“And he put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.”
Ephesians 1:22-23 (NASB)
“But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction, and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Live in peace with one another. We urge you [the elders] to admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak be patient with everyone…”
1 Thessalonians 5:12-15 (NASB)
“It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do. An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money. He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity (but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?), and not a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil. And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he will not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.” 1Timothy 3:1-7 (NASB)
“Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith…Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.”
Hebrews 13:7, 17 (NASB)
Our leadership team aims to assist and enable our brethren to grow into the likeness of our Savior, Jesus Christ (Eph. 4:11-15). The goal our leaders in ministry is not to just go through the motions and do church things; instead, we strive to help serve, transform, defend and empower God’s people through the true knowledge of Jesus Christ. The reason we take this responsibility so seriously is simple: God insists that we do. The above scriptures point, not only to God’s ordained model for leadership in a local church, but also to the grave responsibility of leading. The Bible clearly outlines a body structure in the church. This would include…
Christ is the Head of the Church. The structural form of the church is revealed in the collective reading of the New Testament. We, at the Sturgis Church of Christ, believe that the New Testament design of the apostolic church is sufficient to govern the church in her mission and worship and to provide for the needs, the spiritual development and emotional stability of its members. With that in mind, Christ has the final say on everything. In other words, everything that the leadership does in the church, is through the guidance and filter of Jesus’ authority (Matt. 16:18; 28:18-20; Eph. 1:18-23; Col. 1:18; James 4:12).
While there are many names that people use to describe the role of a local minister today, none are more accurate than Evangelist. The word evangelist is derived from the New Testament Greek word euangelistes. This literally describes a person that brings good news to others. While soul-winning is part of the responsibility, it is not exclusive to it. In other words, there are many Christians that have been called to evangelize (EVERY CHRISTIAN), but would not be considered an evangelist in terms of fulfilling this divinely appointed role (see Eph. 4:11). After all, many churches have been wrecked by people who had no business trying to lead the church. All this makes a proper understanding of the responsibilities of an evangelist’s role, that much more important. (Eph. 4:11-16; 2 Tim. 1:13; 4:1-6).