Wring on Elder Rule

I have read with delight an excellent article titled - "Elder Rule and Southern Baptist Church Polity" and written by Robert A. Wring, Adjunct Instructor at Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary, Germantown, TN. I think it is an excellent beginning article for any student of this issue. I have excerpted the following as a worthy specimen of his affirmations, ones which I endorse, and which give valuable information.

Notice also how he calls upon Baptists journalists and apologists to take up the issue and do a more exhaustive work than he has done. The Lord willing I intend to answer the call.

Wring says:

"...elder rule is not necessary. It does not have biblical support, nor does it have strong historical Baptist precedence."

"Those leaders who are buying into the idea of elder rule as the proper form of church governance in a Southern Baptist church are being influenced by several factors. First of all, they are following in the footsteps of men like John MacArthur, John Piper, Richard Mayhue, Alexander Strauch, Mark Dever and others who favor the elder-style of church polity. According to Rob Norris, Director of the Denver Baptist Association in the state of Colorado, pastors and church leaders in that association are being influenced by Saddleback Church and Willow Creek Community Church whose leadership style is the practice of some form of elder leadership, or elder rule. At the Willow Creek Community Church, pastored by Bill Hybels, there are eight ruling elders who operate the church like a corporation. The elders are the ultimate decision-making body in the Willow Creek church."

"There is no higher court of appeal in MacArthur’s Grace Community Church than that of the ruling elders."

"In the Shepherd’s Conference at MacArthur’s Grace Community Church, Mayhue has taught a seminar every year on how to move a congregationally-ruled church to one that is elder-ruled."

"Mayhue and others at The Master’s Seminary do not see a congregational form of church polity, or government, or leadership in the New Testament."

"Piper’s church is not Southern Baptist either. In a tape and handout given to participants in his leadership seminars, he stated that his eldership model was based on four criteria: Scripture, culture, history, and local church dynamics. Piper saw a very small amount of clear Bible teaching on the subject of church government and he put more emphasis on culture and history than he did on biblical support. His movement toward elder rule is simply a pragmatic concern at best. Piper’s "Council of Elders" creates whatever ministry bodies seem to be helpful in the church and the elder board "can abolish these tomorrow if they want to. The elders are the church leaders who govern the church." Piper presently has eighteen elders which are a mixture of ordained pastors and laymen (who are in the majority on the elder board). Some are rulers, the others are teachers. The congregation has a limited involvement in the decision-making process of the church."

"Dever’s church is a mixture of elder rule and congregationalism; which makes his church government structure a presby-gational polity; although he argues against the Presbyterian type of church government structure. The eldership of Capitol Hill Baptist Church includes the pastor and at least three laymen who are not in full-time employment of the church. The elders of this church determine a person’s fitness to become a church member and handle discipline-matters, the supervision of the ministry, and the resources of the church. The majority of church-related business passes through their attention, and there is a limited amount of congregational participation and authority."

"Fourth, these well-meaning leaders have misread the pages of Baptist history in general, and Southern Baptist history in particular. In both histories, the term elder was a title for the pastor or pastors of a Baptist church. The term encompassed those men who were called into the ministry, were teachers and doctors, and who were helpers to the pastors of the churches. Some early Baptists had at least one ruling elder whose ministry was like that of the assistant pastor in modern times; he was a helper who assisted the pastor of a local body of believers. After 1845, because of disuse and the development of a proper understanding of the role of ministers and deacons, the office of ruling elders was allowed to die a slow death."

"Fifth, it is usually the churches that are Reformed in their theology that are adopting elder rule as the proper form of church governance."

"Does It Really Matter What Kind of Church Polity Southern Baptists Use?

I think it does. New Testament teaching concerning biblical church officers, Baptist history in general, and Southern Baptist history in particular, congregationalism, and the priesthood of the believer mandate that we practice a polity that is in keeping with what Christ intended for the governing of His church. Elder rule does not support that mandate. Instead, it usurps it and bypasses Christ’s intended principles of church government which are leadership by a pastor(s) and deacons, and the congregational polity which allows every member of the church to participate in the making of informed decisions which affect their corporate lives."

"...the elder rule issue could become more divisive than it already is, and it could develop into a matter of fellowship among grassroots Baptist churches and drive a wedge between denominational loyalty on the local, state, and national levels."

"There needs to be more material written about church polity from the standpoint of contemporary Southern Baptist writers who will produce strong arguments against the elder rule form of church leadership. There is presently a famine of such material in contemporary monograms, systematic theologies, and church manuals. Southern Baptist leaders need to develop their own seminars that will directly address the biblical and Baptistic position on church leadership from the standpoint of our unique Baptist distinctiveness."

"Does it really matter what kind of church polity contemporary Southern Baptists use?

Yes, it does! We need to return to our roots and grow again the Baptist tree that is both biblically true and scripturally sound, and that is historically Baptistic in its beliefs, polity, and practices. John L. Dagg was right. Church polity is not as important as winning people to faith in Christ, but it is important. Why? Because Christ gave commands on the subject in the Scriptures; therefore, we must explore the issue of government in the local church and we must be sure we are doing it right!"

http://baptistcenter.com/11%20Wring%20Revision.pdf