The Lord Jesus is the Chief Shepherd of this congregation. He alone is head (Ephesians 1:22-23; Matthew 23:8-11; 1 Peter 5:4)! He communicates His will for the church through the Bible. He gives additional guidance by means of the specific leading of the Holy Spirit who indwells the heart of each believer. He also shepherds the flock through the leaders of the church to whom He has given specific gifts.

A. General statement. In its operation, MBC will be governed by a group of godly men called elders. We trust that God will rise up these godly men and will establish them as true spiritual leaders in the church. These shall be men who evidence the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives, who have given a worthy witness of the authority of Christ in their lives, and who have met the qualifications given in the Scriptures. Elders should seek first to serve God and the body of Christ. Elders will be men who (1) devote themselves to prayer in order that they may seek the mind of Christ, recognizing that He is the true and only head of the church, and (2) devote themselves to the ministry of the Word, that they may faithfully and accurately live and teach the Word (Acts 6:4). Authority for the day-to-day ministry matters will reside in the hands of the elders, whether in full-time compensated service or otherwise.

B. Responsibilities of Elders. The elders shall be responsible for:

    1. Exercising a general superintendence over the church, the flock of God (Acts 20:28; John 21:15-17).

    2. Setting an example in the study and teaching of the Word of God (1 Timothy 5:7, 3:2; 1 Thessalonians 5:12; Titus 1:9).

    3. Being good managers or stewards of their God-given ministry (Titus 1:7).

    4. Giving diligent labor, caring leadership, and guided counsel in the Word (1 Thessalonians 5:12; Romans 12:9; 1 Timothy 3:4-5, 5:17; Hebrews 13:7).

    5. Exercising pastoral care and hospitality (1 Thessalonians 5:14-15; James 5:14, 1 Timothy 3:2; Titus 1:8).

    6. Overseeing all ministry teams.

C. Qualifications of Elders. The basic qualifications of elders are spelled out in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:6-9.

    1. Above reproach - He has a good reputation.

    2. Husband of one wife - We do not believe that this statement means that a man must be married to be an elder, but if he is married then he has only one living wife and he his wife's only living husband. If he has been biblically divorced (Matthew 5:32; 1 Corinthians 7:10-15) and has not remarried, he may be considered as a candidate for the office of elder.²

    3. Temperate - He has control over his appetites and inclinations or desires.

    4. Self-controlled - He has control over his actions.

    5. Respectable - Honorable, not an offensive person.

    6. Hospitable - Open and caring to all people.

    7. Able to teach - Has a basic understanding of the Bible, and he possesses the ability and desire to convey it to others.

    8. Not given to drunkenness - We expect the Elders of MBC to abstain from any use of alcoholic beverages as well as any illegal drugs.

    9. Not violent - Not a physically violent person.

    10. Gentle - Inclined toward tenderness.

    11. Not quarrelsome - He is a peacemaker.

    12. Free from the love of money - He is a generous giver. We expect all Elders to give sacrificially.

    13. Has control over his household. He is the spiritual leader of his home.

    14. Not a recent convert - A man may be considered for lay elder who has been saved for at least twenty-four (24) months and is at least thirty (30) years of age.

    15. He must have a good reputation outside the church.

    16. Holy and devout (Titus 1:8) - He is faithful to his Lord and the church.

    17. Upright (Titus 1:8) - Fair in all relationship and monetary dealings.

    18. Doctrinally discerning (Titus 1:9) - He is able to recognize doctrine that is contrary to the clear teaching of the Bible.

    This is not an exhaustive list of qualifications and responsibilities. The governing elders have the responsibility to interview and evaluate perspective elders on a case by case basis.

D. General Council of Elders. The totality of elders shall constitute the General Council of Elders (GCE) who are commissioned to govern the church under the Chief Shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Peter 5:4). The goal of the GCE shall be to consist of no less than five (5) elders. The GCE shall prayerfully seek unanimous agreement in all matters since we believe the Holy Spirit guides with a oneness of mind (Acts 15:1-29; Philippians 2:1-2). In matters of compensation or discipline of an elder, the elder in question shall abstain.

    1. Selection of Chairman: The chairman of the GCE must be approved by the GCE annually.

    2. Selection of Elders: As the church identifies the need for additional elders, the chairman of the GCE shall appoint two elders to serve with the chairman as an Elder Nominations Council. This council shall receive names of nominees from any church member. They shall review all nominations and interview nominees regarding their desire to serve and their biblical qualifications. This council will then submit the names of those deemed qualified to the GCE. Upon approval by the GCE, these names will be presented to the congregation for affirmation. After a man is affirmed by the congregation as an elder, he shall be ordained by the visible "laying on of hands of the presbytery" (1 Timothy 4:14, Acts 14:13).

    3. Dismissal of Elders: Any elder may be dismissed by a decision of the GCE. This shall be done within the confines of 1 Timothy 5:20.

    4. Staff Elders: The staff of the church may act as elders if so appointed, and there shall be no distinction in their function as elders from those who do not constitute paid staff. Being paid staff, however, does not automatically render a person an elder. All who serve as elders must be qualified according to scriptural qualifications. Paid staff, if appointed as elders, will be of equal authority as non-paid elders. Employment will be a matter of separate and distinct consideration. A full-time staff elder will be held accountable to the GCE, just as are all unpaid elders and staff, without distinction.

    5. Meetings: The GCE will meet as often as necessary to carry on their particular duties.

    6. Accountability: The GCE is a self-disciplining body with members accountable to one another (Matthew 18:15-20; 1 Timothy 5:19-20). Each elder is under the oversight of the General Council and subject to both formative and corrective discipline as are all members of the church. The GCE shall report to the congregation on the ministries of the church at least twice a year.

    7. Tenure of Service: No limit is placed upon the time that an elder may serve. The emphasis is that each one serves and not just attends meetings. Each must be active in ministry to remain an elder.

A. Senior Pastor

    1. The qualifications of the pastor are those given in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9. He must be spiritually and educationally qualified to lead the church as an under-shepherd of God, to preach, train, and provide direction under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.

    2. Responsibilities. The responsibilities of the pastor shall be:

        a. To earnestly carry on a preaching, teaching, and training ministry with the aim of bringing each member to a place of spiritual maturity and fruitfulness, and to a place of spiritual harmony with the rest of the church body

        b. To set an example in Christian living and dedication, c. To oversee the administration of ordinances.

        d. To serve as an ex-officio member of all of the church organizations, task forces, ministry teams and groups, with the exception of a Pulpit Search Team.

        e. To assure that the pulpit is filled as necessary. Preaching and teaching responsibilities may be shared as God provides elders gifted in those areas. The Senior Pastor will coordinate the teaching and preaching schedule.

    To aid the senior pastor in carrying out his ministry, the church body shall not burden him with tasks unrelated to those duties that are absolutely necessary to his under-shepherding. The main task of the pastor is the preaching of the Word of God from the pulpit, and nothing shall be permitted to diminish the time and effort that the pastor needs to make such ministry Spirit-filled and instructive. The pastor shall serve for an undesignated period of time. He shall give four weeks notice if the Holy Spirit leads him to resign; and the church shall give the Senior Pastor four weeks notice in the case that the church feels that his ministry at this local church has ended. This period may be lengthened or shortened by mutual consent.

    3. Calling a Senior Pastor. In the pursuit of a new Senior Pastor, the first responsibility lies with the GCE, who will be given the responsibility of forming a pulpit search team, and to whom the search team will be responsible.

B. Staff Elders, Associate Staff and Administrative Staff

    1. Qualifications of Staff Members.

        a. A staff elder must meet the qualifications of an elder given in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9. In addition, there must be evidence of a call to a specific ministry with the significant spiritual gifts and adequate training needed to fulfill the task to which he has been called.

        b. Associate Staff Members must meet the spiritual qualifications of a deacon listed in 1 Timothy 3:8-13, since those qualifications relate to service in the local church body.

        c. Administrative Support Staff Members (men or women) must have the spiritual qualifications of being worthy of respect, sincerity, trustworthyness, honesty, and self-control (1 Timothy 3:8-13).

    2. Responsibilities of a Staff Member. Each staff member will be responsible to fulfill their calling to a specific ministry by performing the specific duties outlined by the GCE.

    3. Calling a Staff Member. Under the leadership of the Senior Pastor, the church may call additional staff elders and associate staff members as needed to fill service opportunities in the ministries of the church. The senior pastor shall make recommendations to the GCE for approval. The chairman of the GCE will present these recommendations to the congregation for affirmation.

    4. Hiring Support Staff Members. The immediate supervisor, with the approval of the Senior Pastor, will recommend the hiring of support staff to the GCE for approval.

C. Staff Compensation.

    1. Biblical Basis for Compensation. The Scriptures indicate that a laborer is worthy of his hire (Luke 10:7). The word hire is misthos, which is equivalent to wages, pay. It is basically the payment made for services rendered.

    In 1 Corinthians 9:14, Paul states that "They which preach the Gospel should receive their living from the Gospel." The general teaching in 1 Corinthians 9 is that a preacher or gospel worker is worthy of receiving compensation for his services. Titus 1:7 shows that there is an honorable pay for diligent work.

    2. Consideration for Staff in the Local Church. The Scriptures show that paid staff ministering in a local congregation is legitimate and proper. It is also appropriate that there be checks and balances between the compensated staff and elders and deacons, and others who volunteer their time. The Scriptures do not prohibit a staff member from also being an officer to the church. There should be circumspection so that the paid staff member does not "lord it over" the church (1 Peter 5:3), but rather does the will of God, seeking to meet the needs of the people.

    All guidelines concerning compensation to church staff are the responsibility of the GCE and shall be determined by them. The elders shall oversee this area and make necessary recommendations and suggestions. Staff elders will withdraw themselves from discussions concerning the setting of their own compensation/benefit packages.

A. General Statement. The New Testament gives us a clear indication of both elders and deacons in the local church. Deacons were those who rendered service (diakonos) in the local church. As distinct officers in the local church, they are referred to in the plural (diakonoi, Philippians 1:1) and are mentioned in addition to elders in 1 Timothy 3:8-13. The government of the local church rests upon the elders (1 Timothy 4:14; Hebrews 13:17), while the deacons provide hands-on ministry within the local body of believers. Due to their active involvement in ministry, deacons provide a vital role in the church.

B. Qualifications: The qualifications are detailed in 1 Timothy 3:8-13 and defined in section 3 (qualifications for elders) of this MP. The major distinction between the qualification and responsibilities of the deacons and elders is that the deacons are to serve the body of Christ not rule over it. This distinction is made clear by Titus 1:9. Unlike elders, deacons do not have to be able to, "exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict."

C. Deaconesses: The elders unanimously believe that 1 Tim 3:11 is a reference to the office of deaconess not the wife of a deacon. We set forth the following arguments.

    1. The use of likewise argues for seeing a third and distinct group here in addition to elders and deacons (1 Tim 2:9, 3:8, Titus 2:3, 6).

    2. There is no possessive pronoun or definite article in the verse to connect the women (gune) to husbands or deacons; therefore, context calls for this to be translated women not wives.

    3. If this is a reference to the qualifications for a deacons' wife, why is it so short, and why is there no such list or qualifications for an elder's wife especially since an elder is called to a higher office of overseeing the church?

    4. Paul did not use the word deaconess because Greek had no such word at the time. The masculine word diakonos is used to describe both men and women in the New Testament. The only way to distinguish deaconesses from deacons was to use the general term for women (gune). See Romans 16:1, "I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a servant (diakonos) of the church which is at Cenchrea.

    5. The writings of the early church fathers tell us that the early church recognized and ordained deaconesses. See The Apostolic Teaching and Constitutions Book in, Section H; Book VH, Section XX.

    6. The only way that women can serve in the office of deacon is if there is a clear distinction between the offices of deacon and elder within the local church. When the church is ruled by elders and served by deacons, there is no reason why women cannot hold the servant office of deacon. However, if the church is ruled by a pastor/deacon model women cannot serve in the office of deacon for that would violate the clear teaching of 1 Tim 2:12.

    However, a few faithful and God loving members have voiced their opinion of disagreement with our proposed position. In a shepherdly response to our sheep's disagreement with our exegesis, in light of the fact that this is a difficult passage to interpret, and due to a societal understanding that adhering to deaconesses may incorrectly render us as a theologically liberal church, we feel as though it is best if we do not adopt the office of deaconess at this time. Nevertheless, we encourage all members of MBC to continue to examine the New Testament's teaching on the roles and offices of the church by means of objective hermeneutical principles.

D. Responsibilities: Inasmuch as the New Testament did not establish deacons as a ruling body, the deacons shall assist the elders and ministry teams in the work of the ministry and serve for the various needs of the church. They may be assisted by members who feel led to help accomplish the ministry of serving and caring for the people.

E. Tenure of Service. No limit is placed upon the time a deacon may serve. However, deacons must be active in a service ministry to remain an active deacon.

F. Selection: As God prompts and need requires, the GCE and the current active deacons will receive nominations for new deacons from any church member. An Examining Council composed of elders and deacons will be formed. They will interview all prospective deacons with regard to their qualifications (1 Timothy 3:8-13) and willingness to serve. Those selected for service will be presented to the church for their affirmation.

G. Ordination: Those selected and affirmed will be ordained as deacons to serve in this local body. This ordination shall follow the teaching of Scripture concerning the visible "laying on of hands" (Acts 6:6).

    The GCE will oversee the various ministries of the church through ministry teams. Each member of Memorial Baptist Church is important to the health and well being of the entire body since each member is given certain spiritual gifts by God (1 Corinthians 12:7). The church will function as God intends only as all members do their part in ministering to one another.

A. Each ministry team will be led by an individual or group approved by the GCE.

B. In each ministry team, unanimity is stressed on all matters. In rare cases where unanimity cannot be reached, the matter will be brought before the GCE for resolution.

C. Any member of the church may serve on a ministry team upon approval by the GCE.

D. No one person may act as chairperson of two ministry teams.

E. Ministry team appointments shall be renewed annually.

F. Every ministry team is under the authority of the GCE. Any decisions changing the established policy or ministry must be made with the full approval of the GCE.

G. Responsibilities of Ministry Team Members:

    1. Attend scheduled ministry team meetings.

    2. Each chairperson must participate in church leadership training sessions.

    3. Help develop vision and strategy for ministry under the leadership of the senior pastor or elders which will help carry out the overall vision and strategy of MBC. Vision and strategy should include:

        a. Definition of ministry.

        b. Vision statement - explanation of the purpose of the ministry.

        c. Policies and procedures for implementing vision and strategy.

        d. Setting and evaluating goals against which the ministry can be measured.

        e. Recording minutes for every meeting.

H. Establishment of Ministry Teams. The GCE shall establish such ministry teams as are deemed necessary for the fulfillment of the stated purpose and priorities of the church as given in this ministry plan.

    The priesthood of believers is well established in the New Testament (1 Peter 2:5; Revelation 1:6, 5:10, 20:6), as is the elder-led structure of spiritual authority (Acts 14:23; 1 Timothy 5:17; 1 Peter 5:1-5). The church is made up of both those given spiritual authority and individual believers. The local church, made up of all believers, accepts these leaders as their representatives appointed by God, not to represent them before God, but to govern among them.

    They have been called and gifted for that very purpose (Ephesians 4:7-16). All Christians, however, are priests alike before God, and have direct access to God without intermediaries (1 Timothy 2:5).

    The role and service of women in the New Testament is evident as one reviews the Gospel records (Luke 1:26-56, 2:36-38, 8:2-3; Matthew 27:55-56; Mark 15:40-41), the account of the early church (Acts 1:14,5:14,6:1,9:36, 12:12, 16:14, 17:34, 18:2; et al), and the epistles to the believers throughout the Mediterranean world (Romans 16: 1, 3, 6, 13, 15; 1 Corinthians 1:11; Philippians 4:2-3; 1 Timothy 3:11, et al). The Scriptures show that women played an active part in the life of each congregation.

    In Galatians 3:28, Paul points out that in Christ Jesus male and female are one. There is an equality before the Lord. Balanced with that is a distinction in the roles of men and women in the ministries of the local church. The teaching of the Apostle Paul is that a wife should so behave as not to show superiority over her husband. This does not mean that a woman cannot know more than a man or be a leader in certain areas, but in the church she should not do anything or assume any role which may adversely affect the husband-wife relationship.

    The Scriptures instruct that the particular role of elder is reserved for men (1 Timothy 3:1, 8; Titus 1:5-6). The roles given to women complement and enhance the total ministry of the local body of believers (e.g., Romans 16:1; 1 Timothy 2:9-10, 5:10, 14, 16; Titus 2:3-5). It should be remembered that the Word of God never seeks to hamper men or women in their service roles, but rather seeks to direct them in fulfilling their roles in a way that promotes holiness in daily life, fruitfulness in service, unity in the body of Christ, and harmony in the family (Ephesians 4-5; Colossians 3).

    The Board of Elders shall act as the legal representative of the church. Its members shall hold in trust the property of the church and shall act as agents in the purchase, sale, mortgage, lease, transfer, or any extensive repair of the church property.