All civilized countries recognize the necessity of government. Different forms of government hold sway in various lands but all admit the necessity of some final tribunal and ultimate authority. Chaos and confusion prevail where no rule obtains. Whether we study the civil, domestic, or religious realm authority must be vested and recognized as existing somewhere if peace and order are to be realities.<\/p>\n
In the church of Christ all authority resides in Christ. He is the Maker, Giver, and Judge of His law as well as the Discerner of hearts of His subjects. On earth there is no super organization of all Christians with authority stemming from some central headquarters. In view of plain Bible teaching one of the simplest and most revealing tests of the scripturalness of any professed religious organization is the question: Does it have some national or international head on earth? If the answer is in the affirmative such within itself shows that religious body not to be the Lord’s body for His church has no such organizational structure.<\/p>\n
The only organization which Christ has on earth is the church in some given locality generally spoken of as a congregation of disciples or baptized believers. The law of Christ governs believers in their congregational relationships. As the individual disciple cannot disregard the Will of Christ in his individual activities and remain sinless, so the congregation cannot violate the law of God in its congregational or collective activities and remain sinless.<\/p>\n
In the local church, God has made provision for bishops to govern in matters of expediency. These officers are sometimes called elders, overseers, and presbyters. In matters of faith, i.e., where God had definitely spoken, bishops are under exactly the same obligation to obey implicitly the Word of God as are all other Christians. They have an additional responsibility of faith not bound upon all saints, viz., they are to “feed the flock.” This is not a matter of judgment but a solemn obligation devolving upon them as a result of the relationship they sustain to those whom they oversee.<\/p>\n
In matters of judgment or expediency, those meeting the divine qualifications of bishops are supreme and their word is final. The Holy Spirit has appointed them and to resist their authority is to rebel against the Holy Spirit. God knew that final decisions in the sphere of expediency had to be made by somebody and divine wisdom has provided for them in the eldership. Regardless of the individual’s judgment, it becomes his solemn obligation to acquiesce in the bishops’ rule when that rule is announced. For all practical purposes their decision is God’s decision, and therefore, must become the disciple’s decision. To admit otherwise is to nullify the office of elders and reflect upon God’s purpose in providing them. If their decisions can be disregarded their office can be ignored, God’s Word can be set aside for it makes provision for bishops in the churches.<\/p>\n
Sad to say, many feel today that God’s Word can be set aside. They will not admit it but their actions betray their true sentiment. When rebellion breaks out and the judgment of qualified, God-fearing elders becomes the target of invectives and harsh criticisms of loose thinking and looser talking church members, the Lord’s Word has been set aside and His own government attacked. Either elders are to rule or they are not to rule. If they are to rule, they must be obeyed. If they are not to rule, divine wisdom was mistaken in commanding that they be obeyed.<\/p>\n
When the spirit of rebellion begins to foment it generally finds expression in overt acts. Absalom became the victim of his own vain ambition to rule in David’s stead before the people were stirred to help him consummate his evil designs in dethroning his father. Hid dissatisfaction with the existing order, first, and his conceited notion that he could successfully replace God’s appointed king, next, formed the framework of his scheme to usurp the throne of Israel. His foolish folly is best seen in the overthrow of his plan and the loss of his life.<\/p>\n
A disposition to throw out the elders and change the existing order is the thing of the day in some localities. It is the mind of Absalom and the spirit of Korah. When it takes tangible form it is overt rebellion against God and the gospel. It denies the authority of Christ and brings His body to open shame. Within the last decade churches all over the land have witnessed such heart-rending spectacles and the cause at large has suffered irreparable damage as a direct result of this spirit.<\/p>\n
Most always the situation resolves itself into majority rule versus elder rule and eventually into open division of the congregation. Christian principles and decent manners fall prostrate before the majority vote. The would-be rulers take over and the men who only a short while before held the confidence and respect of all are now ambushed by ambition, scouraged by scoffing, and crucified by calumny. “Majority rule” in the church has no manners — decent manners, that is. And those who constitute the majority are usually so blinded by pride that they can see no sin of their own and so infatuated with their own importance that they do not listen to reason and will not heed revelation.<\/p>\n
Where gospel preachers are willing to submit themselves to the judgment of elders when they fire as well as when they hire the situation will rapidly improve. If preachers and elders will hold faithfully and constantly before the congregation its responsibility and proper attitude toward the elders the disciples will not likely get out of control. This is one sure way to honor the divine arrangement and preserve the peace of God’s people.<\/p>\n
“Majority rule” is not God’s plan for His church. If it is right part of the time, it is proper all the time, there is no room for elders ruling. If there is no place for elder rule there is no place for Christ’s rule. If there is no place for Christ’s rule there is no place for Christ’s church and if there is no place for Christ’s church there is no room for Christ. Beware of the man or men, preachers or otherwise, who will dissipate the divine plan for their own purposes. Such persons are too liberal for the progress and prosperity of the Lord’s people in spiritual affairs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by James R. Cope via The Preceptor, Vol. 1, No. 4, February 1952. All civilized countries recognize the necessity of government. Different forms of government hold sway in various lands but all admit the necessity of some final tribunal and ultimate authority. Chaos and confusion prevail where no rule obtains. Whether we study the civil,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[448,123,667],"class_list":["post-20762","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-church","tag-elders","tag-organization-of-the-church"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":33111,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-legacy-of-campbells-error\/","url_meta":{"origin":20762,"position":0},"title":"The Legacy of Campbell’s Error","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 8, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"by Steve Dewhirst Sentry Magazine, December 2000 Alexander Campbell (1788-1866) was a remarkable man, but he was just a man, subject to error even as the rest. for all of his great learning, teaching, and writing over many years, he was profoundly wrong in his understanding of one vital aspect\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/01\/Alexander-Campbell-200x300.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":92240,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/loose-cannons\/","url_meta":{"origin":20762,"position":1},"title":"Loose Cannons","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 19, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Kevin Cauley Reading the news today, I came across an article about one of the presidential candidates, in which one of his former military commanders said he was a \"loose cannon.\" Just the other day, one of our members was telling me about a man who claimed to be\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/cannon-300x200.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":29780,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/identifying-a-new-testament-church\/","url_meta":{"origin":20762,"position":2},"title":"Identifying a New Testament Church","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 8, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"by Steve Dewhirst Sentry Magazine, December 2002 Traditionally, we gospel preachers have spoken of \"identifying the New Testament church\" in an effort to distinguish it from the sects roundabout. But in so doing, we have sometimes obscured the true nature of the body of Christ. We begin to preach about\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Magnifying_glass_with_focus_on_paper-300x169.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":45293,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/can-a-woman-be-the-educational-leader-in-a-church\/","url_meta":{"origin":20762,"position":3},"title":"Can a woman be the educational leader in a church?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 11, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hello, I am so thankful for this site and often visit it when I'm looking for a better understanding of things. I was born and raised in a church of Christ and know nothing else. I have been blessed to have the opportunity to visit many congregations throughout the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":16421,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-organization-of-the-church\/","url_meta":{"origin":20762,"position":4},"title":"The Organization of the Church (Kimbrough)","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 3, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"by Earl Kimbrough via Searching the Scriptures, August 1978, Volume 19, Number 8 The Lord designed the church according to his own will and circumscribed it with certain distinguishing marks that are clearly set forth in the Scriptures. No one of these essential features of the church is more important\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/12\/organize-300x200.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4225,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-it-biblical-to-have-a-board-of-trustee\/","url_meta":{"origin":20762,"position":5},"title":"Is it biblical to have a board of trustees?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 3, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Is it biblical to have a board of trustees? Answer: Governments exist by the authority of God (Romans 13:1-2). 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