Church today, is described here with the phrase "pastors and teachers" (see Chapter 1, Paragraph 2.2). The phrase "pastors and teachers" describes the office of elder. That is evident, for example, from Paul’s words to the elders of the Church at Ephesus. "From Miletus [Paul] sent to Ephesus and called for the elders of the church" (Acts 20:17). He encouraged these elders to their work with these words: "Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood" (Acts 20:28). The word translated here as "to shepherd" is the same word as is translated in Ephesians 4:1-32 by "pastors". The point is that elders are pastors (= shepherds), pastors are elders. This is the office in mind in other passages of the New Testament where reference is made to the elders. For example:
Acts 14:23 : Concerning Paul and Barnabas who were returning from a missionary journey it is recorded, "So when they had appointed elders in every church. ..."
Acts 15:2-4 : "Therefore, when Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and dispute with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain others of them should go up to Jerusalem, to the apostles and elders, about this question. . . . And when they had come to Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the apostles and the elders. ..."
Acts 21:17-18 : Concerning the situation in the church at Jerusalem we read, "And when we had come to Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly. On the following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present. "
The elders appointed or consulted in the above texts are the pastors and teachers in the flocks of Jesus Christ.
1.2 Ministers The task of elders to shepherd God’s church can be divided into two areas of responsibility, namely teaching and ruling. Although all elders teach and rule, for some elders their main responsibility is to rule (these 68 are the persons we call ’elders’) while for others their main responsibility is to teach (these are the persons we call ’ministers’). This distinction is derived from 1 Timothy 5:17 where one reads, "Let the elders who rule well he counted worthy of double honour, especially those who labour in the word and doctrine. " These two areas of responsibility can also be found in Hebrews 13:7 : "Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you. ..." It should be clear, then, that the Minister of the Word is also an elder of the church.
1.3 Deacons Deacons receive a mention in a couple of places in the New Testament.
Php 1:1 : "... To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops (- overseers, elders) and deacons."
1 Timothy 3:8-13 : Paul lists the qualifications necessary for service in the office of deacon. He begins the section with these words: "Likewise deacons must be. ..."
Acts 6:1-7 may be understood to report (he ’founding’ of the office of deacon. See below, with Article 21.
2. The Calling to Office 2.1 Who calls to office?
How does a person become an office-bearer? Who calls a person to of-t ice? The principle of Scripture is this: It is God who calls. God did so in the past, and He continues to do so today. God, for example, determined who would be priest before Him. He said to Moses, "Now take Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister to Me as priest, Aaron and Aaron’s sons ..." (Exodus 28:1). Equally, God determined who should be the priest’s assistants: "And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ’Bring the tribe of Levi near, and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may serve him’" (Numbers 3:5 f).
God also called the prophets to office. Concerning Jeremiah one reads: "Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying: ’Before I formed, you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; And I ordained you a prophet to the nations.’ Then said I: ’Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth.’ But the LORD said to me: ’Do not say, "I am a youth ", for you shall go to all to whom I send you, and whatever I command you, you shall speak’" (Jeremiah 1:4-7). Admittedly, Jeremiah’s case was very special, but it serves well to illustrate 69 that Jeremiah himself did not choose to become a prophet; rather, God called him to office. Moses (Exodus 3:10), Gideon (Judges 6:14), Samson (Judges 13:5), Samuel (1 Samuel 3:10), Saul (1 Samuel 10:2), David (1 Samuel 16:12 f), and Isaiah (Isaiah 6:8 f) all serve as other examples of men who were very obviously called by God to a particular office amongst God’s people. That God calls to office is drawn out forcefully in Hebrews 5:4. Concerning the office of high priest, one reads, "And no man takes this honour to himself, but he who is called by God, just as Aaron was." Hebrews 5:5 adds that for Christ it was no different. "So also Christ did not glorify himself to become high priest, but it was [God] who said to Him: ’You are My Son, today I have begotten You.’" God made Christ an office-bearer. The same is true of the elders of Ephesus. To them Paul said, "Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God. . ." (Acts 20:28).
Office-bearers, then, receive their office from the Head of the Church. That is why no man is permitted to elbow his way into the office, nor is any to push his friend into the office. The principle that it is God who gives the office is reflected in Article 3:
FRCA: Article 3 - The calling to office (CanRC: Article 3)
No one shall take any office upon himself without having been lawfully called thereto. The calling to office shall take place by....
2.2 How is a person called to office?
2.2.1In Old Testament Times God Called Directly In the Old Testament God called many to office by a direct approach. God specified that Aaron had to be the high priest. The next high priest in line was the oldest son of the high priest currently in office. God Himself determined who the oldest son of Aaron was. Hence it was God Himself Who called Eliezer (Aaron’s oldest son) to office. The same may be said of the kings of Judah. Of the prophets too it is evident that God called them. The quote mentioned above in relation to Jeremiah serves as an example. The Lord Jesus also very directly called the disciples to their office. The apostle Paul serves as another example of direct calling.
2.2.2In New Testament Times God Calls Indirectly In the age of the Holy Spirit’s outpouring, God’s approach is not as direct as it was in the Old Testament. Though it is still God who calls, He does 70 so more indirectly, placing responsibility for this task upon the congregation, be it through the leadership of existing office-bearers.
2.2.2.1 THROUGH THE CONGREGATION’S INVOLVEMENT
Acts 1:15-26 serves to illustrate the congregation’s involvement in calling brothers to office. The Lord Jesus had appointed 12 disciples. But a vacancy existed in the group of twelve, since Judas had committed suicide. How was a replacement to be found? One does not read that Peter or the others said anything to the effect that they wanted Matthias to replace Judas. Rather, Peter approached the congregation and sought their assistance in filling the vacancy. In Acts 1:23 we read, "And they proposed two: Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias." It is unclear who is meant in this passage by ’they’, but the context suggests that it was the congregation under the leadership of Peter and the other ten disciples. "And they prayed and said, ’You, O Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which of these two You have chosen to take part in this ministry and apostleship....’ And they cast their lots, and the lot fell on Matthias. And he was numbered with the eleven apostles" (Acts 1:24-26). The congregation was involved, possibly in proposing the candidates and certainly in praying. Then "they" cast lots, and the term "they" in this instance certainly includes the involvement of the congregation. Nevertheless, it was God who called to office, for "the lot is cast into the lap, hut its every decision is from the LORD" (Proverbs 16:33). A second example of God calling a person to office through the involvement of the congregation can be found in Acts 6:1-15. One reads in verse i that the widows were being neglected even while the number of disciples was increasing. Consequently, the twelve apostles called together the whole congregation and gave this charge: "brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation ..." (Acts 6:3). "And the saying pleased the whole multitude. And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanot; Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch, whom they set before the apostles; and when they had prayed, they laid hands on them" (Acts 6:5-6). Though the initiative lay with the existing office-bearers (the apostles), it is evident that the congregation played a central role in calling these brothers to their office. That God Himself with His blessing was ultimately behind their calling is evident from the "wisdom and the Spirit" by which Stephen, for example, spoke (Acts 6:10). In Acts 14:23 we read of Paul and Barnabas appointing elders: "So when they had appointed elders in every church, and prayed with fasting 71 they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed." The word "appointed" means literally "elect by raising hands". Although our translation does not seem to suggest the congregation’s involvement in the appointment of the elders, the reference to designating a person by raising one’s hand does suggest the congregation’s direct involvement. As a result of material as the above, the churches have agreed that the Lord would have brothers be called to office in a particular manner.
FRCA: Article 3 - The calling to office (CanRC: Article 3)
A. All office-hearers
...The calling to office shall take place by the consistory with the deacons, with the cooperation of the congregation, after prayer, and in accordance with the local regulations adopted for that purpose. . . . The reference to ""local regulations" refers lo minor items as what to do with blank ballots, what percentage of congregation members constitutes a quorum, what length of time a brother should serve or be free from being nominated again, what length of time ought to transpire between the dale of the election and the date of the ordination, etc. Each local church is free to make "local regulations" on points as these.
2.2.2.2 THROUGH THE CONGREGATION’S PRAYERS The passages quoted above from Acts 1:1-26. Acts 6:1-15 and Acts 14:1-28 all make mention of prayer as a critical step in the calling procedure. This need for prayer was considered so important that Guido deBres included the element in the Belgic Confession. He wrote in Article 31:
"We believe that ministers of God’s Word, elders and deacons ought to be chosen to their offices by lawful election of the Church, with prayer and in good order. ..." Here recognition is given to the fact that it is ultimately God who calls to office, and the congregation (under the consistory’s leadership) forms the tool by which God indicates the man of His choosing. The churches have agreed, therefore, (as is evident from Article 3 quoted above) that prayer must precede the calling to office.
2.2.2.3 FURTHER DETAILS The churches have also agreed on some further guidelines for the calling of office-bearers. Just as in Acts 1:1-26, the consistory requests the congregation to submit names of brothers considered suitable to serve in the offices of elder or deacon. 72.
FRCA: Article 3 - The calling to office (CanRC: Article 3)
B. Elders and deacons
The consistory with the deacons shall give the congregation the opportunity to draw the attention of the consistory to brothers deemed suitable for the respective offices....
Although there was only one vacancy to be filled in Acts 1:1-26, two names were nominated: Barnabas and Matthias. In Acts 6:1-15 seven men were to be nominated for the office of deacon; seven were chosen and set before the apostles. From these two references it would seem Scripturally correct to nominate either as many brothers as there are vacancies or twice the number. Consequently, the churches have agreed to act as follows:
FRCA: Article 3 - The calling to office
B. Elders and deacons
... The consistory with the deacons shall present to the congregation at the most twice as many candidates as there are vacancies to be filled. From this number the congregation shall choose as many office-bearers as are needed. Those elected shall be appointed by the consistory with the deacons.
CanRC: Article 3 - The Calling to Office
... The consistory with the deacons shall present to the congregation either as many candidates as there are vacancies to be filled. or at the most twice as many, from which number the congregation shall choose as many as are needed. The exact number of nominees, then, may vary, so that where four vacancies exist the consistory may nominate any number from a minimum of four brothers to a maximum of eight. From this number, the congregation may choose.
It merits repeating, though, that when all is said and done, it is not the congregation who calls to office. It remains God who calls, be it through the congregation. When a person becomes an office-bearer (that is, when he gives his affirmative response to the questions put to him at his ordination), he must say in so many words that he is convinced "that God Himself, through His congregation, has called [him] to [his] office." This is the first question asked of a brother at his ordination. The conviction that it is God who calls is what makes the office so serious. Equally, this conviction makes the office glorious and bearable. If God calls to office, He also gives the strength to serve in that office, and this service is indeed a most beautiful task. 73.
2.3 Who is eligible to be called to office?
2.3.1 Eligibility for the offices of elder and deacon The church is the Lord’s. So it is God Himself Who determines who is eligible to be called to office in His church. The following comes to light:
In 1 Timothy 3:1-16 the apostle Paul writes to Timothy concerning the qualifications of elders and deacons. Concerning the elder, Paul is moved by God to stipulate that the candidate office-bearer:
"must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach; not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous; one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?); not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil. Moreover he must have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil" (1 Timothy 3:2-6)
Likewise, in his letter to Titus. Paul says of the elder that he must be:
"blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of dissipation or insubordination. For a bishop must be blameless, as a steward of God, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but hospitable, a lover of what is good, sober-minded, just, holy, self-controlled, holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict" (Titus 1:6-9).
Concerning the men who had to "serve tables" in the congregation of
Jerusalem, the apostles stipulated that they had to be:
"men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business" (Acts 6:3).
In 1 Timothy 3:1-16 Paul writes that:
"deacons must be reverent, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy for money, holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience. But let these also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons, being found blameless. Likewise their wives must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things. Let deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well. For those who have served well as deacons obtain 74 for themselves a good standing and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus" (1 Timothy 3:8-13). The churches have echoed these Scriptural criteria in the Church Order with terms as "suitable" and "fit". The churches have agreed:
FRCA: Article 3 - The calling to office
B. Elders and deacons
... The consistory with the deacons shall give the congregation the opportunity to draw the attention of the consistory to brothers deemed suitable for the respective offices....
CanRC: Article 3 - The calling to Office
. . . brothers deemed fit for the respective offices.
When, therefore, the consistory requests the congregation to nominate brothers "deemed suitable" to serve in the offices of elder or deacon, the members need to work with Bible passages such as those quoted above. It stands to reason that nominations need to be substantiated, not just with a statement that a brother meets the qualities listed in the above passages (for that is but an opinion), but with an explanation as to how the brother meets these qualities. If a brother is known not to meet the above qualifications, no consistory has the right to nominate that brother (no matter how suited he may otherwise be), and no member has the right to vote for him. simply because God Himself has declared this brother unsuitable for office in His Church.
It is also deliberate that the Church Order specifies that the congregation has opportunity to draw the attention of the consistory to brothers. This is because the Lord has been pleased to close the office in His Church to the sisters of the congregation - even though in His eyes they are as precious as any brother, and we may find them as capable as the men too. This is the Lord’s word in a passage as 1 Timothy 2:12 : "Let a woman learn in silence with all submission. And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence. "Similarly, in 1 Corinthians 14:34 Paul is moved by the Lord’s Spirit to write, "Let your women keep silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak; but they are to be submissive, as the law also says." The message of these passages in relation to the topic at hand is pointed up the more clearly when it is recalled that God almighty - His actions among men are not determined by culture or by what is socially acceptable, since He is Master also over culture - chose to call only males to the office of priest in the Old Testament. Jesus too called only males to the office 75 of disciple/apostle. Taken altogether, the Lord instructs us unambiguously that He has excluded the sisters of the congregation from the offices in His church. Hence the churches have agreed to the following:
FRCA: Article 3 - The calling to office
A. All office-bearers
. . . Prior to the ordination or installation the names of the appointed brothers shall be publicly announced....
CanRC: Article 3 - The Calling to Office
. . . Only those male members shall be eligible for office who...
2.3.2 Eligibility for the Ministry A minister, like elders and deacons, must meet the qualities listed in passages as 1 Timothy 3:1-16. However, the Scriptures indicate that a minister needs more qualifications still. In 1 Timothy 3:1-16. Paul mentions that an elder must be "able to leach." The term translates the Greek word ’didactic’, and means exactly that. But in 2 Timothy 2:2
Paul added that these future ministers had to be "faithful men ". That is, they were to be trustworthy, dependable persons, in whose hands the gospel of Jesus Christ was safe. Given that the office of minister is a highly influential office (for a minister preaches from the pulpit every Sunday, teaches Catechism to the youth, leads consistory meetings, visits the members’ homes, etc), it is certainly important that these future ministers be "faithful". This is even more important since, as Paul also notes (cf. 2 Timothy 2:25; 2 Timothy 4:3-4), there are those who oppose the gospel. The churches have reflected these data from Scripture in their agreement on the question of eligibility for the ministry.
FRCA: Article 5 - Eligibility for the ministry (CanRC: Article 4)
A. Eligibility
Only those shall he called to the office of minister of the Word who
(1) have been declared eligible for call by the churches; or
(2) are already serving in that capacity in one of the churches; or 76
(3) have been declared eligible or are serving in one of the churches with which The Free Reformed Churches of Australia maintain a sister relationship.
How can one church within a federation of churches be confident that a minister of a sister church is eligible for call and service in its church? The churches have addressed the matter and agreed to the following:
FRCA: Article 5 - Eligibility for the ministry (CanRC: Article 4)
B. Declared eligible
Only those shall be declared eligible for call within the churches who
(1) have passed a preparatory examination by the classis in which they live, which examination shall not take place unless those presenting themselves for it submit the necessary- documents to prove that they are members in good standing of one of the churches and have successfully completed a course of study as required by the churches; or
(2) have satisfied the requirements of Article 8; or
(3) have satisfied the requirements of Article 9.
2.3.2.1 PREPARATORY EXAMINATION The Article speaks of a ’preparatory examination.’ One cannot undergo such an examination unless two conditions are satisfied.
Firstly, the candidate must prove, by way of an attestation from his consistory, to be an upright and God-fearing man. With this agreement in their Church Order, the churches echo Paul’s instruction to Timothy that those who would be ministers of the Word must be "faithful" men (2 Timothy 2:2).
Secondly, the candidate needs to have graduated with the appropriate academic qualifications from a theological college of one of our sister churches. With this requirement, the churches take seriously the instruction of Paul in the same text, that future ministers must be "able to teach," be trained, qualified, made competent. If a person can prove that he has met these two conditions, he can then undergo a preparatory examination by the classis. This examination requires a person to demonstrate his abilities in Old and New Testament exegesis, the preaching of a sermon and a sound knowledge of reformed doctrine. On successful completion of a preparatory examination the brother is declared eligible for call. 77.
Beside the ’common’ route mentioned under (1) above, the churches have allowed (in the article quoted above) for two other ways by which a person may become eligible for call to the ministry of the Word.
2.3.2.2 EXCEPTIONAL GIFTS In Article 8 the churches recognise the fact that the Lord, sovereign as He is, can in His good pleasure provide ministers for His churches in non-ordinary ways. In ways of His own choosing, the Lord normally moves the person whom He one day will call to the ministry to enrol at the Theological College. In the course of time, then, this young man is "qualified", trained to teach the Word to others. However, in His care for His churches, the Lord may grant exceptional gifts to a brother so that he is "qualified to teach" the Word to others without having gone through the formal course of studies associated with the training for the ministry. For such persons the door to the ministry is opened in the well known "Article 8":
FRCA: Article 8 - Exceptional gifts (CanRC: Article 8)
Persons who have not pursued the regular course of theological study shall not be admitted to the ministry unless there is convincing evidence of their exceptional gifts of godliness, humility, modesty, good intellect, and discretion, as well as the gift of public speech. When any such person presents himself for the ministry, classis shall (with synod’s prior approval) examine him, and upon a favourable outcome allow him, as candidate, to speak an edifying word in the churches of the classis for a set period of time. Thereafter the classis shall further deal with him as it shall deem edifying, observing the ecclesiastical regulations adopted for this purpose.
2.3.2.3 MINISTERS FROM CHURCHES OUTSIDE THE FEDERATION The Lord may also bring into the churches a man who has been minister in a bond of churches not recognised by the marks of Article 29, Belgic Confession. A minister from such a bond cannot straightaway be called to the ministry in the churches he joins. After all, God has stipulated that a minister must be known to be ’faithful" (2 Timothy 2:2). Given that false teachers can easily appear (cf. Acts 20:29 f), it is important that such a person first undergo the test of time. Accordingly, the churches have agreed that, when he has been proven to be faithful, the door can be opened for him to become eligible for call to the ministry. 78.
FRCA: Article 9 - Admission of ministers who have recently joined the church (CanRC: Article 7)
A minister of the Word who has recently joined one of the churches and originates from a church with which the churches do not maintain a sister relationship shall only be admitted to the ministry with great caution. He shall not be declared eligible for call within the churches unless he has been well tested for a reasonable period of time and carefully examined by the classis in whose area he lives. This classis examination shall be conducted with the cooperation of the deputies of synod.
2.4 Preparation for Ordination The churches have agreed that the brothers called to office will not automatically be ordained. People can err and call to office persons who in fact are unsuitable by God’s standards for office in God’s church. Accordingly, opportunity is granted for such information to come to light.
2.4.1 Elders and Deacons
FRCA: Article 3 - The calling to office (CanRC: Article 3)
A. All office-bearers
. . . Prior to the ordination or installation the names of the appointed brothers shall be publicly announced to the congregation for its approval on at least two consecutive Sundays. If no lawful objection is brought forward the ordination or installation shall take place with the use of the adopted Form.
Since the calling to office takes place by the consistory with the deacons, any objections against the ordination of an appointed office-bearer must be lodged with the same body. The consistory with the deacons will need to evaluate the objections received (if any), and determine whether the brother can still be ordained or needs to be relieved of his appointment - since he does not meet God’s requirements for the office (see above, Paragraph 2.3).
2.4.2 Ministers of the Word
Because of the higher profile the minister has in the congregation (and in the federation of churches), still greater care is taken to ensure that the minister-elect is indeed suitable for the office in the congregation to which he was called. Hence the churches have agreed to strict procedures that need to be followed for those who "have not served in the ministry before" and "those who are serving in the ministry" respectively. 79.
2.4.2.1 THOSE WHO HAVE NOT SERVED IN THE MINISTRY BEFORE
Those who have not served in the ministry before need to be examined for a second time (they have already been once examined with a view to being made eligible for call; this exercise was called the preparatory examination). The outcome of this second examination (called the "peremptory examination") is by no means a foregone conclusion - as if being declared eligible for call automatically ensures that one will also enter the ministry. Given the influence one has from the pulpit and in the work of the ministry at large, this final exam is necessary, and must be taken seriously.
FRCA: Article 6 - Ordination and installation of ministers of the Word (CanRC: Article 5)
A. Regarding those who have not served in the ministry before, the following shall he observed:
1. They shall be ordained only after classis has approved the call. Classis shall approve the call:
a. upon satisfactory testimony concerning the soundness of doctrine and conduct of the candidate, attested by the consistory of the church to which he belongs; and
b. following a peremptory examination of the candidate with satisfactory results. This classis examination shall take place with the cooperation and concurring advice of deputies of synod.
2. For the ordination they shall also show to the consistory good testimonials concerning their doctrine and conduct from the church(es) to which they have belonged since their preparatory examination.
Note the emphasis here on the candidate’s responsibility to demonstrate to both classis and consistory that he is sound in doctrine and conduct. Here is the application of the principle of 2 Timothy 2:2
2.4.2.2 THOSE WHO HAVE SERVED IN THE MINISTRY BEFORE A vacant congregation is not bound to call as minister only persons who have not yet served as a minister. A congregation can also extend a call to a man who is already serving in the office of minister in another church. In the event that a call is accepted, the churches have agreed to the following procedure:
FRCA: Article 6 - Ordination and installation of ministers of the Word (CanRC: Article 5)
B. Regarding those who are serving in the ministry the following shall be observed:
They shall be installed after classis has approved the call.
(1) For this approval as well as for the installation the minister shall show good testimonials concerning his doctrine and conduct, together with a declaration from the consistory with the deacons and from classis that he has been honourably discharged from his service in that church and classis, or from the church only in case he remains within the same classis.
(2) For the approval of a call of those who are serving in one of the churches with which The Free Reformed Churches of Australia maintain a sister relationship a colloquium shall be required which will deal especially with the doctrine and polity of The Free Reformed Churches of Australia.
Notice again the application of the principle of 2 Timothy 2:2 regarding faithfulness. Further, a competency examination is not required for ministers already serving in the office because, essentially, his consistory and congregation are regularly examining him as he carries out the duties of his office. For those who are already serving in the ministry in one of the sister churches, a colloquium (i. e. a discussion) is held concerning doctrine and church polity. This is because there can be differences between bonds of churches, spread as churches are over the face of the world, in diverse cultures and differing traditions. The fact that there are some differences between the Church Orders adopted by the Free Reformed Churches of Australia and the Canadian Reformed Churches respectively serves as a case in point! In Article 6.B. 1 quoted above, one reads that a minister who has accepted a call to another church requires a "declaration from the consistory with the deacons and from classis that he has been honourably discharged 81 from his service in that church and classis. ..." A classis is made up of a number of local churches (see Chapter 5, on Assemblies). Although a minister receives a call from a local church, he also in the nature of things has a role to play in the federation of churches. For this reason the federation, by means of classis, gets involved in both the discharge of a serving minister and in the approval of a call to another congregation. The federation of churches, after all, wants to be sure that ministers serving throughout the federation are scripturally sound.
2.5 The Place the Call is Exercised Where are those called to office to carry out their task? The apostles of years ago received a place of authority in all the early Christian churches, be it in Jerusalem, Corinth or Thessalonica. Office-bearers after them, though, do not have such an extensive authority. Rather, elders and deacons have authority only in the local congregation through whom Christ has called to office. This is scriptural:
Titus 1:5 : Paul instructs Titus to "appoint elders in every city. " Titus was not to appoint elders for the whole island of Crete, but instead in each city of the island. The inference is that each city has its own elders. The elders of the church in yonder city, then, are not to carry out their office in the church of this city.
Acts 14:23 : "So when they had appointed elders in every church... " Again. Paul and Barnabas did not appoint regional office-bearers but local office-bearers. Each church had its own elders.
Php 1:1 : Paul addresses his letter "to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons. " These particular office-bearers were identified with the church in Philippi, and not with all the churches of Macedonia.
Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22 : "To the angel of the church of Ephesus write . . . And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write . . . And to the angel of the church in Pergantos write. ..." The term ’angel’ means literally ’messenger’. Each church had its own angel or messenger. This is understood to be the teaching elder, the minister who opens the Word. It is striking that John is not instructed to write a letter to one angel in charge of several churches but individual letters to the angel. v of seven different churches.
An office-bearer’s work, then, is locally directed. The churches have agreed to the following practical application of this principle as it pertains to the ministers of the Word: 82.
FRCA: Article 10 - Officiating in another church (CanRC: Article 15)
No one shall preach the Word or administer the sacraments in another church without the permission of the consistory of that church. The principle is true also for the elder. He is ordained in one congregation, and hence his authority extends no further than that one congregation. Therefore Article 20, in describing the task of elders, speaks of the congregation, in the singular: "The elders shall together with the ministers of the Word govern the congregation with pastoral care and discipline. " The deacons likewise, in performing the ministry of mercy, do not collect gifts from several congregations, nor do they have any authority over the distribution of gifts collected in other congregations. "They shall collect and manage the gifts of the congregation... " (Article 21). The above data exclude too the concept of being an office-bearer without attachment to any congregation. Hence the following agreement in relation to ministers:
FRCA: Article 4 - Bound to a church (CanRC: Article 6)
No one shall serve in the ministry unless he is hound to a certain church.
2.6 Equality of the Called Do the Scriptures speak of a hierarchy amongst those whom Christ has called to office? There is no evidence that that is the case. On the contrary, when some amongst Jesus’ twelve disciples sought a position of favour over another, Jesus reprimanded them. After the two sons of Zebedee made their attempt to secure a higher standing for themselves than the other ten, Jesus spoke these words to the twelve: "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not he so among you; hut whoever desires to become great among you, let him he your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave -just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many " (Matthew 20:25-28). In the same line, Jesus said to them on another occasion, "But you, do not be called ’Rabbi ’:for one is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren.... And do not be called teachers; for one is your Teacher, the Christ. But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself will be abased, and he who humbles himself will be exalted" (Matthew 23:8-12). This principle holds true for the office-bearers the Lord gives to His churches. Ministers, elders and deacons receive from the Lord equal authority 83 with none being lord over any other. This concept is captured in the Church Order like this:
FRCA: Article 22 - Equality of respective duties (CanRC: Articles 17 and 25)
In the local congregation equality shall he maintained among the ministers, among the elders, and among the deacons, regarding their respective duties, and in other matters, as much as possible.
Ministers are understandably seen as the public face of the consistory. Ministers also chair the consistory meetings, including meetings of the consistory with the congregation (Article 36). Yet this does not make the minister the captain of the ecclesiastical ship. This is implicitly recognised in the description of the task of elders. The elders govern the congregation together with the minister: they share equal responsibility in this. "The elders shall together with the ministers of the Word govern the congregation with pastoral care and discipline. . . . They shall watch that their fellow office-hearers are faithful in carrying out their duties" (FRCA, Article 20).
2.7 Duration of the Call In the church of Jesus Christ, it is Christ alone who calls to office. This reality in turn means that it is also Christ alone who can release from office. It is understood that no one is called by Christ to serve forever, for in this life all men must die. and by death their service in the office is terminated (cf. Hebrews 7:23). The Lord, though, sovereign as He is, can use means less obvious than death to make clear that an office-bearer should no longer carry out his office. Yet, as the Lord used the congregation (through the consistory) to call to office, so also the congregation (in the consistory) must be involved when the time arises for a brother to depart from his office.
2.7.1 Minister The principle that Christ alone can release from the office is reflected in the agreement of the churches:
FRCA: Article 15 - Bound for life (CanRC: Article 12)
A minister of the Word, once lawfully called, is bound to the service of the church for life and therefore not allowed to enter upon another vocation unless it be for exceptional and substantial reasons. The decision of his consistory to relieve him of his office in order to enter 84 upon another vocation shall receive the approval of classis, with the concurring advice of deputies of synod. A minister does well, then, when he accepts a call (to a given congregation), to be aware that he accepts it until the Lord releases him from that call. And Yes, the sovereign Head of the church is free to release a minister at any time of His choosing - be it from the church where the minister is currently serving, or even from the office altogether. The churches have made agreements concerning the following possible scenarios:
2.7.7.7 A CALL FROM ANOTHER CHURCH A minister can only move to a different congregation if that congregation calls him, and if he has received the required consent from his current consistory to move. In the Church Order the churches have formulated the matter like this:
FRCA: Article 7-From one church to another (CanRC: Article 9)
A minister once lawfully called shall not leave the church to which he is hound to take up the ministry elsewhere without the consent of his consistory with the deacons and the approval of classis. Likewise, no church shall receive him unless he has presented a proper certificate of release from the church and the classis where he served, or from the church only if he remains within the same classis. In this instance the Head of the church calls His servant from the office He had given in one congregation to serve in the office in another congregation. The servant, then, is released from his office in the first congregation and installed into the office of Minister of the Word in his new congregation.
2.7.1.2 RETIREMENT The Head of the church can take away from one of His office-bearers the gift of health and/or strength so that he is no longer able to carry out the office effectively. It is fitting that people recognise what the Head of the church does in their midst by taking away the health and/or strength of His office-bearer, and respond accordingly. Hence the following agreement:
FRCA: Article 13 - Retirement of ministers (CanRC: Article 13)
If a minister of the Word, by reason of age, sickness or otherwise, is rendered incapable of performing the duties of his office he shall retain the honour and title of minister of the Word. He shall also retain 85 his official bond with the church which he served last, and this church shall provide honourably for his support. The same obligation exists towards a minister’s widow and orphans.
2.7.1.3 DISMISSAL
Christ gathers His church in a broken world. In fact, the ministers He calls to office are men very much touched by the fall into sin. The members of the congregation also are very much touched by this fall. The renewing work of the Holy Spirit in no way undoes the effects of the fall altogether. The result is that the ’chemistry’ between a minister and his congregation may be (or become) negative. It is possible, for example, that members of the congregation stumble over the minister’s character so that his person gets between the pulpit and the pew. Then the minister together with his consistory does well to assess soberly whether it may be more beneficial for the church of Jesus Christ that the bond between the minister and the congregation be dissolved. In this regard the churches have agreed to the following:
FRCA: Article 14 - Dismissal
The consistory with the deacons shall not dismiss a minister from his bond with the congregation without approval of classis and the concurring advice of the deputies of synod.
CanRC: Article 11 - Dismissal
If a minister of the Word is judged unfit and incapable of serving the congregation fruitfully and to its edification, without there being any reason for Church discipline, the consistory with the deacons shall not dismiss him from his service within the congregation without the approbation of classis and the concurring advice of the deputies of regional synod, and not without proper arrangements regarding the support of the minister and his family for a reasonable period of time. If no call is forthcoming in three years, he shall be declared released from his ministerial status by the classis in which he served last.
If a dismissed minister does not receive a call within a reasonable period after his dismissal, it is fitting that it be judged that Christ has removed this minister from his office altogether. After all, the Bible knows no such thing as an office-bearer without a congregation. 86.
2.7.1.4 A CALL TO AN EXTRAORDINARY TASK The Lord can call a minister out of the active ministry in a given congregation to serve in special tasks elsewhere. As examples, one can think of the special task of being missionary on the mission field or instructor at the Theological College. In such an event, the churches have agreed to the following arrangement:
FRCA: Article 12 - Call to an extraordinary task (CanRC: compare Article 6)
If a minister accepts a call or an appointment to an extraordinary task, the nature of the relationship between him and the church to which he is hound must he arranged with the consent of the classis. Some ministers may he appointed for the training of students for the ministry, others may he called for mission work. In both these instances the person concerned remains a minister, but does not carry out the normal duties of a minister in his congregation. The Lord who called to the task of instructor or missionary relieves the minister from the obligations in the congregation to which He had earlier called (hat minister, in order that he may serve elsewhere in God’s kingdom. The tasks of the instructor at the College and the Missionary will receive particular attention below.
2.7.1.5 TEMPORARY RELEASE The Head of the church can permanently take away from one of His office-bearers the gift of health and/or strength so that he is no longer able to carry out the office effectively. The churches have responded to this possibility by making an agreement in relation to retirement (Article 13). However, it is also possible that the Head of the church leads the life of His office-bearer in such a way that for an indefinite period he is not able to carry out the duties of his office. The Canadian Reformed Churches have agreed to the following stipulation in this event:
CanRC: Article 14- Temporary Release (FRCA: no parallel agreement)
If a minister, because of illness or for other substantial reasons, requests a temporary release from his service to the congregation, he can receive the same only with the approval of the consistory with the deacons and shall at all times be and remain subject to the call of the congregation. 87. The Free Reformed Churches of Australia have made no agreement together as to how to act in the event that a minister needs a temporary release from the responsibilities of his work. That does not mean that the Australian churches do not consider it possible that the Lord can lead the needs of His servants in this manner; it simply means that if the Lord confronts a minister and his consistory with such a need there is no agreed manner of acting. Each church can handle the matter in its own manner, as it considers best in the circumstances.
2.7.1.6 DISCIPLINE A final instance considered in the Church Order where the call of a minister is terminated is mentioned in its section on Church Discipline:
FRCA: Article 76- Suspension and deposition of office-bearers (CanRC: Article 71)
If a minister, elder or deacon has committed a public or otherwise gross sin, or refuses to heed the admonitions by the consistory, he shall be ... deposed.... In this instance he is minister no longer.
2.7.2 Elders and Deacons The churches have agreed that elders and deacons, different than ministers, shall serve in intervals of relatively short duration:
FRCA: Article 23 - Term of office (CanRC: Article 24)
The elders and deacons shall serve two or more years according to local regulations, and a proportionate number shall retire each year. The places of the retiring office-bearers shall be taken by others unless the consistory with the deacons judges that the circumstances and the well-being of the church render it advisable to call them into office again. In that case the rule of Article 3 shall be observed.
Throughout church history ’term-eldership’ versus ’life-time-eldership’ has been a point of discussion. Those in favour of a life-time service in the office reason that if it is the Lord who calls a man to serve in the office, then who is man to say that a man is to serve for only a set number of years? Those in favour of term-eldership offer practical reasons for their position. It is argued that it is healthy for a congregation to receive ’new blood’ in the office on a regular basis; to have the same persons in office year after year can produce ’stale’ brothers. Further, the realities of life are 88 such that both the raising of a family and service in the office are demanding and time-consuming tasks. Fathers need to be available for their responsibilities towards their families too. The Bible itself is vague on the matter of whether elders and deacons ought to serve for a fixed term or for life. Certainly we do not receive the impression that in Old Testament Israel or in the New Testament church the office-bearer retired from his office after a fixed period. Nevertheless, the argument that man may not take the office from those whom the Lord has called is not as strong as it appears. For here is a false dilemma. In the Old Testament the Lord called a man to office directly. In the New Testament God calls to office by means of men (see above. Paragraph 2.2). Implicit in that reality is the fact that today the Lord can also relieve from office by means of men. As it turns out, term eldership, as compared to life eldership, is anti-hierarchical. With a regular changeover of office-bearers, there is less danger that a few brothers end up lording over the congregation. And avoiding the concentration of power in the hands of a few select brothers is distinctly a principle of reformed church polity (see Chapter 3, Paragraph 2.1). The prospects of having to be re-nominated and re-elected to office can also serve as a catalyst to brothers to do their best; in this way brothers remain accountable. There is, therefore, wisdom in stipulating a fixed term of office. At the same time, it should be noted that the contrast between term eldership and life eldership is not so radical as first seems. The fact of the matter is that elders who serve a term tend to be called again to office after a period of rest. In a system of term eldership, then, not all brothers from the congregation are called to office on a rotation basis; rather, brothers are largely called from a recognised ’pool’ of ’ex-elders’. In a system of life eldership, the brothers once called to office remain officially elders even while they receive a period of ’inactivity’ from the demands of the office. There is, then, no need to pontificate about the one method being Scriptural and the other not.
2.8 Material Support for the Office-bearer
If a man is called to full-time service in his office in Christ’s church, how is he to receive his daily keep? On this point, the Lord gave particular instructions in His Word. In the Old Testament the people of Israel had to support the priests by giving part of the sacrifice to the priest. We read, for example, the following instruction in Leviticus 7:1-38 : "And the priest shall burn the fat on the altar, but the breast shall be Aaron’s and his sons" (Leviticus 7:31). Again: "He among the sons of Aaron, who offers the blood of the peace offering and the fat, shall have the right thigh for his part" (Leviticus 7:33; see also Leviticus 10:14 f). The Lord also told the people that they were not to "forsake 89 the Levite who is within your gates, for he has no part nor inheritance with you" (Deuteronomy 14:27). The principle recurs in the New Testament, where Jesus says to the seventy that they were not to go from house to house, but rather "remain in the same house, eating and drinking such things as they give, for the labourer is worthy of his wages " (Luke 10:7). Paul reminds the Corinthians that "the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel" (1 Corinthians 9:14). And the Galatians are told, "Let him who is taught the word share in all good things with him who teaches" (Galatians 6:6). The churches, on the basis of scriptural directives as these, saw it to be both the privilege and the responsibility of the congregation to support the brother who gives his time to her edification. Therefore, concerning ministers of the Word, the churches have agreed as follows:
FRCA: Article 11 - Proper Support (CanRC: Article 10)
The consistory, with the deacons, on behalf of the congregation which it represents in this matter, shall provide for the proper support of its minister(s). A minister is not paid wages. The money he receives should not be a reflection of the responsibilities of his job or the quality of his work. That is the principle by which people receive their respective wages in society. If a minister is ’in it’ for the money, then he is in office for the wrong reason. It is a congregation’s privilege to receive a minister who may devote himself full-time to the responsibilities of the office. Let the congregation, which benefits spiritually from the preaching and other work of its minister, in turn support him financially so that he and his family receive what they need to live. In view of the fact that a minister is a minister for life, a congregation remains responsible for his support after retirement too, as well as responsible for the support of his dependants. Hence this agreement by the churches:
FRCA: Article 13 - Retirement of ministers (CanRC: Article 13)
. . . the church which he served last. . . shall provide honourably for his support. The same obligation exists towards a minister’s widow and orphans.
Again, since instructors at the Theological College remain ministers, they too need continued support.
FRCA: Article 17 - Training for the ministry
. . . the churches together are obliged to provide support for the professors of theology and for their widows and orphans. 90.
There is no reason why this principle of supporting those who give of their time to labour in the offices of the church cannot be applied to elders and deacons also. In a minor way we do this already when elders or deacons need to travel far afield in order to visit a family of the congregation, or if delegates need to be sent to a Synod; their time and expenses are paid for by the congregation. It could also be that a consistory sees a need for employing an elder to full-time pastoral work. In principle there is no argument against that. That this has not been allowed for in the Church Order is because historically elders and deacons have carried out their offices in their free time. It is our privilege to support not only the work of the ministers but also the work of the other office-bearers, and therefore in principle Article 11 could also be extended to the work of elders and deacons.
3. The Work of the Office-bearers 3.1 Elders - Ruling and Teaching The book of Acts supplies some details about the eldership in the early church. However, this book does not tell us anything about how this office came into being. It is safe to assume that this office had existed in Old Testament Israel from most early days (see Exodus 3:16; Exodus 4:29; Exodus 12:21; Exodus 18:12; etc). In the course of Israel’s history, the elders supplied much leadership to the people (see Numbers 16:25; Joshua 7:6; Joshua 24:1; 2 Samuel 3:17: 2 Samuel 19:11; 1 Kings 8:1, 1 Kings 8:3; Ezekiel 14:1; Ezekiel 20:1, Ezekiel 20:3; etc). In Jesus’ days too the elders had considerable influence (see Matthew 21:23; Matthew 26:3; Matthew 27:1). In the New Testament church, then, elders appear on the scene without introduction; it is understood that there must be elders. In the book of Acts the following references to elders in the church occur:
Acts 11:27-30 : "And in these days prophets came from Jerusalem to Antioch. Then one of them, named Agabus, stood up and showed by the Spirit that there was going to be a great famine throughout all the world, which also happened in the days of Claudius Caesar. Then the disciples, each according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brethren dwelling in Judea. This they also did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul." This first reference to elders in action in the church of the New Testament is striking. Acts 4:34-37 relates that the proceeds of the sale of land and houses were "laid at the apostles’ feet." This time money for the congregation is presented to the elders. These two passages describe a development in church leadership. The apostles of Acts 4:1-37, after they had completed their task of 91 instituting Christ’s church in Jerusalem, had to move on to preach the Word to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). Although the Lord has not revealed how the elders of Acts 11:1-30 received their office, it is clear that they took the place of the apostles in the leadership of the Jerusalem church. The elders came to represent as it were the public face, or the address, of the church at Jerusalem. So it was to them that Saul and Barnabas handed over the gifts from the brothers in Antioch.
Acts 14:23 : "So when they had appointed elders in every church, and praxed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed." The context is instructive. Paul and Barnabas had preached the gospel first in Antioch, then in Iconium. Lystra and Derbe. At the end of the route the apostles returned to the visited towns to strengthen and encourage the believers. Paul and Barnabas, however, could not continue indefinitely to visit and encourage the converts in these towns: they had other work to do. In that context we read that the apostles appointed elders from the local membership. These elders, we need to conclude, were to take over from the apostles the leadership and care of the local church.
Acts 15:1-41 relates how a difficult question relating to circumcision was resolved. A delegation from Antioch was sent "to Jerusalem, to the apostles and elders, about this question" (Acts 15:2). The delegation was in turn received "by the church and the apostles and the elders" (Acts 15:4). After hearing the question and discussing the matter, "it pleased the apostles and elders, with the whole church, to send chosen men ..." (Acts 15:22 f). Notice that the elders receive mention with the apostles as acknowledged leaders.
Acts 20:17 : "From Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called for the elders of the church." That Paul summoned not the entire congregation but only the elders shows that these brothers were the acknowledged leaders of the church at Ephesus.
Acts 21:18 : "On the following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present." That the elders were present when Paul went to discuss matters with James in Jerusalem points up that these brothers were seen as the leaders of the congregation.
In the above texts Scripture calls the leaders of the churches "elders". Although the word "elder" denotes a person of older age, it is not so much the age as the responsibility in giving leadership that is stressed by the term. Importance was attached to these men not on account of their age, but on account of their office. 92.
3.1.1 Defining the Elders’ Work The specific task given to the elder can best be drawn out by considering the terms used in Scripture to describe the elder. The following need a mention:
3.1.1.1 OVERSEER In Acts 20:28 one reads of the term ’overseer’ (Greek: episkopos) in connection with the office of elder. Says Paul to the "elders" (Acts 20:17 f) of the church at Ephesus, "Therefore kike heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. ..." What then is an overseer to do? One finds the answer in Acts 15:36, "Then after some days. Paul said to Barnabas, ’Let us now go back and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they are doing.’" Although our translation uses the word ’visit’, the Greek original has here the word ’oversee’. Paul says as it were. "Let us go and oversee our brethren." The apostle’s intent, then, is to go and keep his eyes open to learn how the brethren are doing. This clarifies the meaning of the Scriptural term "oversee". To oversee is to keep an eye on how things are going.
One also finds the word in Matthew 25:36. Jesus tells the parable of the Neparation between the sheep and the goats. Christ, the Shepherd, will say to the sheep gathered at His right hand. "I was naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you visited me. ..." Here again, the Greek word is ’oversee’. in the context of Jesus’ parable the purpose of the visit is not simply to see or look at someone. Rather, the visit is an expression of care and genuine interest. So, in their task as overseers, the elders are to visit the members of the congregation out of genuine interest in the members’ well-being, to find out what they are up against in life, and seek to stand beside them, to encourage, and if necessary, to admonish.
3.1.1.2 SHEPHERD This title appears repeatedly in John 10:1-42 as a description of Jesus. The Lord says in John 10:11, "I am the good shepherd" (Greek: poimen). The Lord goes on to describe what He as shepherd does for His sheep: "The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep." In contrast to this, the Lord describes what the hireling does: ". . . he who is a hireling and not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep" (John 10:12). The shepherd cares for his sheep, and so he does what he can to 93 defend and protect them, even going so far as laying down his life for the sheep. Hebrews 13:20 also describes the Lord Jesus as "... that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant." Jesus, the Good Shepherd, shed His blood so that His sheep might live. In 1 Peter 2:25 likewise, one reads of Jesus the Shepherd: "For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls." The task of shepherding is not the task of our Lord Jesus Christ exclusively. In Scripture one reads how the role of shepherd is also assigned to the office of elder. In Acts 20:28 Paul says to the elders of the church at Ephesus, "Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. " Here the word ’shepherd’ appears as a verb. It is the elders’ task to shepherd the flock for which Christ has laid down His life. It is in the Lord Jesus, the Good Shepherd as He is described in John 10:1-42. that the elder finds his role model. The Old Testament too uses the term ’shepherd’ in relation to the Lord, and in so doing expounds further the elder’s task of shepherding according to the model of the Good Shepherd. The psalmist confesses in Psalms 23:1-6 that "The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want." Why shall he not want? Because the Lord, shepherd that He is
"makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over" (Psalms 23:2-5).
Over against the way the Good Shepherd carries out His office, there is the way of the hireling of John 10:1-42 who, in the interest of his own well-being, leaves the sheep to fend for themselves in the face of danger. His conduct is exemplified by the admonition that Ezekiel had to give the shepherds of Israel for the irresponsible manner in which they shepherded the flock of Israel:
"Thus says the Lord God to the shepherds: "Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks? You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool; you slaughter the fatlings, but you do not feed the flock. The weak you have not strengthened, nor have you healed those who were sick, nor bound up the broken 94 nor brought back what was driven away, nor sought what was lost; but with force and cruelty you have ruled them. So they were scattered because there was no shepherd; and they became food for all the beasts of the field when they were scattered. My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and on every high hill; yes, My flock was scattered over the whole face of the earth, and no one was seeking or searching for them’"
Here is the example of what the elders are not to do. The elders of Ephesus were to shepherd their flock, following in the footsteps of the Good Shepherd. Paul did not command them to be shepherds in order to build up their own reputation or to make the congregation do what they wanted them to do. The flock was not there for the benefit of the elders, but the elders were appointed for the benefit of the flock. The elders are even to lay down their life for the flock, for that is what the Good Shepherd did. In order to preserve the life of their sheep the elders are to "feed them in good pasture ... (to) seek what was lost and bring back what was driven away, bind up the broken and strengthen what was sick" (Ezekiel 34:14-16). Paul, listing in Ephesians 4:1
3.1.1.3 STEWARD In Titus 1:5-9 Paul enumerates the qualifications of elders. Paul writes to Timothy, "For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders in every city as I commanded you." In this quote (Titus 1:5) Paul uses the word ’elder’ (Greek: presbyter), but in Titus 1:7 he uses for ’elder’ the word ’overseer’ (or ’bishop’; Greek: episkopos). Then he says concerning the bishops or elders that he "must be blameless, as a steward of God..." (Greek: oikonomos). Luke 12:42 draws for us a picture of what a steward is and does. In His parable concerning the faithful servant and the evil servant Jesus asks, "Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them their food in due season?" Here the task of the steward is captured: this is the person who is responsible for managing a household, a servant appointed to care for the other servants (even providing their food), and who is accountable to his master. 95.
Paul likens the elder to a steward: a person ’over the household’ and yet under God and so accountable to Him. For what purpose does God make the elder a steward over His congregation? Not for the elder’s own benefit, but rather so that he may give the congregation "food in due season." The elder, then, serves the congregation with the possessions God has entrusted to him for the benefit of the congregation.
3.1.1.4 LEADER In Hebrews 13:7, Hebrews 13:17 and Hebrews 13:24 the apostle gives the following instruction to the Hebrews, "Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you. whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct.... Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account... Greet all those who rule over you, and all the saints." The word translated here as ’rule’ (Greek: hegoumonos) is properly the word Mead", and the term is used here in relation to the elders. Characteristic of a leader is that he gives a proper example to those whom he leads: he guides. Again, the elder does not lead for his own benefit, but for the benefit of the congregation ("for they watch out for your souls"). Given this task of the leaders, the Hebrew saints are instructed to submit to the elders: it is in their best interest to follow the leadership of their elders.
3.1.1.5 IN SUM: ELDERS MUST USE THE WORD OF GOD
Elders must oversee, shepherd, be stewards over and lead their congregation for the sole purpose of directing the congregation to God. For that reason God has also given the elders the one resource they need to perform these tasks, and that resource is of course the Word of God. If the elder must shepherd the sheep, feeding them in good pasture, he must feed them in the Word of life. But before an elder can begin to shepherd, or even to lead, oversee or manage His Master’s flock, he himself must be spiritually healthy. To use the words of Titus 1:9
3.1.2 Detailing the Elders’ Work 3.1.2.1 TEACHING ELDERS - FOCUS ON PREACHING On the basis of 1 Timothy 5:17 we may speak of two kinds of elders: the teaching elder (the office of minister) and the ruling elder (the office 96 of elder). All elders, be they teaching or ruling elders, are overseers, shepherds, stewards and leaders. But teaching elders and ruling elders carry out these tasks with their own particular focus. The minister’s task very much focuses on teaching and preaching. To use the words of 1 Timothy 5:17
Preaching is of prime importance in shepherding God’s flock because it is by the preaching of the gospel that the Lord works faith in the hearts of His people. As Paul wrote in Romans 10:17, "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." Through faith in Jesus Christ one is reconciled to God, and the Spirit works this reconciling faith through the preaching (see Lord’s Day 25). So Paul can even call preaching the "ministry of reconciliation" (2 Corinthians 5:18). A minister, on the pulpit and when he visits, is a steward of the revelation of God by which he leads and feeds the flock, teaching, encouraging and admonishing. In addition to preaching, a minister fulfils his tasks of being overseer, shepherd, steward and leader for his flock by the means of prayer. Acts 6:4 serves to illustrate what priority prayer is to receive in the work of the minister. A problem had arisen in the church at Jerusalem, a complaint by the Hellenists against the Hebrews, which warranted the apostles appointing seven men to attend to the matter. These seven men were needed so that the apostles could give themselves "continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word. " It is interesting to note how this text first speaks of prayer and then of preaching. In response to the above material, the churches have agreed what the task of the minister of God’s Word must be.
FRCA: Article 16 - Task of ministers (CanRC: Article 16)
The task of ministers is to faithfully lead in prayer, preach the Word and administer the sacraments. They shall watch over their fellow office-bearers and over the congregation. Together with the elders 97 they shall exercise church discipline and see to it that everything is done decently and in good order. A more detailed task description is found in the Form that must he used at the ordination or installation of ministers (Article 3). This form is found in the Book of Praise, pg 619-623. A minister’s task receives a changed emphasis when he receives a special mandate, such as specified in Article 12: "Some ministers may he appointed for the training of students for the ministry, others may be called for mission work." However, a missionary remains a minister, and performs on the mission field the same duties as a minister. On the mission field too, lost sinners are saved through hearing the gospel of reconciliation through Christ. For that reason a missionary’s principle task is also the preaching of the Word. Hence, in describing the (ask of missionaries, the churches agreed:
FRCA: Article 19 - Task of missionaries (CanRC: Article 18)
When ministers of the Word are sent out as missionaries, they shall in the specific region assigned to them proclaim the Word of God. administer the sacraments to those who have come to the profession of their faith, teaching them to observe all that Christ has commanded His church, and ordain elders and deacons when this appears feasible, according to the rules given in the Word of God. A broader description of the missionary’s task is set forth in the "Form for the Ordination of Missionaries". Book of Praise, pg 624-628.
3.1.2.2 RULING ELDERS - FOCUS ON GOVERNING The terms overseer, shepherd, steward, and leader also apply to the office of the ruling elder. However, in their description of the task of the ruling elder the churches have given a different emphasis than they gave to the task of the teaching elder. The churches have agreed to the following:
FRCA: Article 20 - Task of elders (CanRC: Article 22)
The elders shall together with the ministers of the Word govern the congregation with pastoral care and discipline. For the upbuilding of the congregation they shall make homevisits as often as is profitable but at least once a year. They shall watch that their fellow office-bearers are faithful in carrying out their duties and ensure that in the congregation everything is done decently and in good order.
Here the task of governing is emphasised. After all 1 Timothy 5:17 speaks of the elders "who rule." The focus is pastoral care and discipline. 98. As overseers, the elders make it their business to visit the members, for they cannot build up, nourish, instruct, encourage or admonish the members appropriately with the Word unless they know what the members’ particular needs might be (see 3.1.1.1). Hence the churches have agreed that it is the task of the elders to make homevisits "as often as is profitable". A more detailed task description for the elders can be found in the "Form for the Ordination of Elders and Deacons" (Book of Praise, pg 628-634). So that elders (and deacons) have written on their minds what task God lays upon them when they enter the office, the churches have agreed to use this form when elders and/or deacons are ordained (see Article 3).
3.1.2.3 MINISTERS AND ELDERS MUST DISPEL FALSE DOCTRINES
It has pleased God to save a people for Himself through the saving work of Jesus Christ on the cross. This gospel comes to the world through the ministry of the church (1 Timothy 3:15). That is why the apostle Paul instructs Timothy to "guard what was committed to your trust" (1 Timothy 6:20). But this gospel is desperately hated by the evil one. He therefore does what he can to distort the gospel. The apostle Paul already wrote of "false apostles, deceitful workers" who "transform themselves into apostles of Christ" (2 Corinthians 11:13). He adds that these deceitful workers imitate Satan, who "transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness" (2 Corinthians 11:15).
Paul warns the Ephesian elders of the challenges they will meet as they carry out their office. These challenges, says Paul, include the need to deal with heresies. Paul told the elders to "... take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which he purchased with His own blood. For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you. not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. Therefore watch..." (Acts 20:28-31).
Paul was qualified to instruct the elders of Ephesus, for he himself had performed the tasks of an elder. He taught and proclaimed, publicly and via home visits (cf. Acts 20:20), the gospel of reconciliation for the purpose of working repentance and faith in his listeners. It was a dangerous task for Paul, but no chains or tribulations were going to stand in the way of him fulfilling 99 the office to which God had called him. Following in the footsteps of the Good Shepherd, Paul was prepared to carry out his office at the expense of his own life. Even false teachers and heretics would not silence the apostle. He dared even to confront Peter publicly about his errors (cf. Galatians 2:11) and publicly also to expose the heresy of the Judaizers (Galatians 3:1-29). Here was an example the elders of Ephesus had to follow.
If God’s people, then, are to be fed in the good pastures of the Word, ministers and elders alike must be on guard for false doctrines which aim to undermine God’s Word and so mislead His people. To ensure that the sheep of God’s flock are not led away by false teaching, the churches have agreed that the elders must make it their business to expose false teaching and equip the membership against it.
FRCA; Article 26 - False doctrine (CanRC; Article 27)
To ward off false doctrines and errors the ministers and elders shall use the means of instruction, of refutation, of warning and of admonition, in the ministry of the Word as well as in Christian teaching and family visiting.
3.1.3 Preserving the Elders’ Doctrinal Integrity
Due to the influential nature of the office, it is imperative that the men who are ordained to office are faithful men. Elders cannot rightly be overseers, shepherds, stewards and leaders if they themselves live doctrinally or morally in error. Yet it is certainly possible for office-bearers to embrace error in some way. Paul writes that Satan "transforms himself into an angel of light" and then adds. "Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness" (2 Corinthians 11:15). Paul’s warning to the elders at Ephesus in Acts 20:28-3
Human vulnerability to Satan’s attacks plus the need for sound leadership in the church of God prompted the fathers of years gone by to seek ways to protect office-bearers from becoming carriers of false doctrine. At the Synod of Dort a Subscription Form was adopted for use by office-bearers 100 in the churches. In translation, this form is used in both the Canadian Reformed Churches as well as the Free Reformed Churches of Australia. Below is the Subscription Form used in the FRCA specifically for ministers.
SUBSCRIPTION FORM FOR MINISTERS OF THE WORD
(1) We, ministers of the Word in the Free Reformed Churches of Australia, signatories to this Subscription Form, sincerely, solemnly, and with a good conscience before the Lord, declare by our signature that we wholeheartedly believe and are fully convinced that all articles and points of doctrine contained in the three Forms of Unity, namely the Belgic Confession, the Heidelberg Catechism, and the Canons of Dort, are in full agreement with the Word of God.
(2) We promise therefore that we will diligently teach and faithfully defend the aforesaid doctrine, without either directly or indirectly contradicting the same in our public preaching or writing. We also promise not only to earnestly reject all errors which conflict with the aforesaid doctrine, but that we shall at all times be willing to refute and contradict them, doing our utmost in reproving, combating, and helping to resist such errors.
(3) Should at any time in the future reservations regarding the said doctrine arise in our minds we faithfully promise not to propose, teach, or defend them, neither in our preaching nor in our writing, publicly nor privately, but to first disclose these reservations to the ecclesiastical assemblies in the ecclesiastical way so that they may examine them.
(4) Furthermore, we promise that we will always be prepared to submit ourselves willingly to the judgement of the ecclesiastical assemblies. Should we refuse to submit ourselves to the judgement of the ecclesiastical assemblies or should we persist in our reservations we agree by that very fact to be suspended from our office.
(5) Moreover, should the consistory, the classis church, or synod at any time upon sufficient grounds and in order to preserve the uniformity and purity of the true doctrine deem it necessary to require of us a further explanation of our opinion regarding any part of the said doctrine, we promise always to be willing and ready to comply with such a request, upon the understanding that by the very fact of our refusal we will be suspended from our office. However, we reserve for ourselves the right of appeal should we believe ourselves aggrieved by the judgement of the consistory or classis church.
Until such a decision is made upon such an appeal we will submit to the determination and judgement of the consistory and/or classis church. 101. For the sake of the Lord’s honour and the preservation of His church there is no room in Christ’s church for any office-bearer who teaches any doctrine not in full accord with the Word revealed in Scripture. Any office-bearer refusing to sign the Subscription Form, or who by word or deed gives the lie to his signature, will be suspended from the office to which he has been called. The church is the Lord’s and therefore it is His Word alone, the only Truth, which must prevail, and so be defended. To ensure that office-bearers indeed sign the Form pertaining to their office, the churches have agreed to the following in the Church Order:
FRCA: Article 24 - Subscription to the Confession by ministers and teaching staff (CanRC: Article 26 combines what for Australia is Articles 24 and 25)
All ministers of the Word and all teaching staff at the theological seminary shall subscribe to the Three Forms of Unity of The Free Reformed Churches of Australia by signing the Form(s) adopted for that purpose. Anyone refusing to subscribe in that manner shall not be ordained or installed in office. Anyone who, being in office, refuses to do so shall because of that very fact be immediately suspended from office by the consistory, and classis shall not receive him. If he obstinately persists in his refusal he shall be deposed from office. A similar article has been adopted concerning elders and deacons:
Article 25 - Subscription to the Confession by elders and deacons
Elders and deacons shall also subscribe to these Three Forms of Unity by signing the Form adopted for that purpose. Anyone being in office who refuses to do so shall because of that very fact be immediately suspended from office by the consistory. If he obstinately persists in his refusal he shall be deposed from office.
3.1.4 Training the Elders The office of elder, be it in a teaching or in a ruling capacity, is a position of great influence. Just as a flock of sheep is in danger of being scattered when led by a false shepherd, so a congregation is in danger of being deceived and misled when led by a false teacher. Owing to the influence an elder has as overseer, shepherd, steward and leader, it is imperative that the elder abides by the faithful word of God. That was also Paul’s instruction to Titus. A bishop must be someone "...holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict" (Titus 1:9). 102. The elder who wishes to teach must himself be taught. Timothy, a young assistant who had accompanied Paul quite extensively on his missionary journeys, had been charged by Paul to take charge of affairs in the church at Ephesus. Paul knew that fierce wolves would seek to infiltrate the flock (Acts 20:29). So elders had to be equipped to recognise error and fight it. So Paul’s instruction to the local minister was this: "...the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also" (2 Timothy 2:2). Timothy was to find for himself in Ephesus faithful men who met the qualifications of office-bearers as listed in 1 Timothy 3:1-16, and then teach them all that he had learnt from Paul. These men would in turn pass on this teaching to other faithful men who would serve after them.
3.1.4.1 TRAINING FOR THE MINISTRY This instruction to train a new generation of teaching elders (= ministers) receives recognition in the Church Order.
FRCA: Article 17 - Training for the ministry (CanRC: Article 19)
The churches shall support or, if possible, maintain an institution for the training for the ministry. The task of the professors of theology is to expound’ the Holy Scriptures and to defend the sound doctrine against heresies and errors, so that the churches may he provided with ministers of the Word who are able to fulfil the duties of their office as these have been described above" (in Article 16). The Free Reformed Churches of Australia are not in a position to main-lain an institution of their own for the training for the ministry. So the churches happily support the training institute of their sister churches in Canada, the Theological College of the Canadian Reformed Churches.
Since the Theological College is a part of church life, the churches have agreed to supply the College with suitable teaching staff. This is implicit in Article 12, where recognition is given to the fact that a minister can be appointed to an extraordinary task as "the training of students for the ministry." Further, as with ministers (see Articles 11 and 13), the churches acknowledge need to support the faculty of the seminary:
FRCA: Article 17 - Training for the Ministry (CanRC: no parallel agreement)
... The churches together are obliged to provide properly for the professors of theology and for their widows and orphans. 103.
Since the churches need ministers, the theological colleges need more than just professors of theology; they need students too! Therefore:
FRCA: Article 18 - Students of theology (CanRC: Article 20)
The churches shall strive to ensure that there are students of theology, extending financial aid where necessary. The churches - that is to say, the members of the congregations - are to be on the lookout for men who show signs of having the talents required to become ministers of the Word, and then to encourage them to pursue this path - even, if necessary, offering them financial support. The Canadian Reformed Churches have further agreed that students of the College should, upon certain conditions being met, receive the opportunity to proclaim the gospel.
CanRC: Article 21 -An Edifying Word (FRCA: no parallel agreement)
Besides those who have been permitted, according to Article 8, to speak an edifying word, also others may be given such consent in accordance with general ecclesiastical regulations, for their own training and in order that they may become known to the congregations.
3.1.4.2 TRAINING FOR THE ELDERSHIP The churches have included in the Church Order no requirement for formal training of potential ruling elders for their office. This is not because training is not necessary. Rather, it is understood that Paul’s instruction in 2 Timothy 2:2 is satisfied with respect to potential ruling elders in a different manner than for teaching elders. The preaching of the gospel and the normal appetite of the spiritually healthy brother (encouraged, one assumes, by an equally spiritually healthy spouse) prompt study and reflection on the Word of God and the issues that live in the churches. It should also be noted that the qualifications for eldership listed in 1 Timothy 3:1-16 and Titus 1:1-16 do not include a degree of formal study.
3.2 Deacons 3.2.1 Defining the Deacons’ Work In 1 Corinthians 12:1-31 the apostle Paul describes the congregation at Corinth as a body: "Now you are the body of Christ" and all the Corinthian believers are "members individually" (1 Corinthians 12:27). In order to impress upon the Corinthians how important each individual believer is 104 for the proper functioning of the congregation as a whole, Paul compares the spiritual body of Christ to the physical human body. The human body too is the sum total of all its members, each member having its unique contribution to the well being of the whole body. He puts it like this: "The body is not one member but many. If the foot should say, ’Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body’, is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the smelling be? But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. And if they were all one member, where would the body be? But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, ’I have no need of you’; nor again the head to the feet, ’I have no need of you’. No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. And those members of the body which we think to be less honourable, on these we bestow greater honour; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty, but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honour to that part which lacks it, that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honoured, all the members rejoice with it" (1 Corinthians 12:14-26). The body of Christ functions no differently than the human body in that all the members individually make up one whole, and all the members need each other. So Paul concludes. "Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually" (1 Corinthians 12:1-277). This reality described here by the apostle was evident in the way the believers in Acts 2:1-47 interacted with each other. For the Christian converts "continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.... Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved" (Acts 2:42-47). These people realised that as a group they were united into one body through their shared faith in Christ, and they expressed this unity in deeds that sought each other’s benefit. The same can be found in Acts 4:32
Acts 6:1-15 tells us, though, that such church growth brought its own difficulties in relation to the effective functioning of the communion of saints. "Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a murmuring against the Hebrews by the Hellenists, because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution" (Acts 6:1). Possibly the Greek speaking widows did not receive the food they needed. Or maybe they were not involved in the work of distributing food. Whatever the case might be, the fact is that the limitations of this broken life caused the body to malfunction. Something was not right in the church of Jesus Christ.
How were the apostles to address this problem? They recognised the importance of devoting themselves totally to the ministry of reconciliation, since this was the way by which they were to bring people to faith. So the apostles came up with this solution: "Then the twelve summoned the multitude of die disciples and said, ’It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables. Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business; but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word’" (Acts 6:2-4). If the apostles had to involve themselves in the actual functioning of the communion of saints, they would have to do so at the cost of their real work. So they appointed and ordained seven men to the office of deacon. The seven men are not called ’deacons’ in so many words, but their task description ("serve tables") captures the work characterising the deacon; he serves. The Greek word ’serve’ is simply the verbal form of the noun deacon; these seven men had to deacon the tables. Hence the name ’deacon’. From the above we need to conclude that the Lord would give to the deacons the task of ensuring that the communion of saints functions the way it should.
3.2.2 Detailing the Deacons’ Work
Reference is made to the office of deacon per se in two other places of Scripture. In Php 1:1 one reads, "To all the saints in Christ Jesus 106 who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons", and in 1 Timothy 3:8-13 Paul enumerates the qualifications of deacons. Although one cannot draw up a task description for the office of deacon on the basis of these texts, one can work with what one reads in Acts 6:1-15 and Scripture’s emphasis on the church functioning as one body of which all are members individually. This requires organisation, and here lies the responsibility of the deacons. The churches have echoed this task of the deacons in their agreement together:
FRCA: Article 21 - Task of deacons (CanRC: Article 23)
The deacons shall perform the ministry of mercy. They shall acquaint themselves with difficulties; visit, help and encourage where there is need; and urge church members to render assistance where necessary. They shall collect and manage the gifts of the congregation, and after mutual consultation distribute them where there need. The deacons shall give account of their policies and management to the consistory. The deacons’ ministry is described here as the ministry of mercy: letting people taste the mercy of God. To that end deacons help and encourage the members of the congregation as is needed. However, in order to know the needs and give the appropriate support, the deacons need to go into the congregation and visit the members
One should, therefore, be no more surprised at seeing a deacon at the door as seeing an elder come to visit. Although the collection and distribution of money is popularly understood to form the heart of the deacon’s task (for managing the collection bags is what we all see them do in church), distributing alms to the poor is only a small part of the ministry of mercy. A more important duty of the deacons is to make sure that the communion of saints functions well. Deacon visits to all members are to serve the twofold purpose of ascertaining 1) whether there are any needs at a given address which require assistance, and 2) whether there are gifts at that address which might be of assistance to others in need. For the sake of a healthy communion of saints, the members do well to receive the deacons heartily and respond to their queries openly. An expanded task description for the deacon can be found in the "Form for the Ordination of Elders and Deacons", Book of Praise, pg 630f.
Yet the proper functioning of the communion of saints ultimately depends not on the deacons but on spontaneity amongst the saints. Just as the foot cannot but willingly cooperate with the leg, so likewise I need not wait for instructions from a deacon to go and help a person in need. It is 107 when spontaneity does not cover a need that the deacons must get involved. That does not mean that the deacons have to do all the assisting themselves. If the deacons have become the ’Mr Fix-its’ of the congregation, then the communion of saints is sick. The deacon’s main task is not first of all to give assistance, but rather to ensure that the members are willingly assisting each other, and if not, stimulating them to do so.
3.3 Office-Bearers and the Government The apostle Paul laid before the congregation in Rome the need for one and all to obey the authorities of the land. He writes: "Let every soul he subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience’ sake. For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God’s ministers attending continually to this very thing. Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honour to whom honour" (Romans 13:1-7). The same apostle instructed Titus to make it his business to remind those in his charge to "be subject to riders and authorities, to obey..." (Titus 3:1). Not only must the authorities be obeyed, but they also require our prayers: "Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence" (1 Timothy 2:1-2). It remains the task of office-bearers today to instruct the membership to be obedient to the secular authorities. This aspect of their work has received a specific mention in the agreement of the churches. By mentioning this matter explicitly, the churches publicly testify that God’s people are not rebels but law-abiding citizens.
FRCA: Article 27 - Office-bearers and the government (CanRC: Article 28)
The office-bearers shall impress upon the congregation its obligation to be obedient and show respect to the government, because God has instituted it. They must set a good example in this regard 108 and by means of proper communication invoke the government to protect the ministry of the church.
109.
---------- 1 Form for Ordination of Elders and Deacons", Book of Praise, pg 632.
2 (1) have passed a preparatory examination by the synod, which examination shall not lake place unless those presenting themselves for it submit the necessary documents to prove that they are members in good standing of one of the churches and have successfully completed a course of study as required by the churches;
3 Persons who have not pursued the regular course of theological study shall not be admitted to the ministry unless there is convincing evidence of their exceptional gifts of godliness, humility, modesty, good intellect, and discretion, as well as the gift of public speech. When any such person presents himself for the ministry the classis church shall seek to obtain this evidence by way of inquiry from the church to which he belongs, and from elsewhere if necessary. The examination shall take place in a synod (extraordinary if necessary). This synod shall set a period during which the person may, as candidate, speak an edifying word in the churches of the classis area. Thereafter the classis church, with the advice of deputies of synod, shall further deal with him as it shall deem edifying, observing the ecclesiastical regulations adopted for this purpose.
4 A minister of the Word who has recently joined one of the churches and originates from a church with which the churches do not maintain a sister relationship shall only be admitted to the ministry with great caution. He shall not be declared eligible for call within the churches unless he has been well tested for a reasonable period of lime and carefully examined by synod (extraordinary if necessary).
5 1. They shall he ordained only after synod has approved the call. Synod shall approve the call a. upon satisfactory testimony concerning the soundness of doctrine and conduct of the
candidate, attested by the consistory of the church to which he belongs; and b. following a peremptory examination of the candidate by Synod with satisfactory results.
6 They shall be installed after the classis church has approved the call.
1. For this approval as well as for the installation the minister shall show good testimonials concerning his doctrine and conduct, together with a declaration of honourable discharge front the consistory with the deacons and from the classis church.
7 A minister of the Word, once lawfully called, is bound to the service of the church for life and therefore not allowed to enter upon another vocation unless it be for exceptional and substantial reasons. The decision of his consistory to relieve him of his office in order to enter upon another vocation shall receive the approval of the classis church, with the concurring advice of deputies of synod.
8 A minister once lawfully called, shall not leave the church to which he is bound to take up the ministry elsewhere without the consent of his consistory with the deacons and the approval of the classis church. Likewise, no church shall receive him unless he has presented a proper certificate of release from the church he served.
9 The consistory with the deacons shall not dismiss a minister from his bond with the congregation without approval of the classic church and the concurring advice of the deputies of synod.
10 If a minister accepts a call or an appointment to an extraordinary task the nature of the relationship between him and the church to which he is bound must be arranged with the consent of the classis church. Some ministers may be appointed for the training of students for the ministry, others may be called for mission work.