{"id":{"repo_id":"sbts","oai_identifier":"oai:repository.sbts.edu:10392/7424"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/sbts/oai:repository.sbts.edu:10392/7424","repository":{"repo_id":"sbts","name":"Southern Baptist Theological Seminary","base_url":"https://repository.sbts.edu/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Plurality of Elder Leadership Versus One-Man Authority in a New Testament Church","abstract":"The thesis of this paper is that churches should be led, taught, and governed by a plurality of elders, leading the church as a group without a defined single-man authority over them. Chapter 1 contains the thesis statement, along with a brief discussion of the content and the methodology used in this paper. Chapter 2 reviews church history, from the point in the second century when the church departed from the biblical model of church government until the present day. Chapter 3 provides the exegesis of scriptural passages and examines the pattern of church government and explores whether there is just one or multiple models found in New Testament churches. Chapter 4 presents practical arguments for alternate models of government, based on personality preferences and time management issues. Chapter 5 presents the conclusions formed from the preceding analysis, thereby defending the thesis statement.","abstract_html":"The thesis of this paper is that churches should be led, taught, and governed by a plurality of elders, leading the church as a group without a defined single-man authority over them. Chapter 1 contains the thesis statement, along with a brief discussion of the content and the methodology used in this paper. Chapter 2 reviews church history, from the point in the second century when the church departed from the biblical model of church government until the present day. Chapter 3 provides the exegesis of scriptural passages and examines the pattern of church government and explores whether there is just one or multiple models found in New Testament churches. Chapter 4 presents practical arguments for alternate models of government, based on personality preferences and time management issues. Chapter 5 presents the conclusions formed from the preceding analysis, thereby defending the thesis statement.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Niemeyer, Douglas J"],"institution":"The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary","degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["Allison, Gregg R."],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2024,"date_issued":"2024-12","date_published":"2024-12","updated_at":"2026-07-27T21:05:01Z","subjects":[],"languages":["en_US"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://hdl.handle.net/10392/7424","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["Allison, Gregg R."]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Niemeyer, Douglas J"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2025-02-05T20:31:32Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2025-02-05T20:31:32Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2024-12"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary"]},{"key":"dc:publisher.department","label":"Dc Publisher Department","values":["School of Theology"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Electronic thesis"]},{"key":"dc:type.qualificationname","label":"Dc Type Qualificationname","values":["Th.M."]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language.iso","label":"Language (ISO)","values":["en_US"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["https://hdl.handle.net/10392/7424"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The thesis of this paper is that churches should be led, taught, and governed by a plurality of elders, leading the church as a group without a defined single-man authority over them. Chapter 1 contains the thesis statement, along with a brief discussion of the content and the methodology used in this paper. Chapter 2 reviews church history, from the point in the second century when the church departed from the biblical model of church government until the present day. Chapter 3 provides the exegesis of scriptural passages and examines the pattern of church government and explores whether there is just one or multiple models found in New Testament churches. Chapter 4 presents practical arguments for alternate models of government, based on personality preferences and time management issues. Chapter 5 presents the conclusions formed from the preceding analysis, thereby defending the thesis statement."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Plurality of Elder Leadership Versus One-Man Authority in a New Testament Church"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.advisor":["Allison, Gregg R."],"dc:creator":["Niemeyer, Douglas J"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2025-02-05T20:31:32Z"],"dc:date.available":["2025-02-05T20:31:32Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2024-12"],"dc:description.abstract":["The thesis of this paper is that churches should be led, taught, and governed by a plurality of elders, leading the church as a group without a defined single-man authority over them. Chapter 1 contains the thesis statement, along with a brief discussion of the content and the methodology used in this paper. Chapter 2 reviews church history, from the point in the second century when the church departed from the biblical model of church government until the present day. Chapter 3 provides the exegesis of scriptural passages and examines the pattern of church government and explores whether there is just one or multiple models found in New Testament churches. Chapter 4 presents practical arguments for alternate models of government, based on personality preferences and time management issues. Chapter 5 presents the conclusions formed from the preceding analysis, thereby defending the thesis statement."],"dc:identifier.uri":["https://hdl.handle.net/10392/7424"],"dc:language.iso":["en_US"],"dc:publisher":["The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary"],"dc:publisher.department":["School of Theology"],"dc:title":["Plurality of Elder Leadership Versus One-Man Authority in a New Testament Church"],"dc:type":["Electronic thesis"],"dc:type.qualificationname":["Th.M."]},"updated_at":"2026-07-27T21:05:01Z"}