The Most Valuable Presbytery -- Tim Phillips

The presbytery of which I am a member, Mississippi Valley Presbytery, met on Monday and Tuesday of this week, and apparently a few other presbyteries in the ARP met this week as well. The host church for this meeting was close by (only about 40 minutes away, which was a blessing; when I was at a previous church, I would sometimes have to travel 8 hours to attend a meeting). I serve as the Principal Clerk for our presbytery, a job I've had since 2009. I've noticed that several of my friends in other presbyteries have now moved into that position as well. I used to be one of the "young guys," but now most of the clerks are all younger than I!

Why do we have presbyteries and presbytery meetings? Some might look at these meetings of churches as irrelevant and unnecessary. I recently heard a popular Reformed Baptist gentleman state, rather emphatically, that there are no presbyteries found anywhere in the New Testament. On his podcast, he put briefly for the rationale for independent, autonomous local churches. If he is correct, then presbyteries would be wholly unnecessary and worse, for they would be merely a manmade invention not taught in the word of God.

But is this really the case? More than one translation of the Bible (KJV, NASB95) uses the word "presbytery" in 1 Timothy 4:14: "Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was bestowed on you through prophetic utterance with the laying on of hands by the presbytery." Granted, the word for "presbytery" used there can simply refer to a body or council of elders (the NIV and ESV, for example, prefer this translation). Presbyterian simply refers to a form of church government which is ruled by elders, which the New Testament clearly teaches (e.g., 1 Timothy 3:1-7 ; Titus 1:5-9), and most, if not all, Reformed Baptists recognize the office of elder (the brother I mentioned above holds the office of elder in his local church). The main point of disagreement here is whether these elders are only a part of independent congregations, or whether the eldership has an authority that goes beyond the local level.1

I would humbly submit that far from presbyteries being absent from the New Testament, it is independent congregations that are actually non-existent in the Scriptures. Our own Standards acknowledge, "While the Scriptures do not teach a detailed form of Church government, the Presbyterian form as adopted by the ARPC is agreeable to and founded upon the Old and New Testaments."2 One of the places this can be seen is in the aftermath of the Jerusalem Council of Acts 15. The next chapter of Acts begins Paul's second missionary journey, and it includes this interesting observation: "Now while they were passing through the cities, they were delivering the decrees which had been decided upon by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem, for them to observe" (Acts 16:4). It seems clear that the meeting of apostles and elders in Jerusalem was not simply a disagreement between two independent churches (I once heard Acts 15 described this way), but there was a greater unity between the NT churches and a greater authority exercised by the church leadership than is often recognized. What took place at that meeting of the apostolic church affected more than Christians in Jerusalem and Antioch. Charles Hodge notes, "The Church, during the apostolic age, did not consist of isolated, independent congregations, but was one body, of which the separate churches were constituent members, each subject to all the rest, or to an authority which extended over all."3 If the apostles, the early churches, and the New Testament recognize this connection and authority, so should we, instead of succumbing to the spirit of the age know as individualism (Romans 12:2).

Instead, presbytery meetings are not meetings to be skipped, but a time when ministers and elders, representing their individual churches, can come together in unity. These are rich times of prayer, fellowship, and worship. Because of the length of our meetings (Monday evening through Tuesday afternoon), attendees have an opportunity to share three meals together. This is where some of the far-reaching endeavors of Christ's church and the building up of the Kingdom of God actually take place. Ministerial candidates are examined and approved for ministry. Churches are planted. Christian education events are planned. All of these would difficult without the work of presbyteries, and in situations where churches function independently without proper oversight, the opportunity for abuse and disaster becomes a real possibility. Our presbyteries must be united in these things, and the work of the presbytery, done rightly and biblically, helps to ensure this. When our presbytery stands and sings Psalm 133 at end of our meetings, there is a real sense in which "Christian Unity" is taking place.

I often jokingly referred to Mississippi Valley Presbytery as the "Most Valuable Presbytery." It is the presbytery I have been a part of (save one year) since 2004. But all presbyteries are part of the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, and therefore are of immense value to Him. What is a valuable presbytery? It is one where ministers and elders faithfully labor together for the good of the church (including the local churches) and the glory of God. In the opening worship service of our presbytery meeting, the sermon text was Acts 20:28: "Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood." This is almost like a "how to" verses for ordained Presbyterians. Faithful ministers and elders guard the sheep (and themselves!). They labor to lead the church and gently shepherd the people of God, always in light of the gospel of Jesus Christ, knowing that they have been purchased by the same Good Shepherd who laid down His life for the sheep. If we value the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, then we will value the work of our presbyteries.

1 Part of the disagreement between Presbyterians and Baptists on this issue most likely stems from a difference of interpretation of the Scriptures, involving the view of the continuity between the OT and NT, as well as the principle of good and necessary consequence. See Westminster Confession of Faith 1.6.

2 Form of Government 2.2 . The Scriptural texts cited are Exodus 18:13-26; Titus 1:5; and 1 Peter 5:1-5.

3 Charles Hodge, "What is Presbyterianism?" Availabe at www.monergism.com/what-presbyterianism  (accessed March 9, 2022).