First Christian Voices: Practices of the Apostolic Fathers

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First Christian Voices

of the apostles, along with your deacons, who are most dear to me, who are entrusted with the ministry of Jesus Christ, who was with the Father before the beginning of time and in the end was revealed” ( To the Magnesians 6). Equating the bishop with God, the elders with the apostles, and the deacons with Jesus’ ministry does not necessarily indicate a hierarchy as much as it communicates the leadership’s commitment to being on God’s mission. Therefore, as long as leadership maintains that commitment, the church should honor, respect, and submit to the leaders as those appointed by the congregation to ensure that the church also continues on its mission. Another important observation about early church leadership is the focus on preserving the unity of the church in her beliefs about Jesus. For this reason, Christians were to study together with the leaders and conduct the activities of the church in conjunction with the leaders. Such activities included the observance of the Eucharist, sometimes referred to as the Lord’s Supper or Communion. The Eucharist is the visible sign or symbol of Jesus’ work on earth when His body was broken and His blood shed for us. To get this wrong meant that the church would risk misunderstanding the nature of salvation. Thus, the leaders ensured the activities of the church reflected the proper understanding of Jesus.

C hurch L eadership

The Holy Spirit and Leaders F irst C lement 42: The apostles have preached the gospel to us from the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ has done so from God. Christ therefore was sent by God, and the