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Who Rules the Church?: Examining Congregational Leadership and Church Government is unavailable, but you can change that!

Does the New Testament present an implicit system of church government? What group in the church is vested with sovereignty under God? Does the New Testament authorize election of a board of elders or deacons to govern a church? Gerald Cowen offers answers to these critical questions concerning how the New Testament church is to be governed. Who Rules the Church? contends that the New Testament...

Peter gives instructions to the elders of the churches in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia (1 Pet. 1:1; 5:1–3). He commands them to “shepherd the flock of God … serving as overseers [bishops].” It has been observed previously that “to shepherd” means “to pastor” the church. Peter then gives them some guidance on how to pastor the churches: “not by compulsion … but being examples to the flock” (5:2–3 NKJV). In this passage Peter approaches the elders on common ground. He writes that
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