Councils may and do err because human leaders “stumble in many ways” (James 3:2). Even the apostles made poor decisions (e.g. Mark 10:13–16; Luke 9:49, 50). The conclusions of assemblies “are to be received with reverence and submission” only “if consonant to the Word of God.” There is some tension here. Not every side will agree with how a council “determine[s] controversies of faith.” But if a broad gathering of church leaders acts on the basis of sound biblical logic the nature of the gathering should fortify the decision. Among faithful churches Lutheresque stands should be rare if not unheard of. When the church speaks her real authority from Christ may not be ignored (Matt. 18:17–20).
Should leaders from multiple churches gather to consider matters of common concern? You might have an opinion on that question. Or it might seem irrelevant. How does church government affect my walk with the Lord?
But what if inter-congregational meetings could be for “the good of the church”? What if the most famous scriptural example of such a meeting is not exceptional but normative? Most Christians will never attend a meeting like that. But we should know how broader assemblies, or leadership meetings involving more churches than our own, can be used by God for building-up Christ’s church.
The Nature of Broader Assemblies
Every congregation of Christ must have “a government, in the hand of church officers” (WCF 30.1). These officers must shepherd the flock, using “the ministry, oracles, and ordinances of God, for the gathering and perfecting of the saints” (WCF 25.3). Like fathers and mothers church leaders “love, pray for, and bless” church members.[i] Through them God may “instruct, counsel, and admonish us.”[ii] We thank God for local church leaders!
But God also intends to bless his people by the efforts of leaders outside the local church. Spiritual overseers should participate in assemblies that are broader than “particular churches.” The most obvious biblical example of a synod or a council is the meeting of the apostles and elders often called the Jerusalem Council. Clearly that meeting was “for the better government, and further edification of the church.” Here’s what happened. Antioch had a congregation with legitimate leaders (Acts 14:23). But the local church struggled to answer a divisive theological question: Is Jesus enough? Or must his work be augmented by ours? After local church teachers “had no small dissension and debate,” leaders from Antioch “were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders about this question” (Acts 15:2). The council’s conclusion was definitive. Among many leaders God made clear what a local church struggled to discover alone (15:25). The answer is truly good news: To be saved nothing more is needed than the gift of Christ’s righteousness received by faith alone. Later Paul and Silas delivered to the churches “for observance the decisions that had been reached by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem (Acts 16. 4). For local churches, at Antioch and beyond, the Jerusalem council affirmed this truth: “Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety” (Prov. 11:14).
This doesn’t mean that synods or councils are infallible. The Holy Spirit approved the Jerusalem Council’s decision (Acts 15:28).