Part 2 of 9 of the theme 'Leadership of elders ' by Gijs van den Brink

Last time we talked about the elders in the synagogue. We saw that these elders were not leaders in the synagogue, but elders of the village or town. With that, they were responsible for much more than just the local synagogue.

Today we look at the church in the New Testament. What do the apostles mean when they speak of the "church"? It turns out that they did not always mean the same thing by this. There has been a consensus for half a century that the term ekklēsia (church, congregation) in the New Testament has not two, but three forms or shapes. In other words, we find in the word "church" (ekklēsia) encountered in three meanings:

1. In keeping with Old Testament usage, the word is used for the "universal church" to which all Christians belong. This is the case, for example, in Ephesians 1:22-23,
   "He has laid everything at his feet and appointed him head over all, for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fulfills all in all.
2. Second, it is used in the sense of "local congregation," that is, the community of all Christians in a particular place or region. In the beginning, of course, there was no distinction between the universal church and the city church at Jerusalem (e.g., Acts 5:11: "the whole church"). But soon, in addition to "the congregation of Jerusalem" (Acts 11:22), we also learn of a "congregation throughout all Judea, Galilee and Samaria" (Acts 9:31). These are then urban or regional congregations in a particular area.
3. Third, there is talk of a "congregation at home. In Rom. 16:5 at Rome, in 1 Cor. 16:19 at Ephesus (both at the home of Aquila and Priscilla, but at different times), in Col. 4:15 at Laodicea at sister Nympha's house, and in Filem. 2 at Colossae at Filemon's house. Of these "congregations meeting in one place," there were apparently more in one city, as can be seen from Rom.16:5. This is also the case in Acts 2:41-47, where the at least 3,000 believers at Jerusalem apparently met in at least 100 small house congregations.

So it is important that when we encounter the word "church" in the NT, we need to know from the context what meaning it is talking about. And when we speak of elders in the church, what form of church are we talking about? Over which "church" did Paul and the other apostles appoint elders? The first, the second or the third? This distinction is, of course, essential. More on this next time.

Author: Gijs van den Brink
From: Study Bible Magazine

This is part 2 of 9 brief blog on the topic of "Leadership of elders" from Study Bible Magazine, Some of which we will be posting online in the near future. We hope this will help you understand the Bible better!