Congregational Leadership

So what is the role of leaders in the congregation? Consider the following:

Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. 1 Timothy 5:17
Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. Hebrews 13:7
Therefore an overseer must be above reproach... able to teach.1 Timothy 3:2
For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach… He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it. Titus 1:7, 9

New Testament apostolic authority is given to the congregation. Leaders are never appointed to serve not in the place of this authority that is properly held by the assembled body. Leaders are appointed to serve the congregation through the Word of God. Leaders in the church are to be about the business of teaching the scriptures, studying, correcting and training the people in the scriptures, rebuking those who are in error, and exhortation by the scriptures.
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: 2preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 2 Timothy 3:16-4:2

The Congregational Church and Scripture

And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you (singular) bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you (singular) loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”Matthew 16:17-19
If your brother sins [against you]*, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly, I say to you, whatever you (plural) bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you (plural) loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.Matthew 18:15-18

These are the only two references to church [ekklesia, church, congregation; assembly, gathering] in all of the gospels, and both times Jesus uses the word he also repeats this phrase: whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Jesus seems to be linking heavenly authority to the earthly practices of the gathered body of the church. Although this authority is specifically mentioned in the case of corrective discipline of an unrepentant member, Christ’s accompanying phrase seems to indicate that he did not intend the church to have authority in this area alone. cf. Matthew 28:18-20; 6:9-10
Insight into the practice of New Testament churches especially in matters of discipline can be seen in the case study from the Corinthian letters:
Let [the unrepentant] who has done this be removed from among you. For though absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing. When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.1 Corinthians 5:2-5
When viewed in light of the teaching found in Matthew, discipline should take place along a set pattern: one on one, in groups of three or four, and only then among the church. So it can be assumed that the man mentioned in the previous passage is unrepentant. Earlier in Matthew 16 gives Peter alone the authority to bind and loose on earth as in heaven. In Matthew 18 the same authority of binding and loosing on earth as in heaven is given to the gathered body of believers. Paul’s two statements I have already pronounced judgment and my spirit is present, seem to indicate that Paul sees himself as having the same apostolic authority of binding and loosing that Jesus gives to peter in Matthew 16. In addition, Paul’s instructions to the church that when you are assembled in the name of the lord and you (plural) are to deliver seem to indicate that this same apostolic authority that Peter is given and as apostle Paul assumes is given by Paul to the church.
The responsibility for removal lies with in the assembled body and with no other group or leadership cf. v. 4. Even Paul’s apostolic authority is spoken of as equivalent to the authority of the assembled body of believers. cf. 5:2-3 By implication the phrase whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven expands the authority of the congregational gathering “in the name of the Lord” to include more matters than just the taking in or the removal of membership.
Compare the remainder of the Corinthian instruction:
I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people—not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.” 1 Corinthians 5:9-13
Clearly, Paul’s recommendation, and by implication the command of scripture, is that congregations have a responsibility to judge its members in matters of discipleship (cf. v. 5 so that his spirit may be saved) and discipline (cf. v. 13 Purge the evil person from among you). This responsibility is not given here to any single individual but to all the congregation.
The assembled congregation is given an authority on par with the authority of Peter or Paul.

The Apostolic Church Planter

Although I did not know him, I have been thinking about Jorge Osorio’s mission plan for organizing churches with Hisapanics for Christ. Organize a group of disciples quickly and then move on. This intriguing idea/method/call sounds appropriate and was effective. But was it biblical?
I think maybe it was.
What if a church planter is not so much the "pastor" of a church as much as he is an organizer of churches, playing the role of apostle, with (almost) sole authority to organize a group of Christians in to a classical-biblical congregation [preach the gospel, administer the sacraments, practice discipline]. Where and when a church is finally "organized" an apostle moves on, leaving a pastor/elder team to lead the church and a congregational government to act in large, or "apostolic" decisions.
Isn't this what Paul, Barnabas, and the other (unmentioned?) disciples, who seem to have shortly left Jerusalem presumably to organize churches did? Moving from city to city evangelizing and gathering and then moving on. Apocryphal or not, there are no histories of specific churches where Thomas, Bartholomew or James the Less ruled from outside Jerusalem. If anything all of the apostles seemed to operate as itinerant organizers, starting churches as they went, leaving pastor-shepherds behind in their good gospel-wake.
A seminal idea at least, but I think it could be a missing piece of strategy that prevents church planting efforts from becoming church planting movements. Not being a church planter I could be way off the mark, but I would like to explore this idea further.

Congregational Government

Twice in Matthew Jesus says these words:

Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Matthew 16:19; 18:18

Interesting applications by J. Howard Yoder, here.
My two cents:
In both instances Jesus references "binding and loosing" in the context of the church [ekklesia], the only difference between the two is that one is addressed directly to Peter, "you" singular and the other, presumably is addressed to the assembled congregation, "you" plural. In other words, in one case Peter the Apostle is given heavenly authority to "bind and loose" things on earth, and in the other case that same authority is given to the church body, to the congregation.
Notice Paul the Apostle's words to the Corinthians:

Even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. And I have already passed judgment on the one who did this, just as if I were present. When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present... 1 Corinthians 5:3-4

Another passage on church discipline. Paul seems to be saying that although I am not, physically present, the assembled church has the same authority to make judgments that I would have if I were present. Notice also that the phrase, "our Lord Jesus is present" may allude to Christ's words in Matthew 18:20, For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.
Congregational government seems to take the place of apostolic authority. In the New Testament the apostles and Paul, and perhaps James rule with authority over the church, that authority is also vested in the gathered body of the church as well. Normal practice for New Testament churches, as taught by Paul at least, seems to be that what was apostolic authority now rests in the gathered whole as we assemble in Christ's name.