What are the Duties of Church Officers?
By Roswell F. Cottrell
Order in the Church of God has been vindicated by different writers in the REVIEW, and has been established to a considerable extent by the ordination of officers in the churches. But perhaps the duties of those officers have not been made sufficiently clear. At least I have heard some inquiry in respect to their duties and have been requested to give my views concerning them in the REVIEW. It seems by the reading of the Scriptures that elders were appointed in every church. Titus i. 5: For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee. An elder and a bishop are the same, as will be seen by reading verse 7. For a bishop must be blameless, &c. An elder or a bishop is an overseer of the church. Acts xx, 28: Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God. An overseer is a ruler. 1 Tim. v, 17: Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially they who labor in the word and doctrine. This text shows that a person may be an elder and not be a preacher; but as elders are exhorted to "feed the flock of God" [1 Pet. v, 2], doubtlessly referring to spiritual food, it would seem reasonable to expect in an elder a gift of teaching and exhortation. Heb. xiii, 7: Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God. I shall not disagree with the generally received opinion, that the difference between an elder and a deacon is, that the former serve more especially in a spiritual, and the latter in a temporal sense. Both are not only leaders and rulers, but servants of the church. As servants they should do such duties in behalf of the church as are not common to each member individually. All moral duties are common to all; but in attending to the ordinances of the gospel, some one must act as a servant of all to administer. I believe that each church should have the power and means within itself to walk in all the ordinances of the house of God, and to admit others who may be brought into the truth to all the privileges of membership with them. A traveling elder or evangelist is not always at hand to administer in those duties that frequently devolve upon a church. A Timothy or a Titus whose duty it is to travel from place to place and "ordain elders in every city," cannot be expected to be present to administer the ordinances in every church on every occasion; but when he has performed his duty—has "set in order" the church by ordaining proper officers, they should be prepared to keep the faith of Jesus, to celebrate his death, to shine as the light of the world, and thus bring others into the fold of Christ, to administer baptism, receive to membership, and be the pillar and support of the truth; while those who labor in the field are going into new places to raise the standard of truth, gathering churches, and setting them in order. Thus the churches would be sending out the truth to others, while they were living it out at home.