Oak Crest Baptist Church
Follow Us:
  • Home
    • Service Schedule
    • Our Location
  • About Us
    • A Brief History
    • Our Beliefs - A Short Statement
    • Our Beliefs - Full Confession of Faith
    • Our Constitution
    • Ministry Staff
    • Elders
  • Family Worship Guides
    • Weeks 1-13 >
      • Week 1
      • Week 2
      • Week 3
      • Week 4
      • Week 5
      • Week 6
      • Week 7
      • Week 8
      • Week 9
      • Week 10
      • Week 11
      • Week 12
      • Week 13
    • Weeks 14-26 >
      • Week 14
      • Week 15
      • Week 16
      • Week 17
      • Week 18
      • Week 19
      • Week 20
      • Week 21
      • Week 22
      • Week 23
      • Week 24
      • Week 25
      • Week 26
    • Weeks 27-39 >
      • Week 27
      • Week 28
      • Week 29
      • Week 30
      • Week 31
      • Week 32
      • Week 33
      • Week 34
      • Week 35
      • Week 36
      • Week 37
      • Week 38
      • Week 39
    • Weeks 40-52 >
      • Week 40
      • Week 41
      • Week 42
      • Week 43
      • Week 44
      • Week 45
      • Week 46
      • Week 47
      • Week 48
      • Week 49
      • Week 50
      • Week 51
      • Week 52
  • Ministries
    • Sunday School Classes
    • Senior Adult Ministry
    • Women's Ministry
    • Men's Ministry
    • Stitchin' for Angels
    • Community Involvement
    • Events
  • Youth Ministry
    • Information
    • Ministries
    • Parents
    • Calendar
    • Links
  • Children's Ministry
    • VBS
  • News & Events
    • Calendar of Events
  • Links
  • Contact Us

From the Heart of the Pastor

3/30/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
           This Sunday we will conclude our series on the 9 Marks of a Healthy Church.  I sincerely hope this series has helped remind you of some of our core values.  The ninth and final mark of a healthy, biblical church is an understanding of Biblical Church Leadership.  Of all of the marks that we have surveyed so far, this is one area that we have most recently attempted to become more biblical.  For most of the 31 year history of Oak Crest, the church was a Single-Elder led Congregational Church.  In 2013, we transitioned to a Plural-Elder led Congregationalism.  It is our biblical conviction that the healthiest church is one that is Christ-Ruled, Elder-Led, Deacon-Served, Committee-Operated, and Congregationally-Affirmed.
          This is a good opportunity to remind ourselves of the role and purpose of the elder.  An elder is a pastor or an overseer.  The Bible uses these terms interchangeably.  He is one who teaches and preaches the Word of God.  He is a doctrinal gatekeeper for the church.  He equips the saints for the work of ministry.  He is not a dictator.  He is a servant-leader that instills a love for the Word of God in the hearts of the people he has been entrusted to serve.  As I have stated on several occasions, the elder does not have an inherent authority, rather he has a derived authority on the basis of his faithfulness to teach the Scripture.  What this means is that his leadership is in the teaching of the truths of Scripture, not in the administrative minutia of the church.  That responsibility lies, to some extent because of his administrative responsibilities, with the senior pastor as a first among equals among the elders, but to a greater degree with the committees of lay people who exercise their giftedness to operate the church.
          The other New Testament office is that of the deacon.  Deacons are vitally important to the function of the church.  They are an extension of the pastoral ministry of the church.  They serve the needs of the people in the congregation.  I am so thankful for the faithfulness of the deacon body at Oak Crest.  They are here to help each of us and to encourage each of us.  If you don’t know who your Sunday School class deacon is, I would strongly encourage you to ask.
          According to Scripture, the final authority lies with the congregation itself.  We are Congregationalists.  This is a different model than we see in Presbyterianism.  I am convinced that the biblical role of the congregation is extremely important.  The congregation affirms elders and deacons.  The congregation affirms direction and budget.  The congregation is the final point of church discipline.  All of this is the case because we are all, each and every believer, indwelt by the Holy Spirit.  Therefore we strive for unity in the Spirit, in the bond of peace.
 
In Christ,
Blain Craig

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Dr. Blain Craig
    Pastor

    Picture

    Archives

    December 2022
    May 2020
    March 2020
    July 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    August 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    February 2014

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Oak Crest Baptist Church, 1701 S. 5th St, Midlothian, TX, 76065