Church Offices

Church Offices

By: Irnawan Silitonga

When we talk about positions or offices in the church, many Christians immediately think of titles such as senior pastor, synod chairman, or other positions within an organizational context. None of these exist in the Book of Acts. Yet most Christians—even those called Bible teachers—overlook the clear truth revealed in the Book of Acts.

There are around seventy instances in Acts referring to the Holy Spirit—phrases such as “the Spirit said,” “the Holy Spirit forbade,” “filled with the Spirit,” “the Spirit’s prompting,” and so on. This fact clearly shows that the early church was led directly by the Holy Spirit. The Apostle Peter, the Apostle Paul, Philip the evangelist, Stephen, Ananias, and all the Lord’s witnesses were directly guided by the Spirit. There was no manager leading the church, making plans, organizing, directing, and controlling systems. The church’s movement and expansion were entirely governed by the Holy Spirit. This fact is easily seen even with a single reading of the Book of Acts.

Although there were leaders such as Peter, John, Paul, and the elders, they held no authority ‘over’ the church. They were true servants—examples of how to serve and how to follow the leadership of the Holy Spirit. Their leadership was not an organizational position but a ministry function.

Let us now look at the Greek term EPISKOPE, which appears only once in Acts 1:20 (and four times in the New Testament). It is translated as ‘office’ in many Indonesian versions, and as oversight, place of leadership, or office in various English versions. However, by looking at the surrounding verses, we can understand the true meaning of EPISKOPE—it refers to the responsibility of serving as a witness of Christ’s resurrection (v. 22). Therefore, EPISKOPE refers to a ‘function’ or responsibility of ministry, not a position or title as in an organization.

Next, let us consider the Indonesian words ‘penilik’ or ‘penatua’ (overseer or elder). These are translations of two Greek terms—PRESBUTEROS and EPISKOPOS. The New Testament uses these terms interchangeably, as seen in Titus 1:5–7 and Acts 20:17,28. This means that PRESBUTEROS and EPISKOPOS refer to the same person: PRESBUTEROS denotes an elder or mature one (in age and experience), while EPISKOPOS describes the function—‘one who oversees’, guarding the congregation from the attacks of the evil one. Once again, we see that an elder or overseer is not a position of authority like in an organization, but rather a function in ministry—to shepherd the flock.

Thus, we see that the early church, as described in Acts, never mentioned offices in the sense of a position carrying special authority as in an organization. If that’s the case, why then are there titles such as senior pastor, synod chairman, and other authoritative offices in Christianity today? Many Christians think, What’s wrong with having a senior pastor or synod chairman? What’s wrong with organizing the church? The church is an organism, but it needs organization. Isn’t the organization just a tool?” These are common arguments we often hear.

To see this issue clearly, we must understand how the church described in Acts eventually became what we now see in today’s Christian world. It began when some elders, through false teaching, drew disciples to themselves (Acts 20:28–30). The disciples who initially followed the leading of the Holy Spirit were drawn instead to certain leaders, and thus no longer followed the Spirit’s guidance fully. These leaders had “stolen” the Holy Spirit’s authority over the Lord’s disciples. The once-unified church was then divided into thousands of groups because some followers aligned with one leader, and others with another. Today, Christianity has become about 5,000 major groups—Presbyterian, Baptist, Methodist, Pentecostal, and so on. The Christian world now calls these groups ‘denominations’, though many people equate denominations with the church itself.

Let us now take a brief look at church history and its fall. History records that a man named Ignatius (around 117 A.D.) is regarded as the first to teach a distinction between elders (PRESBUTEROS) and bishops (EPISKOPOS). Ignatius was a church leader in Antioch (Syria) who was martyred under Emperor Trajan. He wrote letters on his journey to Rome where he was to be executed. I will quote portions of his letters that reveal something deeply hidden in human nature—the desire for power. These quotations are taken from The Apostolic Fathers (1956) by J.B. Lightfoot:

Plainly therefore we ought to regard the bishop as the Lord himself. (p. 65)

Therefore as the Lord did nothing without the Father (being united with him), either by himself or by the Apostles, so neither do ye anything without the bishop and the presbyters. (p. 70)

‘…submitting yourselves to your bishop and presbytery, ye may be sanctified in all things’. (p. 64)

‘Be obedient to the bishop…’ (p. 72)

‘…he that doeth aught without the bishop and presbytery and deacons, this man is not clean in his conscience’. (p. 74)

‘Do ye all follow your bishop, as Jesus Christ followed the Father, and the presbytery as the Apostles’. (p. 84)

‘…he that doeth aught without the knowledge of the bishop rendereth service to the devil’. (p. 84)

Ignatius was a devoted leader who followed the Lord to the point of martyrdom in Rome, yet through his teaching, the Body of Christ fell under ‘human government’ with its hierarchy and organization. When bishops began competing for power, the office of “Archbishop” emerged. When Archbishops competed for the highest rank, the position of “Cardinal” arose. And when Cardinals strove among themselves, the office of “Pope” came into being. By the sixth century, the structure of human government within the church was firmly established—and the church entered its Dark Age.

Thus, the church today has fallen into a system of human rule built by its leaders. After nearly two thousand years of this condition, God’s people have grown accustomed to and have accepted positions within denominations as something normal—from senior pastors to synod chairmen—though Acts 20:28–30 describes these very developments as the attacks of savage wolves upon the leaders.

However, God’s chosen people will not partake in the church’s downfall. God’s elect will continue to serve as true servants, not drawing disciples to themselves—nor drawing money through teachings such as tithes, firstfruits, or other manipulative doctrines. Praise the Lord, hallelujah! Amen.