Reading Time: 4 minutesQuestion 09096 The office of deacon is one of the most familiar roles in church life, yet what churches actually do with their deacons varies enormously. In some traditions, deacons function as a governing board. In others, they serve in a purely ceremonial capacity. The question is what the New Testament itself says about the…
Reading Time: 4 minutesQuestion 09012 The claim that there are apostles in the church today is made with increasing confidence by leaders within the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) and related charismatic movements. Some go so far as to insist that the church cannot function properly without a restored apostolic office carrying governmental authority over other churches and leaders….
Reading Time: 3 minutesQuestion 09010 Ordination is a word used across virtually every Christian tradition, yet it means different things in different contexts. In some traditions it confers a sacramental character that permanently changes the nature of the person ordained. In others it is a formal recognition of a calling that the church has observed and affirmed. Understanding…
Reading Time: 4 minutesQuestion 09011 The training and calling of pastors is a subject on which the New Testament says more than many churches realise and less than some seminary programmes assume. The modern pathway to pastoral ministry, which typically involves formal theological education followed by a search process and an institutional appointment, is not the only model…
Reading Time: 5 minutesQuestion 09104 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 is one of the most debated passages in the New Testament. Paul writes, “The women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says. If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their…
Reading Time: 4 minutesQuestion 09103 Disagreements over women’s ministry roles are among the most emotionally charged and practically consequential disputes a local church can face. They touch on deeply held convictions about Scripture, gender, authority, and calling. They can divide friendships, fracture leaderships, and leave entire congregations wounded. How a church navigates this disagreement matters as much as…
Reading Time: 4 minutesQuestion 09100 Few questions generate more confusion in church life than the relationship between the titles “pastor,” “elder,” and “bishop.” Entire systems of church government have been built on the assumption that these are three distinct offices with different levels of authority. The New Testament evidence, however, points in a different direction, and understanding what…
Reading Time: 4 minutesQuestion 09102 1 Corinthians 14 addresses both the gift of prophecy and the regulation of teaching within the gathered assembly, but it does not always make the boundary between the two as neat as systematic theology would prefer. Understanding the distinction is important, because confusing them in either direction leads to practical problems in church…
Reading Time: 5 minutesQuestion 09107 The complementarian-egalitarian debate is one of the most significant secondary disagreements within evangelical Christianity. It shapes how churches are led, how Scripture is interpreted, and how men and women relate to one another in the life of the congregation. Both positions claim biblical support, both are held by sincere believers, and both have…
Reading Time: 4 minutesQuestion 09105 Few verses in the New Testament generate as much heat as 1 Timothy 2:12. Paul’s statement that he does not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man has been dismissed by some as culturally irrelevant and weaponised by others as a blanket prohibition on women doing anything at…