{"id": "card_n_4994665cec8a", "kind": "note", "title": "Belgic Art. 31: The Ministers, Elders, and Deacons", "body": "We believe that the ministers of God's Word, the elders, and the deacons ought to be chosen to their respective offices by a lawful election of the Church, with calling upon the name of the Lord, and in that order which the Word of God teaches.", "source": {"label": "Belgic Confession (1561)", "url": "/codex.html#belgic-art31", "ref": "Article 31", "authority_tier": "creed"}, "shelf": "codex", "box": "confession_belgic", "bands": ["belgic", "continental_reformed", "three_forms_of_unity", "article_31", "1 Tim 3", "Titus 1:5-9", "Acts 6:3"], "connections": [{"to_card_id": "card_n_50ed97c85320", "relationship": "same_section", "origin": "nesting_2026_06_12"}, {"to_card_id": "card_n_3e0feabde3ae", "relationship": "same_section", "origin": "nesting_2026_06_12"}], "author": "engine", "created_at": "2026-05-19T00:00:00Z", "visibility": "public", "lifecycle_stage": "public", "volatility": "permanent", "metrics": {"paperclips_count": 0, "helpful_count": 0, "not_helpful_count": 0, "cite_count": 0, "walks_through_count": 0, "flagged_count": 0}, "updated_at": "2026-05-19T13:05:02.389075+00:00", "source_hash": "2e4565c41ab44dc2a95298225e540779a3c7f460beff985223daf045c549e865", "witnesses": [{"class": "manuscript_tradition", "label": "Original French 1561 — Guido de Bres", "ref": "Belgic-1561"}, {"class": "translation", "label": "Dutch translation (Synod of Antwerp 1566)", "ref": "Belgic-NL"}, {"class": "critical_edition", "label": "Synod of Dort revision (1618-19)", "ref": "Belgic-Dort"}, {"class": "republication", "label": "CCEL — Belgic Confession", "url": "https://www.ccel.org/creeds/belgic.html", "ref": "CCEL-Belgic"}, {"class": "proof_text", "label": "Scripture proof texts", "ref": "Belgic-proofs"}], "witness_status": "passed", "witness_status_reason": "5 witnesses across 5 independence classes: ['critical_edition', 'manuscript_tradition', 'proof_text', 'republication', 'translation']", "surface": "witness"}