林前十二28 神在召会中所设立的，第一是使徒，第二是申言者，第三是教师；其次是行异能的，再次是得恩赐医病的，帮助的，治理的，说各种方言的。

　　徒二十28　 圣灵立你们作全群的监督，你们就当为自己谨慎，也为全群谨慎，牧养神的召会，就是祂用自己的血所买来的。

　　在宇宙召会里只有一种职分—使徒的职分。保罗在罗马一章五节说到这职分，他说他领受了“恩典和使徒的职分，为祂的名在万国中使人顺从信仰”。

　　只有使徒有地位和权利，在地方召会里设立长老。看见这点对我们是很重要的，这样我们才会弃绝宗教阶级制度和任何的组织。在新约里我们看见神建立和实行召会的路。神的路是在宇宙召会里有一个使徒的职分，这职分赋与使徒地位和权利，为着地方召会的行政设立长老（新约总论第七册，一三四至一三五页）。

　　1 Cor. 12:28 And God has placed some in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers; then works of power, then gifts of healing, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues.

　　Acts 20:28 Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among whom the Holy Spirit has placed you as overseers to shepherd the church of God, which He obtained through His own blood.

　　In the universal church there is only one office—the apostleship. Paul refers to this office in Romans 1:5, where he says that he had received “grace and apostleship unto the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles on behalf of His name.”

　　Only the apostles have the position and right to appoint elders in the local churches. It is important for us to see this so that we may abandon hierarchy and any kind of organization. In the New Testament we see God’s way to establish the churches and to carry them on. God’s way is that in the universal church there is the one office of apostleship. This apostleship gives the apostles the position and right to appoint the elders for the administration of the local churches. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, pp. 2158-2159)

　　行传十四章二十三节告诉我们，使徒“在各召会中为他们选立了长老”。保罗在提多书一章五节说，“我从前留你在革哩底，是要你将我所未办完的事办理妥当，又照我所吩咐你的，在各城设立长老。”我们要强调一个事实，就是这里的“各城”，比较行传十四章二十三节的“各召会”，指明地方召会行政的界限就是该召会所在的城，并且一城只该有一个召会。……在各城设立长老就是在各召会中设立长老。

　　在召会中某些弟兄是作长老的。在头一个地方召会，耶路撒冷的召会中（徒八1），有长老们照管召会的行政（十一30，十五2、4、6、22，十六4，二一18）。后来，每一个召会都设立了长老，所以有在以弗所召会的长老（二十17）。新约启示长老不是由会众选举出来的，乃是使徒照着他们生命成熟的程度而设立的，并且受使徒嘱咐在召会中要顾到带领和牧养的事。

　　长老也背负着牧养地方召会的负担。地方召会就像一群羊，长老乃是群羊的牧人，照管群羊的情形并应付需要。

　　在行传二十章二十八节，保罗嘱咐以弗所的长老要“牧养神的召会”。长老作监督，主要的责任不是辖管，乃是牧养，给群羊（就是神的召会）周全柔细的照顾。

　　照着彼前五章二节，长老不是辖管者，而是牧人。牧养是对群羊所施合式的照顾。群羊需要受到照顾、保护，被带领前往正确的方向，并被带到一个有吃有喝的地方。这就是牧养。

　　彼得在二节并不是叫长老牧养自己的群羊，他乃是嘱咐他们牧养神的群羊。……所以，长老不该以为他们在召会中领头，召会就是属于他们的。……召会称为基督的召会、神的召会和众圣徒的召会（罗十六16，林前一2，十四34）；但召会不是使徒或长老的召会。召会是由众圣徒组成的，所以是众圣徒的召会。召会是基督所赎回的，所以是基督的召会。召会是神所重生的，所以是神的召会（新约总论第七册，一三五至一三六、一四○至一四一页）。

　　参读：召会的组织，第二、四、六篇。

　　Acts 14:23 tells us that the apostles “had appointed elders for them in every church.” In Titus 1:5 Paul says, “For this cause I left you in Crete, that you might set in order the things which I have begun that remain, and appoint elders in every city, as I directed you.” We would emphasize the fact that “in every city” here compared with “in every church” in Acts 14:23 indicates that the jurisdiction of a local church is that of the city in which it is located and also that in one city there should be only one church…. To establish elders in every city is to establish elders in every church.

　　In the church certain brothers serve as elders. In the first local church, the church at Jerusalem (Acts 8:1), there were elders taking care of the government of the church (Acts 11:30; 15:2, 4, 6, 22; 16:4; 21:18). Eventually, elders were appointed in every church. Thus, there were elders in the church in Ephesus (Acts 20:17). The New Testament reveals that the elders were not voted in by their congregations, but were appointed by the apostles according to their maturity of life and were charged by the apostles to care for the leadership and the shepherding in the churches.

　　The elders…bear the burden of shepherding the local church. The local church is like a flock, and the elders are the shepherds to shepherd this flock, taking care of the situation of the flock and meeting the needs.

　　In Acts 20:28 Paul charges the elders of the church in Ephesus “to shepherd the church of God.” The main responsibility of the elders as overseers is not to rule over but to shepherd, to take all-inclusive tender care of the flock, the church of God.

　　According to 1 Peter 5:2, the elders are not rulers but shepherds. Shepherding is a proper care exercised over the flock. The flock needs to be cared for, protected, led in the right direction, and brought to a place where they can eat and drink. This is shepherding.

　　In 5:2 Peter does not tell the elders to shepherd their own flock; he charges them to shepherd the flock of God…. Therefore, the elders should not consider the church in which they are taking the lead as belonging to them…. The church is called the church of Christ, the church of God, and the church of the saints (Rom. 16:16; 1 Cor. 1:2; 14:33). But the church is not the church of the apostles or the church of the elders. Because the church is composed of the saints, it is the church of the saints. Because the church has been redeemed by Christ, it is the church of Christ. Because the church has been regenerated by God, it is the church of God. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, pp. 2159-2160, 2163)

　　Further Reading: CWWL, 1956, vol. 2, “Three Aspects of the Church, Book 3: The Organization of the Church,” chs. 2, 4, 6