What does the Bible say about Church Government?
What does the Bible say about Church Government? The Bible says that Jesus is the Head of the church (Eph. 1:9, 22–23; 4:15; 5:23), the one who builds the church (Matt. 16:18), and the Chief Shepherd (1 Peter 5:4) who ultimately leads and protects His flock (John 10:1-29). As the Chief Shepherd of the church, Jesus has called certain men to be “overseers” (Acts 20:28), who are the under-shepherds of Jesus to the flock (1 Peter 5:2), and are responsible in feeding, tending, protecting, and keeping watch over the sheep on behalf of the Chief Shepherd (John 21:15-17; Acts 20:28; Hebrews 13:17). The Bible informs us that the official church title given to these shepherds who oversee the sheep is “elder”. The Bible indicates that there is supposed to be a plurality of godly elders operating in their particular giftedness who are “appointed at every church” (Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5; Philippians 1:1), and who meet the biblical qualifications for the office (1 Timoth...