Belgic Confession, Article 31; Day 1: Lawful Election by the Church by Rev. Martyn McGeown Acts 6:3: “Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report ...” It is a fundamental principle of Reformed church polity that the local church chooses her own officebearers—her own minister, elders and deacons. Reformed churches differ sharply from hierarchical forms of church government. For example, in the Roman Catholic church the priests are appointed by the bishop. He determines—without any input from the local congregation—who shall be the priest. Therefore, the priest is imposed upon the congregation by a higher ecclesiastical authority. This is the case for all the offices in the Roman Catholic church. The cardinals are appointed by the pope; the archbishop, bishops and other offices—which are unbiblical offices—are in no way determined by the people. This kind of imposition from the outside is practiced by other types of churches as well, for example by Episcopalianism and Methodism. Belgic Confession Article 31 condemns such an approach. First, no higher ecclesiastical authority—or even the civil authority of the state—has the right to determine the officebearers of the local congregation. This includes the pope, the bishop, the classis or synod. “The minister of God’s Word, and the elders and deacons, ought to be chosen to their respective offices by a lawful election by the church.” This is good and proper. Only the local congregation, who know their own particular needs, can determine for themselves who their pastor should be. Only the members of the local congregation can elect their own elders and deacons. The elders and deacons must be fellow members of the congregation who know the flock and are able to minister to their spiritual needs. Peter speaks about this when he addresses the elders thus: “The elders which are among you … Feed the flock of God which is among you” (I Pet. 5:1-2). How could a man imposed against the will of the congregation know the flock? Second, no man may impose himself upon the congregation. This was a problem in the days of the Reformation. Men felt themselves “called” to preach and started thrusting themselves forward. But a man must be called through the church and by the church to be properly called by God. This, too, is part of the good order and discipline demanded by Christ in His church. Paul explains this principle in Romans 10: “How shall they preach except they be sent?” (v. 15). The process for appointing officebearers is not set forth in all its details in Scripture. However, the principles are easy to determine and to follow. First, the Scriptures describe for us the kind of men we should seek, men who have certain spiritual qualifications (I Tim. 3:1-13; Tit. 1:5-9). Let not the election of officebearers be a popularity contest! Let it not be determined by who has the most money! Second, the Scriptures demand that these men be examined (“proved”) by the congregation (I Tim. 3:10). Only after such election and examination can men say that they have been appointed by the church—and therefore by Christ Himself—to their respective offices.
Posted on: Tue, 27 Aug 2013 08:02:38 +0000