One distinctive of Southern Baptists is congregational government, which means the congregation (defined as the regular gathering of the covenant community, Matthew 18:19-20) governs the church. The congregation holds the authority to make decisions pertaining to the life of the gathering for the well being of all who have covenanted together (pastors or elders, deacons and members).
When we think of government, we normally think of formal structures, which they are. But we should also think of these structures that we have as a discipleship tool to train believers and rehearse the gospel together.
You may be wondering why this is important. Let me offer an answer by looking at Ephesians 4:12, which says, “to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.” Here, Paul is explaining to the church in Ephesus that the end goal of the gifts that God gives to His church is to equip the saints for the work of ministry. Therefore to be a member is to be a living part of the body that God has joined together for its own edification. The church benefits from the growth of its own members.
Here are a few ways a congregational government can enhance discipleship and growth in the local church.
1.) Disciple them about their authority — As we see in different passages (Matt. 18, Acts 7:1–7, Acts 13:1–3, 1 Cor. 5), the church has been given the authority to choose officials, to send missionaries and pastors, and to exercise church discipline. You don’t have to be a pastor or leader to be conscious of the sacred responsibility of exercising authority when it comes to collective decisions that the church has to make.
Pastors and leaders should encourage members to grow in their understanding on that which they want to move toward. One time there was a church that nominated some candidates for the office of pastor, and the current pastors gave the members some resources on how they could evaluate the candidates and what questions to ask. I recognize that some churches may have different processes and timelines for this, but helping the church to be conscious of the authority given to them is helpful. This is an opportunity where a Bible or book study could address these questions.
2.) Disciple them to care about holiness through church discipline — Unpopular opinion: Church discipline is an opportunity for discipleship, because the aim of discipline is to win our brother or sister (Matt. 18: 15–20). So as we approach the grieving situation, we also see that discipline is the ER that sends members as ambulances to wounded souls who still have a pulse by aiming to win them with the gospel. Let me offer some bullet points to unpack what I mean:
- Authority to restore (Gal. 6:1). The aim of church discipline is restoration. Knowing about other people’s sin is not a ground for gossip, pride or “cancelling someone” but instead it’s an opportunity to plead with them and remind them of the hope of the gospel. Exposed sin will bring shame, but the point of restoration is to help people see the gospel. Believers remind the fallen brother/sister to put sin to death so they may find new life in Jesus, instead of being entangled with sin.
- The aftermath of winning a broken saint (1 John 1:9, James 4:8–10). There will be cases when God will restore unrepentant saints who foolishly gave into their flesh. The aftermath of restoring a repentant saint shouldn’t be shaming them over the guilt of their sin but instead walking alongside them to help them fight their sin and restore the joy of their salvation in Jesus. And at times, this means the restored saint will have wounds to heal and consequences to bear even after repentance. So members must teach them what a new normal looks like by offering ways to confess sin, helping them establish boundaries to keep them from feeding their lusts and helping them pursue endeavors that they can invest themselves in.
- Mourn the lost soul (1 Cor. 5). Some who fall will not come back. There may be some Demas’s who will love this present world more (2 Tim. 4:10). Excommunication must be a sobering reminder to not trust in our own self-righteousness (1 Cor. 10:12) and to mourn the effects of sin. Church discipline teaches that we, as a body, must take holiness seriously because God does.
3.) Disciple them to maturity through the selection of new elders and deacons —Scripture gives us qualifications for elders and deacons in Acts 6:1–7, 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1. In these passages, we see a list of character traits that are essential for those who want to hold this office. When pastors present nominees, they can help their congregation think more about what it means to appoint leaders. Let’s look at it from two perspectives:
- Learning together: The church can learn together about the importance of healthy church leadership. Sometimes it’s helpful to provide members with tools to guide them. I remember a church that gave books on the subject of pastors and deacons and encouraged the congregation to study together as they were praying to choose some brothers for the offices. Months later, the brothers were voted in — but more than that, the church grew together in the understanding of the office.
- Aspire to grow: Seeing the qualifications of a pastor-elder or a deacon should be things that every Christian should aspire to grow in. Not everyone will desire or be called to the offices, but every believer should desire to be more like Jesus.
4.) Disciple them to healthy “push back” — Congregational life is collective life within the buffet of worldviews and opinions about different matters. Church polity gives us the opportunity to navigate through healthy disagreements together. I remember a pastor friend once said, “Hearing the disagreements of the members of my church has helped me to shepherd them better and to be aware that I’m not understood by everyone in the same way” (Heb. 13:17).
Saying this, I also want to be careful that this is not an encouragement for members to push back on every trivial subject in the life of the church — like the color of the carpet or what kind of lights are used. But there are important matters within the church where different perspectives can help us grow together in humility. Members being heard by their pastors or leaders will help them be more thoughtful on presenting things. In the same way pastors hearing their members will help them shepherd the congregation that they are investing their lives in. Differences are an opportunity for clarity by learning from one another without dishonoring each other, whether it results in agreeing or not (Eph. 4: 1–5).
5.) Disciple them to covenant membership — The formality of membership sometimes can make us lose sight of the beauty of it. This doesn’t mean that there’s something wrong with the formality of it, but let’s look beyond that. In the book of 1 Corinthians, Paul appeals to a church that is very diverse but they have been brought together and need one another. In the same way, membership is an opportunity for “one anothering.” Being together, and also doing life together as a body, can teach us the importance of being intentional.
This can be done by introducing new members to the overall life of the church and encouraging members to reach out to them. It can also be done through the membership directory. In some churches, the directory is used as a prayer guide — and members go through the names that have numbers and emails right next to them so they can ask how they can be praying for one another. This is the covenant community where we are called to stir one another to good works (Heb. 10:24).
Conclusion
Congregational government being lived out by the people of God helps us to see that formality is not the enemy of the organic, but sometimes it can be an opportunity for regular means of learning together within the gathering. We have people from different ages, different backgrounds and different seasons of life in the local church — and we’re all aiming to cherish Jesus. The structures that we have in church are not just hops for formality but are tools for discipleship.
Hebrews 12:1–2 — Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
— Edher Cavero graduated from the Evangelical Institute of Greenville and serves as a pastoral assistant leading the Hispanic ministry at Christ Fellowship Cherrydale, in Greenville, S.C. He previously served at Del Ray Baptist Church in Alexandria, Va., and Park Baptist Church in Rock Hill, S.C.
