Beyond the Book with Dr. Merkle: “Authority in the Church”

At Southeastern Seminary, Merkle serves as research professor of New Testament and Greek. In the following Q&A, he takes some time to answer a few questions about this new book and the guidance it gives to local churches.

What motivated you to write “Authority in the Church”?

I didn’t plan to write this book; it kind of just happened. Like many books that I’ve written, it was born out of a small idea that kept growing until I became convinced that a book was needed. So, let me back up and explain. I first published an essay titled “The Authority of Deacons in Pauline Churches” (Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 64.2 [2021]: 309–25). A year later I was asked to deliver three plenary addresses at a conference. I chose to add to the essay I wrote on deacons and include the authority of the congregation and the elders. Those three lectures would become the heart of this book. After receiving several requests to share this material in various churches, I was convinced there was a genuine need for this material to be made accessible to others.

How does this book uniquely situate itself within the conversation around church leadership?

Three unique features stand out with this book. First, it is comprehensive in the sense that it discusses the roles of the congregation, the elders, and the deacons. Several books exist that defend congregationalism or the role and necessity of elders or the function and need of deacons. But hardly any books discuss all three.

Second, as conveyed in the title (“Authority in the Church”), this book specifically addresses the question of authority. What type of authority does the congregation have? What about the elders and deacons? How does that authority play out in the context of the local church? And how does the authority of one group relate to the other? In a culture where authority is abused, despised, and rejected, the proper (biblical) understanding of authority is desperately needed.

Third, this book is written in a simple, memorable, and reproduceable manner. It is not a massive volume written for the academy but is an accessible book written for the church. For example, each chapter begins with a visual triad representing the three main points of that chapter. In fact, the entire book represents a triad (congregation, elders, deacons). This makes the content of the book easy to grasp, recall, and transmit to others.

How do churches commonly misunderstand the role of congregational authority?

With the rise of elder-led churches in the SBC and other denominations, many have doubts as to whether such churches still embrace congregationalism. In defense of a congregational polity, Baptist churches often speak of the importance of “congregational rule.” Two comments are worth making in regard to this phrase. First, this book endorses congregationalism (the idea that local churches are autonomous and self-governed). A church that has elders can still be congregational. Second, the problem with the phrase “congregational rule” is that nowhere in the New Testament does it state that congregations rule. Furthermore, the concept of a congregation “ruling” itself is difficult to picture. Instead, congregations appoint leaders who are given the task of leading. Yet, the congregation has an important role — they have final authority. Their authority is seen in the following areas:

• Membership (they receive and remove members)
• Leadership (they appoint and commission leaders)
• Discipleship (they build up one another)

Thus, we could say that congregations have final authority, elders have leadership authority, and deacons have a delegated authority.

Why do you begin the book by speaking about the authority of Jesus?

The basic answer is because the church belongs to Jesus. It is his. He is the head of the church (Eph 5:23). All authority in heaven and earth is given to him (Matt 28:18). And yet, he is also described as the Good Shepherd (John 10:11, 14), the Great Shepherd (Heb 13:20), and the Chief Shepherd (1 Pet 5:4). And yet, Jesus — the one who possessed all authority — used his authority to serve others with humility and grace. So, a book about authority in the church must begin with Jesus. Those who have authority in the church should follow Jesus’s leadership model and use that authority to serve and build up others.

Jesus — the one who possessed all authority — used his authority to serve others with humility and grace. So, a book about authority in the church must begin with Jesus.

What is at stake when church authority is not properly understood or grounded in Scripture?

Any time we deviate from Scripture, whether intentional or not, we abandon the wisdom of God and place our trust in the wisdom of man. When church authority is not grounded in Scripture, at least three issues can arise. First, church leaders fail to perform their assigned roles. For example, deacons are not tasked with leading or teaching but instead are needed to assist the elders so that the elders can focus on their primary calling: ministering through the word of God and prayer. Sometimes in churches, however, deacons rule over the business affairs of the church, or, in other churches, they perform only menial tasks with no authority. But these two extremes both miss the mark.

Second, misapplying authority in the church causes confusion among its members. When members read Scripture, see that deacons should be assisting the elders, and then see deacons ruling over the church, confusion ensues as they realize their experience does not match Scripture.

Third, the unintentional consequence is often the degrading of Scripture’s authority. When tradition, customs, or convenience takes precedence over the clear teaching of Scripture, the authority of Scripture begins to fade.

What are practical next steps that readers can take after finishing this book? Perhaps you can speak first to the pastor and then to the congregant.

For pastors who read this book, I recommend sharing the concepts with the other leaders of the church. This could be done in a number of ways. First, you could study this book together, discussing one chapter a week/month. Second, you could have a weekend conference (or retreat) where the main ideas of the book are presented. Third, you could study key New Testament passages, highlighting the concept of authority as it arises in the various texts.  For church members, this book is also for you because all members are responsible for knowing the Bible and applying biblical principles to their personal lives and in the life and ministry of the church body. You should care about the church, its leaders, and your role as a member. When a church transitions to a plural-elder model, it’s not uncommon for members to grow suspicious of leadership, wondering if such a transition is a way to remove authority from the congregation. Although such motivations can certainly exist, the main motivation for such a transition should be to conform to the biblical standard which does not seek to take authority away from the congregation. Rather, it allows for the congregation to properly exercise its authority.

How has God particularly challenged or encouraged you throughout the process of writing this book?

The organizational structure of a church should not be complicated. God has given us his word, and we should embrace it and properly apply it. When this is done, churches often flourish. It has been a joy to share the contents of this book with churches who desire to increase in their inward depth and outward growth and realize that a proper leadership structure can help in that process. What an encouragement it has been to see so many churches desire to return to a biblical church polity, trusting in the wisdom of God and his word for the important task of expanding the kingdom of God.