[quote:8a33216d2a][i:8a33216d2a]Originally posted by blhowes[/i:8a33216d2a]
[b:8a33216d2a]Patrick wrote:[/b:8a33216d2a]
But there are some ingredients which are required. 1) The church is governed by elders. 2) The church should be fellowshipping with other believing bodies 3) There must be some form of accountability for the elders by other elders and to the members.

Would number 1 rule out baptist churches for you, or do you use the term elder as interchangeable with pastor?

Bob [/quote:8a33216d2a]
I think a pastor is one type of elder. I think an independent baptist or congregational church would fall short because of 2 and 3. But I think they may satisfy the requirements through some sort of association with other like mined churches. This certainly isn't a hard and fast rule. These are just the principles I think are common in the NT regarding church government.

__________________
Patrick
OPC
MDiv, RTS Jackson.

"He does well, that discourses of Christ; but he does infinitely better, that by experimental knowledge, feeds and lives on Christ." Thomas Brooks.