In the New Testament the house church was common. Judging from Paul’s references in Romans 16:5,10,11,14 & 15, there were at least five house churches in Rome, a city commonly estimated to have a population of a million. Links between these gatherings would have been close. But generally we do not find the infant churches in highly organised connection with each other. The seven churches of Asia Minor are listed in the order they would be visited on a postal route (Revelation 2 & 3) They knew about each other but did not have an organised presbytery exercising oversight as we would understand that. Of course, the seven churches are written to as representative of all the churches then and in every age. The New Testament recognises the priority of the local church and suggests a bottom-up rather than top-down model of presbyterial church government. 

Introduction

The existence of the Christian Church comes from Christ. He builds the Church (Matthew 16:18; Hebrews 3:1-6; Acts 15:14; 2 Corinthians 5:17 etc.). When, through the Spirit of Christ, people in a town or city are converted by grace and united to Christ through faith, there you have a church of Christ, a local expression of the Church of Christ. The Church of Christ in its widest extent consists of all those throughout the world who profess the true faith in Jesus Christ and subjection to him as Saviour and Lord, together with their children. The necessary inward aspect of genuine relation to Christ means that membership of the organised Church may not correspond to those truly redeemed. Departures from the Word of God may be such that a Church may become apostate, but even when there are quite serious problems, Paul can address, for example, ‘the church of God in Corinth’ according to its calling and profession. 

The Church in its deepest significance is not created by a mere legal Constitution approved by Parliament, or rules arbitrarily drawn up by members, as in a social club, but by God. It is a living organism before it is a developed organisation and must always keep that in mind. A local church or group of churches in an organised form needs to avoid thinking in merely denominational ways but remember that the Church is called to faithfulness to Christ its Head.

Christ is the Head of the Church because he is its King and Lord, and its organised life is to be regulated by the Scriptures, properly interpreted, as illustrated in 2 Timothy 3:

14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15 and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Christ has given authority to the elders of the Church including specific instructions to them (Romans 12:8; 1 Timothy 5:2-22; Titus 3:10; 1 Peter 5:3). The laws the Church makes are limited to declaration of what the Lord has revealed (Acts 15:6-29) or applications of the principles in what has been revealed to particular cases or circumstances (e.g. 1 Corinthians 8). It seeks to do all things in an orderly way (1 Corinthians 14:26,40), always with a view to building up the body of Christ in love. Every member has a role or office, if you like. All have received gifts to be used to build up the whole body.

Christ is the Head of the Church also because the ministry and sacraments of the Church are effective by his blessing not by any power in the minister or elders or their predecessors in office. Christ equips and calls to office and in ordinary circumstances the Church recognises and admits to the offices Christ has instituted, when she finds the person qualified by the Word of God.

The Church After Pentecost

The twelve Apostles as the leaders of the reconstituted Israel were witnesses of Jesus’ ministry and resurrection. On the day of Pentecost 3,000 of those who listened to Peter were converted (Acts 2:41). We read:

42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favour of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Acts 3 and 4 record the healing of the lame beggar and the futile attempt by the Sanhedrin to silence Peter and John. Towards the end of Acts 4 we are reminded of the unity of believers and God’s powerful working among them so that ‘there were no needy persons among them’ for gifts of money were ‘laid at the apostles’ feet, and distributed to any who had need’ (Acts 4:34,35).

How long this happy state lasted is unclear. One can well imagine the early enthusiasm waned a little and gave rise to the first evidence of New Testament church organisation in Acts 6:1-7 about AD 34.

6:1 In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.

The daily distribution seems to have been primarily ‘of food’ (these explanatory words are added in the NIV), but ‘the distribution’ could be taken to include some ministry of the word as well, given Acts 2:46. At any rate, some Greek-speaking Jewish widows from Gentile lands influenced by Greek culture were being overlooked by the Jews living in Palestine and chiefly speaking Aramaic. It has been suggested of these widows by an Australian Roman Catholic ecumenist:

….they were neither free to attend large gatherings in the temple forecourts nor linguistically equipped to understand what these Aramaic preachers were saying when they returned from the temple to speak in the intimacy of the household (5:42). Accordingly, the Hellenist’s widows were in need of preachers who could teach them in Greek, and preferably at home when Greek speakers came together at their tables (6:2).[1]

We are not told if there were already elders from a Palestinian background helping the apostles. That is certainly possible as a carryover from Old Testament practice. At any rate, up till now the apostles had the leadership responsibility whoever else might have assisted. However, the open-hearted loving care for each other in the infant but growing community of some thousands became impacted by a greater consciousness of differences. Tensions between the descendants of those who had returned from exile in Babylon centuries before and those who had remained in the dispersion led to concern not just because of language but cultural difference. The apostles stated that it was not proper for them to leave the ministry of the word ‘to serve tables’ [diaconein trapezais]. The responsibility for distribution of food and/or money[2] to the poor believers from the resources given to the apostles (4.35,37; 5:2) needed to be placed in other hands. The choice was given to the believers subject to the requirement that those believers chosen should be full of the Holy Spirit evidenced particularly by their wisdom.

The Choice of Seven Men

Strikingly, the seven men chosen all have Greek names and might all have been Hellenists.

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