The organization of the church of Christ follows the simple pattern given in the New Testament. Jesus Christ is the only Head of the Church (Ephesians 1:22, 23; Colossians 1:18). Each congregation is a "church of Christ" and as a whole are "churches of Christ" (Roman 16:16). Each local church is self-governing under Jesus Christ, the Head. They are lead by men known variously as "elders " (Acts 14:23) , " bishop" (Philippians 1:1), or "pastors" (Ephesians 4:11). These different designation all refer to the same office (Acts 20:17, 28; Titus 1:5, 7; 1 Peter 5:1-4). These leaders must have all the qualifications given by God before they can server in the eldership (1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9).
