The organizational structure of the church is very simple in the New Testament. Jesus is the Head of the church. To the church at Colossae, Paul wrote: “And he is the head of the body, the church…” It does not get any easier than that. It is Jesus who controls the body. It is He who has ultimate authority over the precious church for which He shed His blood (Acts 20:28).
The universal church is divided into congregations that can be found in various locales. In the New Testament we read of numerous local churches. The first church to be established was the church in Jerusalem (Acts 2:41, 47). In Acts 9:31, we read about churches found in Judea, Galilee, and Samaria. We read about more churches scattered throughout Syria and Cilicia in Acts 15:41. The Revelation was written to the seven churches of Asia (Rev. 1:4). Jesus was the Head over all of these churches. He ruled over them through His divine revelation found in the New Testament.
The local congregations of the first century were autonomous units, meaning that each was self-governing. There were no boards, associations, or conferences that oversaw the local congregations. In order for these churches to be effective, God chose to place an eldership in each congregation. As Paul was revisiting the churches he established on his first missionary journey, Luke tells us that he “ordained them elders in every church” (Acts 14:23). This group of men is known by six different titles: elders, presbyters, bishops, overseers, pastors, and shepherds. Those who hold the office of an elder must meet the qualifications found in I Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9. It is these men who rule (I Tim. 5:17) and oversee (I Pet. 5:1-3) the affairs of the local congregation. The writer of Hebrews exhorted his readers to “obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves” (Heb. 13:17). The New Testament always indicates that there was a plurality of men who occupied the position of elders (Acts 11:30; 20:17; Phil. 1:1). We never read of a church having one man who ruled over its affairs. The Bible nowhere authorizes for there to be one pastor, one priest, or one bishop who is in charge of a local church.
During the history of the church, men began to change the organizational structure of the church. Paul had warned the elders of Ephesus that apostasy would come. He even told those them that some of them would be responsible for the departures. “For I know this,” he said, “That after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your ownselves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them” (Acts 20:29-30, emp. mine, vme). The changes began very subtly. The elders started by appointing a chairman to oversee the business meetings of the elders. It is easy to understand that men with strong personalities could occupy these positions on a constant basis. Too, their stubborn natures made it easy for them to control those who were weaker members of the eldership. Whatever these men desired, the rest of the eldership accepted. Eventually, the weak members were not needed. One man became the authority over the entire church. He was often referred to as “the bishop” of the church. In time, this departure led to the development of a complex hierarchal structure within the church. The structure resembled the structure found within the Roman government. The man at the top within the church was not called Cesar, however. He was referred to by the title of Pope. When this happened, the church had completely apostatized from the original, God-given pattern of church organization.
The word “pope” comes from the Greek term “pappaas,” and means “father.” At one time, all bishops used the title because they were all considered fathers. It is difficult to determine which pope was the first to apply the term to himself. By the eleventh century, the title of pope was firmly in place for the Bishop of Rome. This title flies in the face of the words of our precious Savior recorded in Matthew 23:9. “And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.” In the context, Jesus is specially referring to titles worn by men to exalt them over others.
The office of the pope is referred to as “the papacy.” Where the pope sits in a position of authority is called the Dioceses of Rome, the Holy See, and the Apostolic See. The pope is the head-of-state over the Vatican City, a sovereign city-state enclaved within the city of Rome, Italy. The pope is known by many other names: Bishop of Rome, Vicar of Jesus Christ, Successor of the Prince of the Apostles, Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church, Primate of Italy, Archbishop of the Roman Province, Sovereign of the Vatican City State, Servant of the servants of God, Holy Father, Blessed Father, the Apostolic Lord, and His Holiness.
We will be looking at this papacy in some detail in our upcoming articles. The papacy is a radical departure from the simplicity of the New Testament pattern. It appears to be the fulfillment of Paul’s words found in II Thessalonians 2:1-4. Paul’s words had reference to “a falling away” that was going to occur. Let’s set the words before you. Please give special attention to verse four of the text. “Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together with him, that ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter from us, as that the day of the Lord is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.”