The purpose of this paper is to biblically answer the following question:

Who has authority over believers in the church?

This paper will address a common misconception about authority in the local church, a much talked about issue in our day, and give a biblical rationale for what authority in the church is and from where it comes. Authority in the church has often been misunderstood or misapplied by Christians due to cultural and personal biases, basing views on incorrect translations of the sacred text, or by wrongly assuming that religious traditions regarding authority are supported by the Word of God.