No Division and Leadership Standards

The standard of “no-division” is a necessary aspect of the unity of the church prayed for (Jn 17) and required by the Lord Jesus Christ. God is one, so the church must be one, but one is not arbitrary or according to a creative or novel definition. The unity standard of no-division comes from Romans 16:17, which says: “Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.” Do you see that? “Mark them which cause divisions.” It is not that someone does not believe and practice the same, even though scripture teaches one faith (Eph 4:5), doctrine, or body of truth.

This church has one doctrine, which Paul calls, “speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment” (1 Cor 1:10). As a church, a major part, if not the most important part, of the unity of a church is not causing division and there being no divisions. A church must have conformity to have unity and that unanimity occurs through leadership standards or regulations that apply with oneness the doctrine and practice of the church.

Leaders must lead in the doctrine and practice of the church, because that’s what a church wants to reproduce. One can see in scripture a stricter standard for leadership as seen in several places in the New Testament. In 2 Timothy 2:20-21, Paul calls the church, “the great house” in which are vessels unto honor and dishonor. Leaders must be vessels unto honor, prepared to be used by God. God gives pastors a unique expectation of conformity to God’s words and will in 1 Timothy 3:1-7. James in 3:1 says, “Be not many masters,” because God judges leadership in a greater way. Leaders must give account for followers, which requires a better fulfillment of scripture from them than the rest (Heb 13:17).