In session 6, the focus was on the need for change within Calvary’s polity.
First, I asked the class to consider the view that church polity is fluid, and can be revisited and adjusted according to the times, culture, and needs of the church. Second, I submitted to the class that unity will stem from staff pastors and lay-elder having equal authority in
14 Phil A. Newton and Matt Schmucker, Elders in the Life of the Church: Rediscovering the Biblical Model for Church Leadership, 9Marks (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2014), 52.
governing the church. The learning outcome for this lesson was that students should be able to recognize that church polity should occasionally be revisited, examined, and potentially adjusted.
Again, I reiterated two questions that were central to the project: (1) Are pastors at Calvary elders?; and (2) Is the weight of authority between these two groups (pastors and elders) balanced? To answer these questions, I directed the class to Calvary’s Constitution to show that elders are active, non-employee members of Calvary Church and are elected by the congregation. Furthermore, the Session members are sometimes referred to as the “elders,” and as such, the term “elder” is synonymous with the term
“member” of the Board of Directors or “Director.” At Calvary, the governing body is the Session, which is comprised of elders and the senior pastor (a non-voting moderator).
Therefore, it can be concluded that pastors at Calvary are not elders, and the weight of authority is not balanced, as pastors are not members of the Session.
At this point, I advised the class that all elders/pastors should be equal in value, power, and rank. The elders of the New Testament were all equal in rank and authority, and discharged the same duties, including the ministry of the gospel and the oversight of the government and discipline of the church. There was no “us/them” or “teaching elders/ruling elders.” They were one. While some elders excel in administration and others excel in teaching, turning this distinction into two kinds of elder offices seems beyond the intention of Scripture.
Lastly, I challenged the class to consider that Christian leadership must be open to evaluation and change. Although Calvary’s polity has been in place for over eighty years, there are times it needs to be revisited. In fact, church polity requires ongoing theological and practical dialogue.15 However, I submitted to the class that if a change in Calvary’s polity were to occur, the Session would need to be involved in that process.
15 Norman, “Is Polity That Important?,” 21.
Perhaps some of the elders in the class would be open to moving this notion forward to the entire Session.
During the class discussion, one elder suggested that all pastors should attend the Session meetings. He suggested that although the pastors do not have voting authority, their input in Session matters is encouraged. Currently, the pastors are scheduled to attend the meetings on a rotating basis. Usually, only two or three pastors attend the Session meeting each month. This elder also communicated to the class that the senior pastor prefers “a voice in the Session rather than a vote.” At the end of this discussion, the class consensus was that although pastors do not have a vote, they should at least attend the Session meetings in order to speak into church governance issues.
Conclusion
The project helped unify the leaders at Calvary Church by educating them about biblical church polity. This was a difficult task as Calvary is well rooted in eighty years of its own tradition, history, and culture. Nevertheless, many class participants indicated they learned a great deal about church polity and gained valuable insight about the inner workings of Calvary. The class also seemed to appreciate the opportunity to speak openly about these topics. In general, class participation appeared to strengthen the bond between the brothers. To this end, the project was successful.
CHAPTER 5
EVALUATION OF THE PROJECT
All who serve in leadership at Calvary recognize that the health of the church depends greatly on the unity of those men serving on the Session. Yet, for unity to be achieved, it is important that church leaders have a biblical understanding of the roles and functions of church offices. However, after teaching the curriculum it was evident that not all in leadership understood what Scripture reveals about church polity. What is more, some class participants had not examined Calvary’s polity in light of God’s Word. It is likely some students assumed that because Calvary has a high view of Scripture and its pastors preach and teach the Word of God, then its Constitution must naturally be in line with Scripture. This project challenged these men to take a fresh look at these things. In doing so, this project also helped them not only gain biblical knowledge of the office of elder/pastor but also achieve a better understanding of Calvary’s polity.
This project was evaluated according to the goals and methodology outlined in chapter 1. Assessing the goals of the project served as the criteria to determine the success of the project. This chapter evaluates the project goals and considers its process and application.
Evaluation of the Project’s Purpose
The purpose of this project was to foster greater unity between the pastors and lay elders at Calvary Church through a biblical church polity. Specifically, the project was designed to educate Calvary’s leaders on church polity. The Church Overseer Assessment administered as both a pre- and post-curriculum confirms an increase in the
students’ knowledge of the subject matter. Thus, the project’s purpose of helping students gain a biblical understanding of church polity was successfully met.
Key components of this project included assessing leadership’s understanding of church polity, developing and teaching the Understanding Church Polity curriculum, and measuring the change in knowledge after the curriculum was implemented. This chapter will evaluate these components.
Evaluation of the Project’s Goals
The success of the project was evaluated according to three goals: (1) assess the current pastors and elders regarding their general understanding and key convictions concerning church leadership and polity; (2) develop a curriculum for training leaders in a biblical church polity; and (3) teach the curriculum to Calvary’s current governing body to increase their knowledge of the church leadership roles and polity.