Journal: Bibliotheca Sacra
Volume: BSAC 176:701 (Jan 2019)
Article: Can An Ecclesiology Be Biblical And Not Apostolic?
Author: Michael J. Svigel

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Can An Ecclesiology Be Biblical And Not Apostolic?

Michael J. Svigel

Michael J. Svigel is chair and professor of theological studies, Dallas Theological Seminary, Dallas, Texas.

Abstract

The fixed but flexible apostolic model of church order found throughout the Christian world at the end of the first and beginning of the second centuries challenges some popular evangelical reconstructions of church order allegedly drawn from “Scripture alone.” The apostles themselves established this church order with a mandate for permanence. The apostolic model consisted of a team of elders (evangelists, pastors, teachers, overseers)—including a presiding elder—and deacons (ministers) assisting the elders in the work of the ministry.

Many, if not most, evangelical attempts at establishing a “New Testament ecclesiology” fail to carefully, critically, and constructively incorporate the valuable insights of late first- and early second-century historical sources that would help sketch a more complete picture of apostolic ecclesiology.1 This has resulted in evangelical ecclesiologies that are, paradoxically, “biblical” but not apostolic. That is, the resulting picture of the church fits a grammatical—but not always a historical—interpretation of the New Testament texts.

To some, this methodological approach may sound like adding “tradition” to the Bible, that is, proposing a theological method that

BSac 176:701 (January-March 2019) p. 63

hastily nods at the doctrine of the sufficiency and perspicuity of Scripture while behaving in ways that betray a distrust of these principles.2 The literature on church polity reveals two opposing tendencies. On one side are those who believe Scripture is sufficient and clear on the matter of church government; therefore, any appeal to documents outside the Bible is unnecessary and dangerous, as it would add to Scripture. On the other side are those who believe Scripture is insufficient or unclear on the matter of church government; therefore, the Bible must be supplemented by an appeal to tradition, that is, Spirit-led, historically developed models of church government.

The method commended in this article, however, stands between these two and suggests that Scripture, when read in its historical context, is sufficient and clear (or at least sufficiently clear) with regard to apostolic church order. However, in order to establish the historical context of the New Testament, one must rely on a careful, critical, and constructive reading of first- and early second-century writin...

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