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7. Baptist Churches Have Historically Been Led By A Bishop With Deacons
It is sometimes argued by eldership advocates that they are reforming contemporary churches to reflect the type of governance found in the primitive churches of the New Testament era and the Baptist churches of the Reformation era. However, I have demonstrated that the primitive churches recognized elders as unofficial leaders (household heads), rather than the official leaders (bishops). As for the Baptist churches of the Reformation era, there is no evidence these congregations appointed a set of elders analogous to the type of eldership advocated by today’s proponents. While it is certainly true that the first and second Baptist Confessions of Faith refer to elders, it is misleading, if not dishonest, to interpret the meaning of these references to be one and the same with…
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Conclusion
Eldership advocates are not only misguided in what they believe about elders, but they are also mistaken in their crusade to pressure Baptist churches into adopting elderships. Their error is enlarged by their misleading interpretations of scripture and historic Confessional statements. Such is the nature of their self-confidence and arrogance, that many churches are giving in to this pressure through sheer intimidation. Churches should not fear eldership advocates or their high claims to have received a monopoly on the truth. However, it may be asked, “If appointing elders is not the proper mode for the governance of a church, then what is the alternative?” The alternative is the scripturally approved, practically efficient, and historically validated method. Namely that: The Lord Jesus Christ, as Chief Shepherd…
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Those Elders—What Are They?
As I am in the middle of finishing an exhaustive book on the subject of elders, it is frustrating that I am not yet ready to fire back at those who are exerting great effort in promoting this newfangled theory of a plural eldership in Baptist churches. Their forceful claims to have received an inner revelation from God’s Word to which our Baptist forefathers were ignorant, is quite frankly a very arrogant position to nurture. When they boast their theory of leadership in churches is the ‘biblical way’, they censure and condemn all churches who have or are doing it different from themselves—and this includes all historic Baptist churches. Having dealt with many plural eldership advocates, invariably belonging to the Reformed Baptist movement,[1] I’ve come…
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14. The Lord’s Supper
John Gadsby—The following meager scraps are all I have been able to meet with as to my father's observance of the Lord's Supper. If there were any one part of the services of God's house in which he was more solemn and impressive than another, it was at this ordinance, and every time, month after month and year after year, he was always favoured with something new to lay before the people. On leaving the vestry and reaching the table, he first gave out a suitable hymn, which was sung. He then, if any persons were to be received into the church, they having previously taken their seats in the tablepew, he requested them to stand up; and he then frequently addressed them collectively after…
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37 An Address to the Regenerated Church of Christ
A Sermon Delivered By William Gadsby At The Baptist Chapel, St. George’s Road, Manchester On Lord’s Day, January 1, 1826 “For there are Three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, and those Three are One."—1 John 5:7Beloved of the Lord, Through an infinite variety of changing scenes, our over-to-be-adored covenant God has brought us thus far. The various troubles that we have had to grapple with in the past year only leave their number less. We shall never have to wade through them again; and if God the Holy Ghost has sanctified them to our souls they have done us no real harm. If we have learned through them, as instruments in the hands of our glorious Teacher,…
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Eldership Lectures/Book
The Reformed Baptist Movement has given rise to a new form of church leadership not practiced by Baptist churches prior to the 1950's. The majority of modern books and articles almost invariably assert that each church should be overseen by a plurality of elders. While many churches have conformed to the new trend, others staunchly cling to their traditional practice of having a single pastor assisted by a group of deacons. It is unwise to follow a trend, or support a tradition, without knowing the scriptural, historic and practical reasons undergirding the practice. I have invested more than seven years of extensive research on this subject. My notes and gathered resources are several thousand pages large. Some of this material was condensed and presented in…
