Organization and Discipline of the Worshiping Community

The organization of the church was relatively fluid throughout the New Testament period. Various offices are mentioned, but their duties and interrelationships are not always clearly defined. General patterns emerge, however, permitting some description of the leadership and discipline of the church as an institution. Leadership The apostles maintained a general supervisory function, although their chief task was the proclamation of the gospel in an itinerant ministry. (The word apostolos indicates one sent out on a mission. ) Apostleship was not limited to the disciples of Jesus, but also included men such as Barnabas, Apollos, James, and Paul. The criteria for apostleship are never directly set forth, though Acts 1:21-22 indicates that an apostle should have been a witness to the events leading to Jesus' resurrection. Paul claims a right to the title by virtue of having seen the risen Christ (1 Cor. 9:1; 15:8), and indicates that James had a similar experience (1 Cor. 15:7). Mira…