As Christians we strive to observe God’s plan for the organization of the church. The New Testament teaches that:
- the head of the church is Christ (Ephesians 5:23),
- each congregation having men who meet the necessary qualifications must have elders (I Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9; I Peter 5:1-5),
- deacons are to be appointed to carry out special areas of work (Philippians 1:1; Acts 6:1-3),
- and that members work in subjection to the authority of the elders as long as their decisions are in agreement with New Testament teaching (Hebrews 13:17).
We rejoice that here at 39th Street we have grown as a congregation to have this organization.