Is your church elder ruled or congregational ruled?
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Frankly Answered Questions - FAQs

Is your church elder ruled or congregational ruled?

Q: Is your church elder ruled or congregational ruled?

A: Our church has a board of elders that lead the church. Here is a section from our church by-laws:

ARTICLE III - GOVERNMENT
SECTION 301 - Board of Elders

  1. Membership

    The Board of Elders shall be comprised of those Elders nominated by the body, confirmed by the Board of Elders, and approved by the Membership (see SECTION 201)
  1. Responsibilities

    The Board of Elders is responsible for the administration of the Church under God's authority and in particular is responsible for the development of the spiritual life of the Church and its members. Collectively, the Board of Elders shall:
  1. Define and interpret the overall objectives and aspirations of the Church which, if attained, will produce progress toward fulfilling the Scriptural purposes for its existence.
  2. Become aware of the spiritual needs and concerns of those in the Congregation, and assist in the establishment of goals for the Church based on these concerns.
  3. Oversee the development of strategies by the various Boards, committees, ministry groups and individuals using available resources to meet the goals of the Church, including all programs, ministries, meetings, and other efforts of the Church. Individual members may be assigned as liaison to various boards for specific periods of time.
  4. Administer Scriptural forms of Church discipline to members as outlined in Matthew 18:15-17, when a member is found to be flagrantly negligent in living the Christian life and in upholding the Covenant of Discipleship.
  5. Act on termination of membership as provided for in SECTION 104 of these By-laws.
  6. Obtain nominations from the body of those willing and qualified to serve as Elders, Trustees, Deacons, Treasurer or other required administrative positions.
  7. Ensure all candidates for positions of Elder, Trustee, Deacon and Treasurer are properly elected by the Membership.
  8. Have the authority to remove Elders, Deacons or the Treasurer when that authority has been granted to them by 3/4 vote of the Members present at a Business Meeting and when the reason for dismissal should be kept confidential. The vote of the Elders for dismissal must be unanimous, except when considering the dismissal of another Elder. In this case, the unanimous decision of all other members of the Board is necessary for dismissal.
  9. Appoint persons to and dismiss persons from administrative positions, paid or unpaid, other that those mentioned in Responsibility 7 above. For paid positions, appointment should occur only after budget approval by the Membership.
  10. Approve expenditures by Boards, Committees, officers, and ministry groups when such expenditures are within the Budget categories previously approved by the Membership, but temporarily exceed the limitations of the Church Budget (See SECTION 605C).
  11. Review and approve the Annual Budget prior to its submittal to the Membership.
  1. Organization and Procedures

    Procedures for the conduct of Elder business shall be as determined by that Board. The Chairman shall be the Pastor unless otherwise designated by that Board.
  1. Meetings

    The Board of Elders shall meet as and when necessary to conduct its business. Meetings shall be called by the Chairman who will individually contact members of the Board and, when possible, announce such meetings on the Sunday morning prior to the meeting. A quorum for the transaction of business shall be a majority of the Board membership.
  1. Authority

    On the basis of the Scriptures and ARTICLE IV of the CONSTITUTION, the administration of authority in the Church is given by the Holy Spirit to the Elders who are to administer God's authority and be responsible for His will being put into practice. The Board of Elders, therefore, shall have the authority to interpret this Constitution and By-laws and implement actions consistent with it.

(End of section from our church by-laws)

We have another section from the by-laws on the requirements to become an elder from 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1. If you want me to, I can send that to you.

The authority of the elders is balanced by the responsibilities of the congregation. The congregation is responsible to confirm elder candidates to office, to pray for the leaders of the church, to correct the elders when they are in sin according to the principles in Matthew 18:15-20, and the congregation votes on the church budget every six months (the power of the purse strings ;>). We believe this is the pattern of government we see in Scripture. If you want more information on that I can send you some handouts from our Pastor's Class comparing the different forms of church government and their Biblical basis.

Keep questioning and seeking truth.

Dennis