Organization of the Church
Text: 1 Corinthians 12:28
Series: Restoration Sermons
Date:
Speaker: Ed Rangel
Location: Waupaca Church of Christ
Bible Version: NASB 1995
Sermon Type: Expository
Learning Objectives
By the close of this lesson the hearer should be able to:
- Describe the simple organization of the New Testament church.
- Identify the place of apostles, elders, deacons, and evangelists.
- See that the elders (a plurality in each church) provide the lasting oversight of a congregation.
Thesis
The New Testament church had a simple, God-given organization — apostles in the foundation age, then elders (a plurality overseeing each congregation), deacons who serve, and evangelists who preach — with Christ alone as Head and no office above the local church.
Burden
The New Testament never describes anyone "organizing" a church; the organization simply grew up with the work as the Lord supplied what each congregation needed. That simplicity is itself a safeguard. Men have since built elaborate hierarchies the Bible never authorized — popes, councils, boards stacked above the local church. The cure is to look at the plain pattern: who held what office, and how far their authority reached. When we see how little structure the Lord required, we lose our appetite for the structures men have added.
Introduction
Nothing is said in the New Testament about "organizing" a church; its organization developed with its work. The outline surveys the offices in order: the apostles, the authority of the apostles, the elders, the deacons, and the evangelists.
I. The Apostles (1 Cor. 12:28; Gal. 2:9)
The apostles were "first" in the church (1 Cor. 12:28). James, Peter, and John were reckoned "pillars" (Gal. 2:9). Theirs was a unique, foundational office (Eph. 2:20): they bore Christ's authority to preach, and their approval confirmed the great turning points — the reception of the Samaritans and then the Gentiles (Acts 8; 10–11; 15). The apostolic office, by its very qualifications (eyewitnesses of the risen Lord, Acts 1:21-22), could not be passed on; it belonged to the foundation age and is not perpetuated.
II. The Authority of the Apostles (Acts 12:17; 15)
On the matter men most often distort: Peter was not a "pope." If any apostle held a leading place at Jerusalem it was rather James (Acts 12:17; 15:13), and even he ruled nothing alone. All the apostles were given authority to preach; none was set over the others as a monarch. The Jerusalem conference (Acts 15) was not a pope handing down a decree but apostles and elders together searching the Scriptures. There is no New Testament throne for any man over the church.
III. The Elders (Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5)
The standing oversight of each congregation belonged to the elders, known by several interchangeable terms describing one office: overseer/bishop (Phil. 1:1), presbyter/elder (presbyteros), shepherd/pastor (Eph. 4:11), and "ruler." Note the marks of the New Testament pattern:
- There was a plurality of elders in each church — never one man over a congregation (Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5).
- They first appear in Acts 11:29-30 and stand "side by side with the apostles" through Acts (15:2, 4, 6, 22-23; 16:4; 21:18).
- They were appointed in every church (Acts 14:23) — guided by the Holy Spirit, whether selected with the apostles' help or by the congregation.
- Unlike the apostles, who had a worldwide mission, the elders remained in the local congregation they oversaw.
The elders, then, are the lasting leadership Christ left for each church: local, plural, shepherding the flock among them (1 Pet. 5:2).
IV. The Deacons (Acts 6:2-4)
The word "deacon" (diakonos) means servant. The seven of Acts 6 are the pattern: men appointed to a needful service so the apostles could give themselves to the word — though several of the seven (Stephen, Philip) were soon found preaching as well. The precise "business" or "need" they were "over" is not spelled out, and whether that particular appointment was permanent or temporary is not stated. What is clear is the office itself: trusted servants who minister to the practical needs of the church (Phil. 1:1; 1 Tim. 3:8-13), freeing others for the ministry of the word.
V. The Evangelists (Eph. 4:11; 2 Tim. 4:5)
The ministry of the word is the supreme work of the church (1 Tim. 3:15), and the evangelist is the worker devoted to it — a teacher and laborer (1 Cor. 12:28), one who brings the good news. The word appears only three times in the New Testament (Acts 21:8; Eph. 4:11; 2 Tim. 4:5), and the evangelist characteristically traveled, carrying and establishing the gospel where it had not been. He is not an office over the church but a servant of the word within and beyond it.
Application
Keep your congregation to the simple pattern and refuse the additions. There is no office above the local church and no single man over a congregation — so resist both the "pope" of a hierarchy and the "pastor" who functions as a one-man ruler; the Lord appointed a plurality of elders. Honor your elders as the shepherds Christ set over you (Heb. 13:17); support your deacons in their service; uphold the evangelist in the ministry of the word. And remember the safeguard: the less human structure we add, the closer we stay to the church as Christ built it.
Conclusion
The church's organization is simple because God made it so: apostles in the foundation age, then in each congregation a plurality of elders to shepherd, deacons to serve, and evangelists to preach the word — all under Christ the one Head, with no office above the local church. Men have built far more; the Lord required only this. Keep it simple, and keep it His.
Invitation
The simplest and most important place in the church is not an office at all — it is membership in the body of Christ, entered by obedient faith. Believe in Jesus, repent, confess Him, and be baptized for the remission of your sins (Acts 2:38; Gal. 3:27), and the Lord will add you to the church He organized. Take your place in His body today. Come while we sing.
Word Study
| English Term | Greek Term | Basic Meaning | Usage in This Sermon | Sermon Significance | Key Texts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overseer / elder / shepherd | — | three terms (episkopos, presbyteros, poimēn) for one office | describing the work (oversight), the maturity (elder), and the care (shepherding) of the same men | describing the work (oversight), the maturity (elder), and the care (shepherding) of the same men | Acts 20:28; 1 Pet. 5:1-2 |
| Deacon | diakonos | a servant; the office of trusted service to the church's practical needs | Used in this sermon to establish the biblical meaning of the term | a servant; the office of trusted service to the church's practical needs | — |
| Evangelist | euangelistēs | a bringer of good news; the worker devoted to preaching the gospel | Used in this sermon to establish the biblical meaning of the term | a bringer of good news; the worker devoted to preaching the gospel | — |
Scripture Interlock Table
| Theme | Boles' Outline | Supporting Scripture |
|---|---|---|
| Apostles first; unique office | I | 1 Cor. 12:28; Gal. 2:9; Eph. 2:20 |
| No "pope"; no man over the church | II | Acts 12:17; 15:13 |
| Elders — a plurality in each church | III | Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5; 1 Pet. 5:2 |
| Deacons — servants | IV | Acts 6:2-4; 1 Tim. 3:8-13 |
| Evangelists — ministers of the word | V | Acts 21:8; Eph. 4:11; 2 Tim. 4:5 |
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Converted from H. Leo Boles, Outline 29. Doctrinal audit: core-framework — simple New Testament organization; apostolic office foundational and unceasing-but-unrepeatable; rejection of the papacy/one-man rule; plurality of elders overseeing each autonomous congregation; deacons serve; evangelists preach; Christ the sole Head. No correction. Style audit: OCR cleanup ("ORGAN 1ZAT 1ON"→organization; "Episkopoi"→episkopos; "Poimenes"→poimēn; references normalized). Note: source IV "Chireia"/"Chreia" → Greek chreia ("need"), as Boles discusses.
