Fasting, Praying, Pulpit Committees and a Plurality of Lay Elders in Local Baptist Churches (Part Three)
As we continue our series on congregationalism (especially a subset called a pulpit committee) and a local church having a plurality of lay elders, we would be falling short to leave out Acts 13. So it is to here we turn. The verses of primary importance are as follows,
"And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed..." (Acts 13: 3-4a).
So why are these verses so important? Maybe we should ask who are the subjects? I've tried to highlight the important pronouns. So lets go through the context and focus on the details that might help us here. By way of reminder, we are trying to focus on who is making decisions in the local church. What is the combination or focus? What do the scriptures say must be our focus not what we want to see in them to defend a particular position.
First, the context is a local church in the city of Antioch. We see this in verse one "in the church at Antioch." For sake of argument I'll simply refer to this as a local congregation.
Second, there are actual men in the first century functioning as prophets and teachers in a local that particular local church. Both of which appear as plural nouns. So at a minimum there are multiple prophets and teachers functioning in that particular church. How we determine which roles/functions continue in 2018 is another question and a much needed thread. These are two of the four gifts to the local church found in Ephesians 4:11. Yes I'm including pastor-teacher as one individual. If your highly concerned about whether it's one office or two I recommend Harold Hoehner's commentary Ephesians: An Exegetical Commentary (pp. 542-546). They provide an excellent summary of the multiple views here.
Third, verse two reads "while they were ministering...and fasting" Both verbs are plural and the only subjects mentioned so far are a list of names matching the before mentioned prophets and teachers (Barnabas, Simeon, Lucius, Manaen, and Saul). I think the focused subject on these men is even more clear from verse two because the original text includes the emphatic pronoun translated "they" for emphasis and remove any confusion who the subject is. The emphatic pronoun occurs again in the next verse "they" being sent out. For reference both pronouns are masculine plural pronouns.
Fourth, the Holy Spirit speaks to this group of men to "set apart" two men from their number. See the previous list back in verse one. Both Barnabas and Saul are in this list of prophets/teachers functioning in the local church.
Fifth, now to our main verse. Who are the pronouns? Who "fasted" "prayed" and "laid hands" on these two men? Any other subjects appear? Why the need to import the congregation into this except with an outside agenda to prove a particular form of church polity? Who was "ministering and fasting" back in verse two? These five men two of which are to depart. Who sent them out? Obviously, its the prophets/teachers from the previous context.
Well known commentaries agree with this straight forward reading of the text. Witherington writes concerning the emphatic pronoun, "they are 'set apart' for the task by this church's leaders." (emphasis mine) (Ben Witherington III, The Acts of Apostles: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary). MacArthur likewise agrees, "the leaders laid their hands on them" (emphasis mine) (John MacArthur Jr. Acts: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary). Consider also Peterson in the Pillar New Testament Commentary, concerning verse three he writes, "the preceding verse stresses the role of the prophets and teachers at Antioch in sending off Barnabas and Saul" (emphasis mine) (David Peterson, Pillar New Testament Commentary: Acts of the Apostles).
Sixth, lets assume for the sake of argument the congregation did this. Did the entire local church congregation lay hands on them? You can't change the context to say only some (the pulpit committee) laid hands on them (i.e., the local church congregation). The same subjects perform both verbs. Do we see this today? Are we even willing to consider that a plurality of lay elders is God's chosen means of accountability and leadership in local churches (and they select leaders). To be fair John Pohill, who provided the book of Acts study notes for the ESV Study Bible states, "they...probably refers to the entire congregation" (ESV Study Bible, p. 2109). Pohill's "probably" terminology matches his commentary notes, "It is not clear who laid hands on Paul and Barnabas" (John Pohill, New American Commentary: Acts, 1992, p. 290). Another more recent author Jonathan Leeman, an elder at Capitol Hill Baptist Church, takes this to be the congregation as well, "As they [probably the congregation] were ministering..." (Jonathan Leeman, Don't Fire Your Church Members: The Case for Congregationalism, 2016, p. 108). On the other hand, please note both author's degree of certainty "probably."
Seems pretty clear from the context. The functioning elder/teachers (Eph 4) in the local church sent out from their number two men into the ministry outside their local congregation. I just don't see a congregational decision or vote in this context or in a previous article. So why the need to vigorously defend congregational polity. From my own personal experience having been in fundamental baptist churches for near 25 years, its not based on a careful exegetical handling of the texts but a collection of proof texts. So its got to be something else. But what? Is there a balance? Are we potentially too quick to throw out texts?
Does this product or conclusion match the biblical theology of this topic as revealed in the rest of the scriptures? Yes. I'd more than happy to see a congregational laying on of hands but I just don't see it the NT context. It's always an elder/pastor performing this function. Let's compare:
Acts 6:6, "and after praying, they laid their hands on them." Context seems pretty clear this was done by the apostles/elders upon the seven men picked out by the disciples. We'll revisit this text in a later thread on servant/deacons.
1 Timothy 4:15. "Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was bestowed on you through prophetic utterance with the laying on of hands by the presbytery." A office for service given to Timothy by these same means by a group of elders (plural) (same underlying Greek term as elder, πρεσβυτέριον).
Again 1 Timothy 5:22, "Do not lay hands upon anyone too hastily..." This command/exhortation was given explicitly to the head of a local church--Timothy.
And again, 2 Timothy 1:6, "I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands." Who's the recipient? Timothy. Notice who laid hands on him? Who wrote the let? The laying of my hands. Paul the apostle. Same man from the group in Acts 13. Wonder where he saw that actually practiced before?
So for the congregational position to hold true. The subjects can change within the verse despite the grammar. The context can be avoided or ignored. Two separate emphatic pronouns can change in the same context. And the entirety of the same topic as revealed in the NT is to be ignored. Does this fit? If so then you have congregational decision making here in addition to references of church discipline found elsewhere (Mt 18, 1 Cor 5, 2 Th 3). Great! Then be consistent and let the whole congregation lay hands on the pastor/elder when sent out (don't forget to also fast and pray). I'm assuming this includes both the men and women laid hands on them also.
So what's this got to do with pulpit committees? Did you see one in the text? That's my point. With such a strong and emphatic testimony to a plurality of lay elders making local church decisions it would not hurt to go through NT passages that actually address congregational decision making and the areas specifically given to them. If anyone has a responsibility to find other elders and call them it is the elders of the church. They as men leading the local church have this task, responsibility, and obligation. Sad thing is that most local church pulpit committees are filled with both men and women unqualified to serve as elders (but they are somehow qualified to know what to look for).
We will have to follow up with more texts, examples, and baptist fundamentalist history.
Read, enjoy, and comment as you fill led.
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