The concept of church government has its roots in the biblical narrative, evolving from the Mosaic system established in the Old Testament to the Christian ecclesiastical structures found in the New Testament. Both systems reflect divine order and authority, though they differ in administration and scope.

Mosaic Government

The Mosaic system of governance was established by God through Moses as a means to organize and lead the nation of Israel. This theocratic system was characterized by a hierarchy of leadership, with Moses serving as the primary leader and mediator between God and the people. The structure included various levels of authority, such as elders, judges, and priests, each with specific roles and responsibilities.

In Exodus 18:21-22 , Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, advises him to appoint capable men as leaders over groups of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens, to serve as judges for the people. This system was designed to ensure justice and order, allowing Moses to focus on more significant matters and direct communication with God.

The Levitical priesthood, established in the book of Leviticus, played a crucial role in the Mosaic government. The priests were responsible for conducting sacrifices, maintaining the tabernacle, and teaching the Law. The high priest, a descendant of Aaron, held the highest religious authority, symbolizing the people's relationship with God.

Christian Government

The New Testament presents a shift from the centralized, hierarchical structure of the Mosaic system to a more decentralized and spiritually focused model of church government. Jesus Christ is recognized as the head of the Church, as stated in Ephesians 1:22-23 : "And God put everything under His feet and made Him head over everything for the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all."

The early Christian church adopted a model of governance that included apostles, elders, and deacons. The apostles, chosen by Christ, were foundational leaders responsible for teaching, establishing churches, and maintaining doctrinal purity. As the church grew, the role of elders (also referred to as overseers or bishops) became prominent. Elders were tasked with shepherding the local congregations, providing spiritual oversight, and ensuring adherence to apostolic teaching, as seen in Acts 14:23 : "Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed."

Deacons served as ministers of mercy, attending to the practical needs of the church community, as described in Acts 6:1-6 . Their role allowed the apostles and elders to focus on prayer and the ministry of the Word.

The New Testament emphasizes the spiritual qualifications for church leaders, highlighting character and faithfulness over lineage or social status. In 1 Timothy 3:1-7 , Paul outlines the qualifications for overseers, emphasizing qualities such as being above reproach, self-controlled, hospitable, and able to teach.

While the Mosaic system was centered around the Law and the sacrificial system, the Christian church is governed by the principles of grace, love, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The New Testament encourages mutual submission among believers and leaders, fostering a community that reflects the unity and diversity of the body of Christ, as articulated in Ephesians 4:11-13 : "And it was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for works of ministry, to build up the body of Christ, until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, as we mature to the full measure of the stature of Christ."

In summary, the government of the church, both Mosaic and Christian, reflects God's desire for order, leadership, and community among His people, with each system serving its purpose within the unfolding plan of redemption.Deuteronomy 17:8-13
If there arise a matter too hard for you in judgment, between blood and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke, being matters of controversy within your gates: then shall you arise, and get you up into the place which the LORD your God shall choose;
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Matthew 16:19
And I will give to you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
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Luke 9:46-48
Then there arose a reasoning among them, which of them should be greatest.
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Luke 22:24-30
And there was also a strife among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest.
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John 20:23
Whose soever sins you remit, they are remitted to them; and whose soever sins you retain, they are retained.
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Acts 1:15,23-26
And in those days Peter stood up in the middle of the disciples, and said, (the number of names together were about an hundred and twenty,)
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Acts 6:2,3,5,6
Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples to them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables.
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Acts 11:22,29,30
Then tidings of these things came to the ears of the church which was in Jerusalem: and they sent forth Barnabas, that he should go as far as Antioch.
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Acts 13:1,3,5
Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.
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Acts 14:23
And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed.
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Acts 15:1-31
And certain men which came down from Judaea taught the brothers, and said, Except you be circumcised after the manner of Moses, you cannot be saved.
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Acts 16:4,5
And as they went through the cities, they delivered them the decrees for to keep, that were ordained of the apostles and elders which were at Jerusalem.
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Acts 20:17,28
And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called the elders of the church.
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1 Corinthians 7:17
But as God has distributed to every man, as the Lord has called every one, so let him walk. And so ordain I in all churches.
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1 Corinthians 11:2,33,34
Now I praise you, brothers, that you remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you.
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1 Corinthians 12:5,28
And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.
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1 Corinthians 14:26,33,40
How is it then, brothers? when you come together, every one of you has a psalm, has a doctrine, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done to edifying.
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1 Corinthians 16:3,16
And when I come, whomsoever you shall approve by your letters, them will I send to bring your liberality to Jerusalem.
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2 Corinthians 2:2-11
For if I make you sorry, who is he then that makes me glad, but the same which is made sorry by me?
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Galatians 2:9,10
And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given to me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go to the heathen, and they to the circumcision.
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Ephesians 4:11,12
And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
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Philippians 1:1
Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:
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1 Timothy 3:1-13
This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desires a good work.
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1 Timothy 4:14
Neglect not the gift that is in you, which was given you by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.
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1 Timothy 5:1,22
Rebuke not an elder, but entreat him as a father; and the younger men as brothers;
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2 Timothy 1:6
Why I put you in remembrance that you stir up the gift of God, which is in you by the putting on of my hands.
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Titus 1:5
For this cause left I you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed you:
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Hebrews 13:17,24
Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.
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James 5:14,15
Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:
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1 Peter 5:1-3
The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed:
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3 John 1:9,10
I wrote to the church: but Diotrephes, who loves to have the preeminence among them, receives us not.
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Jude 1:22,23
And of some have compassion, making a difference:
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Effects of the Destruction of Jerusalem on the Christian Church.
... demolished the whole fabric of the Mosaic theocracy, whose ... momentous crisis at which
the Christian church as a ... of its maturity, and in government and worship ...
/.../schaff/history of the christian church volume i/section 39 effects of the.htm

Home-Government.
... that religion supersedes the necessity of parental government. ... superior, and overthrows
both church and state. ... severe penalties attached, in the Mosaic law, to ...
/.../philips/the christian home/chapter xviii home-government.htm

The Christian Ministry, and Its Relation to the Christian ...
... the Spirit, differs widely from the Mosaic theocracy, as ... Dean Stanley asserts that
no existing church can find any pattern or platform of its government in the ...
/.../history of the christian church volume i/section 59 the christian ministry.htm

The Constitution of the Church in the Second Century.
... his successors, still observed the Mosaic law, and ... under his presidential rule, the
Church was still ... The allegation that presbyterial government existed in all ...
/.../killen/the ancient church/chapter v the constitution of.htm

The Organization of the Apostolic Church.
... Under the Mosaic economy the posterity of Abraham were taught to regard each other
as members of the same ... In the government of the Apostolic Church we may ...
/.../killen/the ancient church/chapter iii the organization of.htm

Christian Churches.
... assembled for their first act of church government, the election ... Ecclesia Pudentiana,
which means "the church of Pudens ... the year 384; and in the mosaic of the ...
/.../lanciani/pagan and christian rome/chapter iii christian churches.htm

The Persecutions of the Apostolic Church, and Its Condition at the ...
... holy city fell AD70; and the Mosaic economy, which ... After the death of Nero the Church
enjoyed a season ... Domitian, in AD81, succeeded to the government, the work ...
/.../killen/the ancient church/chapter xi the persecutions of.htm

The Foundation of the Church among the Heathen
... Here, too, were the head-quarters of those disciples who not only clung to the Mosaic
law themselves, but ... The government of the Church in Jerusalem was ...
/.../blunt/a key to the knowledge of church history/chapter ii the foundation of.htm

The Regular or Calvinistic Baptists.
... who urged on him from the Mosaic law the ... hold that each several church is a Christian
society, on ... except on the sacraments and Church government, the Baptists ...
/.../creeds of christendom with a history and critical notes/ 105 the regular or.htm

The Foundation of the Church among the Jews
... Sidenote: and Mosaic dispensations.]. ... of Holy Baptism as the source of the Christian
Life[26 ... to our own days; and many points of Church government, and discipline ...
/.../blunt/a key to the knowledge of church history/chapter i the foundation of.htm

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