“For this reason we must always return to the Scriptures to find the answer to this question: what is the true form of God’s Church? For in the Word of God we find an exact witness of the will of God in all He approves and disapproves.” – Pierre Viret

“And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” (Ephesians 4:11-16 ESV)

” Commitment to a community of Christians involves much more than just being there, but it certainly does not involve less than this. In order to be dedicated to a church—not just the church as institution but the church as people—you need to be present so you can be with people and actively engage with them. The good churchman knows that every time the church gathers, there are opportunities to pursue, to minister, to bless, and he is eager to take full advantage of every one of these times.” – Tim Challies

“The highest and sweetest of all human fellowship, out of heaven, is the fellowship of a gospel church formed after the model of the Holy Scriptures” – Simeon Ashe

“When the devil cannot by violence destroy the Church, he endeavours to poison it; when he cannot with Samson’s fox-tails, set the corn on fire, then he sows tares; as he labours to destroy the peace of the Church, by division, so the truth of it by error.” – Simeon Ashe

“The pastor is called to feed the sheep, even if the sheep do not want to be fed. He is certainly not to become an entertainer of goats. Let goats entertain goats, and let them do it out in goatland. You will certainly not turn goats into sheep by pandering to their goatishness.” – William Still

“Such a shame is it for apostles and ministers of Christ to hold their peace, that if they be silent, the very stones shall preach against them. The walls, windows, pavements of churches shall cry out against such pastors, that undertake the office of shepherd, and feed Christ’s flock with nothing but air.” – Thomas Adams

“Far from being burdensome, our nourishment in the Lord’s Supper should be cause for joy and gratitude…In churches where the Lord’s Supper is celebrated weekly, the people have generally come to treasure this opportunity to ‘taste and see that the Lord is good’ (Ps.34:8). Far from being mundane and ordinary, the supper has come to enrich the faith of those receiving, who increasingly find themselves looking forward to each Resurrection Day with eager anticipation.” – David T. Koyzis

“For if a minister is not convinced of the divine truth of the word he preaches, his preaching loses all authority, influence, and power. If he is not able to bring a message from God, who then gives him the right to act on behalf of people of like nature with himself? Who gives him the freedom to put himself in the pulpit [a few feet] above them, to speak to them about the highest interest of their soul and life and even to proclaim to them their eternal weal or woe? Who would dare, who would be able to do this, unless he has a word of God to proclaim?” – Herman Bavinck

“In Ephesians 4:11-13, we are told that the ascended Christ has granted gifts to His church in ministers of the Word (apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers) for the purpose of equipping the church for the work of ministry in order to build it up until spiritual maturity is attained.  In other words, the ascended Christ leads His church through these ministers of the Word called pastors (elders) who teach God’s Word.  That Christ leads His church through human shepherds is confirmed in 1 Peter 5:1-5 when the elders are exhorted to shepherd the flock of God under their care faithfully . . . and when the chief Shepherd (Jesus) appears they will be rewarded. ” – Marcus Glover

“A thing most expedient and necessary that every Kirk [Church] have a Bible in English, and that the people be commanded to convene and hear the plain reading and interpretation of the Scripture as the Kirk [Church] shall appoint…Each Book of the Bible should be begun and read through in order to the end, and there should be no skipping and divigation from place to place of Scrpture, be it in reading or be it in preaching.” – John Knox’s First Book of Discipline (1561)