By Whose Authority? Elders in Baptist Life

by Mark Dever

Christ gifts local churches with groups of men called elders to love and lead the flock through teaching, prayer, oversight, and example. This plurality of servants is charged with the weighty task of shepherding a particular body of saints for whom Christ died.

But if Scripture lifts up this crucial office, why do so many churches today neglect its careful consideration?

This book provides a biblical, historical, and pragmatic defense for pursuing and implementing a plurality of elders in the local church.

Genres: Ecclesiology, Theology, Christian, Church, Leadership

50 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Mark E. Dever serves as the senior pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, DC. Since his ordination to the ministry in 1985, Dr. Dever has served on the pastoral staffs of four churches, the second being a church he planted in Massachusetts. Prior to moving to Washington in 1994, Dr. Dever taught for the faculty of Divinity at Cambridge University while serving two years as an associate pastor of Eden Baptist Church.

In an effort to build biblically faithful churches in America, Dr. Dever serves as the executive director for 9Marks (formerly The Center for Church Reform, CCR) in Washington, D.C. 9Marks encourages pastors of local churches look to the Bible for instruction on how to organize and lead their churches. Dr. Dever also teaches periodically at various conferences, speaking everywhere from South Africa to Brazil to the United Kingdom to Alabama. Feeling a deep burden for student ministry, Dr. Dever often addresses student ministry groups at campuses throughout the country. He has also taught at a number of seminaries, including Beeson Divinity School in Birmingham, AL, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY, and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, IL. Dr. Dever’s scholarly interests include Puritanism and ecclesiology.

Dr. Dever currently serves as a trustee of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary; he also serves as a member of the board, vice-chairman, and chairman of the Forum for the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals. From 1995 until 2001, he served on the steering committee for Founders Ministries, a pastoral movement for biblical teaching and healthy church life within the Southern Baptist Convention. As Guest Senate Chaplain for two weeks in 1995, Dr. Dever opened the daily sessions of the United States Senate in prayer. He is a member of the American Society of Church History and the Tyndale Fellowship. He also held the J.B. Lightfoot Scholarship at Cambridge University from 1989 to 1991.

Reviews

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

This brief book takes up the question of multiple elders in Baptist churches. Dever approaches the answer from Scripture, Baptist history, and practicality. The scriptural arguments section is a survey of the instances of elder(s) in the New Testament. He notes the interchange of elders, overseers, and pastors to describe the same local church office of leadership. Dever also references the use of the plural for this office in reference to a singular church in the New Testament. It is worth noting that the New Testament does not use the singular for the office with either the singular or plural for churches.

Dever quotes from historic Baptist confessions of faith as well as the writings of various Baptists in history that refer to the practice of multiple elders. He may not have put it in quite these terms but I believe Baptists in history have a unique polity from other groups where Baptists have upheld independent, autonomous churches that practice elder-led congregational polity. Not only are Baptists historically distinct in this, but also biblical.

The last section seemed the briefest of the three. Dever succinctly touches on practical aspects of plural leadership. This section wanted a more extensive treatment. The book is probably a good introduction to the subject. It can be read in less than an hour and does touch on major points. Again, it's concise and not an extended treatment, but helpful.

[Shaun Marksbury · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good book for any person currently in a non-elder congregational church (e.g., SBC congregations that self-describe as "traditionalist"). Mark Dever, an SBC pastor, explains that Baptists have historically had elders and why Baptists should still hold to this. He demonstrates that having an elder-led congregation does not necessarily nullify congregational rule. As someone who would fall more on the "elder-rule" side, my reading of Scripture differs from Dever's here, but this book comes much closer to a biblical model of church government than most traditionalist congregations... those that would be deacon-led or single-pastor-led. Non-SBC readers can also certainly benefit from this book, especially if they are considering a more biblical model for the first time. For those who want to dig deeper, _The Master's Plan for the Church_ by John MacArthur and _Biblical Eldership_ by Alexander Strauch are books that represent the biblical view of elders better, providing ample reason to reject Dever's (admittedly, p. 33) weak arguments for elder-led congregationalism.

[Todd Bryant · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclaimer: This is written by a SBC pastor with an SBC perspective. That said, Dever does quite an outstanding job here in this short booklet. There are three sections: Elders in the Bible, Elders in (Baptist) History, and Elders in Baptist Life. It serve anybody well that has wondered about elders to read this.

This is introductory. It is in no way a full treatment of the subject of elders in a church. That said, it's worth reading.

[James Kerr · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent (and free on the web) booklet that gets to the point of elders within the life of the church. These ideas and chapters have expanded to many of the 9Marks books. I found this helpful and would serve as a good primer if you are interested in the idea of an elder led church. He covers issues biblically, historically, and practically. He does reference the SBC within the book a point I found relevant as an SBC pastor.

[Michael Abraham · Rating 4 out of 5]

I grew up in a Baptist church where I was taught that elders are for Presbyterians. Dever dispels that idea in this excellent booklet defending the biblical practice of a plurality of elders.

[Anete Ābola · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before you read this one, it would be useful to read some other book/lets from 9marks/Mark Dever and others about the biblical foundation of the office of elders and what it means practically. This book is mostly a short history lesson.

[Mark A Powell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Baptist churches and elders don’t often seem to mix, yet there is strong biblical consideration for why they should. Dever seeks to peel back the layers of tradition and verbiage and uncover the rich Baptist heritage of eldership. While this booklet is only a surface-level glimpse into these matters, Dever is able to draw profound conclusions about the necessity of elders in Baptist life. At the least, this can lead to legitimate and biblically essential discussions.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great short book on the role of elders in Scripture and in history. Dever clearly shows how Scripture and history support a plurality of elders and explores some of the implications and issues surrounding this sometimes controversial issue. Great read if you have questions on the subject.

[David Rathel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good overview of the concept of plurality of elders in Baptist life. Dever deals with the exegetical issues, the historical issues (how has a plurality of elders functioned in Baptist churches in the past?), and the practical issues (what do the elders do at Capitol Hill Baptist?).

[Chris Whisonant · Rating 5 out of 5]

All of my SBC friends should give fair consideration to what Dever discusses in this short book on eldership in Baptist churches.

[Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I only wish this brief book were expanded to go into more detail, but I also recognize that it's the transcript of a presentation at a conference.