Particular Baptist
Puritan Board Freshman
I was reading the 1689 LCF yesterday and noticed that the confession lists only two offices: elder and deacon. However, I have read in the past in John Hammett's book Biblical Foundations for Baptist Churches: A Contemporary Ecclesiology that some Baptists, especially before 1820, held to a 2.5 or 3 office view, with distinctions between teaching elders and ruling elders, the teaching elder obviously being the elder who gained his living from the gospel. I was wondering whether anyone had given this thought and if it would be within the bounds of the Confession, which I'm not sure of. Also, are there any Baptists that we can name who have believed in the 3 offices?