Authority in the Church: Exploring the Roles of the Congregation, Elders, and Deacons

BY BENJAMIN L. MERKLE

While several works have tried to ascertain the definition of who the leader of the church should be, Authority in the Church calls for the pastor as well as the congregation to understand the role of authority within the church and how that authority is held by all people within the church’s walls, not just the people at the leadership table.

With deep biblical insight and theological rigor, Merkle addresses how all parties within the church have a charge to assist in protecting the health of the church body with their own unique authority, given to them by God in Scripture.

BENJAMIN L. MERKLE (PhD, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is the Dr. M. O. Owens Jr. Chair of New Testament Studies and professor of New Testament and Greek at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.