Leadership
It’s not realistic to think each small house church could be led by elders and deacons, right?
Well, did you know that most of the churches at the time of the New Testament were made up of 30 people or less? That’s actually the context for Paul and Peter’s instructions on leadership!
Beacon can help you work toward a structure of leadership that is Biblical and repeatable when your house church is ready to multiply.
Leadership has always been foundational to the church’s role in representing Christ to the world. New Testament leadership begins with salvation, proceeds by maturing believers into Christ’s likeness, and continues through organizing the church as ambassadors of the Kingdom of God.
And just as Jesus and Paul demonstrated, biblical leadership is meant to be assertive while at the same time being humble.
Attitude and Heart
Balanced leaders order their hearts and minds to both the Holy Spirit and the Scriptures which that same Spirit inspired. When we choose only one, our risk of error increases dramatically.
House church leaders should be known for love and humility as well as strength and purpose. The character traits of meekness and power are not held in tension but rather flow in complimentary union.
Jesus and the apostles loved with compassion and tears, and Jesus taught that we are not to “lord it over” others (Matthew 20: 25-28). Yet Jesus never compromised the message and mission to the whims and demands of those around Him.
Leadership Structure
The New Testament model of church leadership indicates a plurality of elders*, each being able to teach, among other functions. We believe elders are to intercede for and identify gifting among the people and support them for various functions within the church.
And deacons are empowered to care for the sick and poor and other practical matters.
The scriptural pattern is for elders to appoint others for functions within churches and for the congregation to ratify the appointments. The elders then anoint the ratified believers to carry out the tasks and callings.
Those gifted with the five-fold ministries of apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher (as described in Ephesians 4) are to influence and edify the entire church wherever the ministries are given by the Spirit.
*A word on elders’ scope of authority: Beacon believes elders are limited to one gathering—usually within a house—and are not meant to oversee “city-wide churches.” Biblical elders do not hold a position that is universal or transferable to other churches or groups of believers. They rather are raised or identified from within to serve and be responsible to their specific gathering.
Accountability
House Church leaders need a place to be vulnerable with peers and others in the church. Beacon believes this “cross-pollination” promotes spiritual and emotional health. And the interaction prevents sin from embedding by addressing it early so it can be brought to light, repented of, and the leader can be healed and enabled to serve without interruption.
From time to time, leaders of house churches may be called upon to weigh in on the practices and beliefs of another particular church. The New Testament documents times where Paul, Peter, James and John, and the Council in Jerusalem (Acts 15) were needed to guide local churches toward unity, humility, and sound doctrine.