This is an enormously important verse. ‘Followers’ translates the Greek for ‘mimics’, close imitators.
In church history the difference has not always been understood. At the time of the Reformation the doctrines of salvation were recovered, and Luther and Calvin and many others preached the true doctrines, and there was revival and Reformation. But the Reformation did not accomplish everything. In the early stages the Reformers by and large just adapted the method of church government and the shape of the church that existed previously in the Church of Rome. When it came to the doctrines, the Reformers said ‘Everything is wrong. Do not believe in justification by works, or through the ministry of the priesthood, but by faith in Jesus Christ. Go directly to him.’ But they left in place, a great many of the components of the church. It is as though they found a great cathedral, very ornate, heavy stained-glass windows and so on, and they took away the side pulpit and put it in the middle and cast out the altar, and they put the word of God in its place. Now the word of God is preached. Tremendous! But they left the building with all its ornate structure and symbolism; they didn't touch that. As the Reformation went on more was changed, but not enough. So then you had the Independence and the Baptists and others who completed the Reformation. They said, ‘The building has got to come down. Everything has got to be done in accordance with the pattern which is given in the Scripture.’ That is why the Lutheran Church, which started so well, crumbled doctrinally so quickly. The Church of England leaned very much on the Lutheran Church. The Thirty Nine Articles of the Church of England spells it out quite clearly that the rites and ceremonies of the church are for the leadership of the church to decide. Are they? Surely it is for the Scripture to decide! A complete reformation would say everything is under the authority of Scripture: how we worship, how we govern, how we evangelise, and there is a precedent in the New Testament for us. The Presbyterians didn't entirely miss it, but they partially missed it. They said, in effect, ‘The governments of the church and its procedures and its methods must be different from Rome, and they must conform to Scripture. But in many respects they are to be determined by what is suitable for the times.’ So they adapted and they still, in a sense, centralised churches with presbyteries and a synod, a kind of pyramid structure, whereas the apostle's instructions were for independent congregations, all answerable to the guidance of the Lord. In fact in this passage Paul almost says that the pattern church is the answer to all our problems. If we brought everything to the touchstone of Scripture our problems would be solved.