Biblical Eldership: An Urgent Call to Restore Biblical Church Leadership

by Alexander Strauch

to help clarify the biblical doctrine of eldership and second, to help church elderships function effectively.

Part One of this book (chapters 1 to 5) presents the five major features of biblical eldership: pastoral leadership, shared leadership, male leadership, qualified leadership, and servant leadership. These five principles are absolutely essential to biblical church leadership.

According to the New Testament concept of eldership, elders lead the church, teach and preach the Word, protect the church from false teachers, exhort and admonish the saints in sound doctrine, visit the sick and pray, and judge doctrinal issues.

In biblical terminology, elders shepherd, oversee, lead, and care for the local church.

The Bible also uses shepherd imagery to describe the work of those who lead God’s people (Ezek. 34).

It should be observed that these two giant apostles assign the task of shepherding the local church to no other group or single person but the elders.

We, then, must also view apostolic, Christianized elders to be primarily pastors of a flock, not corporate executives, CEOs, or advisers to the pastor.

As keepers of sheep, New Testament elders are to protect, feed, lead, and care for the flock’s many practical needs.

A major part of the New Testament elders’ work is to protect the local church from false teachers.

a prospective elder must have enough knowledge of the Bible to be able to refute false teachers:

Protecting the flock also includes seeking lost, straying sheep—a

protecting the flock involves disciplining sin, admonishing improper behavior and attitudes (1 Thess. 5:12), and stopping bitter infighting.

Elders, then, are to be protectors, watchmen, defenders, and guardians of God’s people.

A good shepherd is always on the alert to danger.

shepherd elders must be spiritually awake and highly sensitive to the subtle dangers of Satan’s attacks.

Shepherd elders must be watchful and prayerful. They must be aware of changing issues both in society and the church. They must continuously educate themselves, especially in Holy Scripture, diligently guard their own spiritual walk with the Lord, and always pray for the flock and its individual members.

Shepherds must also have courage to fight fierce predators.

“We have somehow got hold of the idea that error is only that which is outrageously wrong; and we do not seem to understand that the most dangerous person of all is the one who does not emphasize the right things.” (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Sermon on the Mount, 2:244)

There are many weak, immature, and unstable believers, so the elders must act as a wall of safety around the people, protecting them from the fearsome danger of savage wolves and other destructive influences.

Jesus, the Good Shepherd, was preeminently a teacher, and He commissioned others to teach all that He had taught (Matt. 28:20).

In the order of gifts in 1 Corinthians 12:28, the teaching gift is listed third, after apostle and prophet. So, teaching is one of the greater gifts a congregation should desire (1 Cor. 12:31).

Unlike modern board elders, all New Testament elders were required to be “able to teach” (1 Tim. 3:2).

The importance of feeding sheep is evidenced by the fact that sheep are nearly incapable of feeding and watering themselves properly. Without a shepherd, sheep would quickly be without pasture and water, and would soon waste away.

“everything depends on the proper feeding of the sheep.

The Christian community is created by the Spirit’s use of God’s Word (l Peter 1:23; James 1:18).

it is a scriptural requirement that an elder “be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict” (Titus 1:9).

The failure of church elders to know and teach the Bible is one of the chief reasons doctrinal error floods churches today and drowns the power and life of the church.

This ministry does not necessarily have to be exercised from the platform and the centre of gravity of the gifts of one elder may be towards teaching while that of another may be towards pastoring. But all need a sound grasp of the Faith and the ability to teach and instruct in small groups and one-to-one in the pastoral situation.

But at all costs the error of appointing those who lack either the character and spiritual qualities, or eldership gifts, or both, should be avoided.

According to Acts 20 and 1 Peter 5, elders shepherd the church of God. So to shepherd a local church means, among other things, to lead the church.

“Let the elders who rule [lead, direct, manage] well be considered worthy of double honor” (1 Tim. 5:17a). Elders, then, lead, direct, govern, manage, and care for the flock of God.

In Titus 1:7, Paul insists that a prospective elder be morally and spiritually above reproach be...

Elders are stewards of God’s household, the local church.

Elders are also called “overseers,” which signifies that they supervise and manage the church.

A congregation needs leadership, management, governance, guidance, counsel, and vision. Hence all elders must be, to some measure, leaders and managers.9 The eldership must clarify direction and beliefs for the flock. It must set goals, make decisions, give direction, correct failures, affect change, and motivate people. It must evaluate, plan, and govern. Elders, then, must be problem solvers, managers of people, planners, and thinkers.

A healthy, growing flock of sheep doesn’t just appear; it is the result of the shepherd’s skillful management of sheep and resources. He knows sheep and is skillful in caring for them. A good shepherd elder knows people. He knows how sensitive they are. He knows their needs, troubles, weaknesses, and sins. He knows how they can hurt one another. He knows how stubborn they can be. He knows how to deal with people. He knows that they must be slowly and patiently led. He knows when to be tough and when to be gentle. He knows peoples’ needs and what must be done to meet those needs. He knows how to accurately assess the health and direction of the congregation. And when he doesn’t know these things, he is quick to find answers. He loves to learn better skills and methods for managing the flock.

“Thus I was: by day the heat consumed me, and the frost by night, and my sleep fled from my eyes” (Gen. 31: 40).

Because a good shepherd must work hard, a self-seeking shepherd is, according to the biblical writers, a bad shepherd (Ezek. 34: 2, 8).

An idle, lazy shepherd is a disgrace and danger to the flock (Nah...

“The work of a true missionary is work indeed, often very monotonous, apparently not very successful, and carried on through great and varied but unceasing difficulties.”10 When the church eldership is viewed as a status or board position in the church there will be plenty of volunteers, but when it is viewed as a demanding, pastoral work, few will rush to volunteer.

Spiritual laziness is a major reason why most churches never establish a biblical eldership.

Biblical eldership, however, cannot exist in an atmosphere of nominal Christianity. There can be no biblical eldership in a church where there is no biblical Christianity. If a biblical eldership is to function effectively, it requires men who are firmly committed to our Lord’s principles of discipleship.

Some people say, “You can’t expect laymen to raise their families, work all day, and shepherd a local church.” But that is simply not true.

We Bible-believing Christians are becoming a lazy, soft, pay-for-it-to-be-done group of Christians.

How do working men shepherd the church yet maintain family life and employment? They do it by self-sacrifice, self-discipline, faith, perseverance, hard work, and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Tentmakers must live a pruned life and literally find leisure and rest in the rhythm of serving Christ (Matt. 11:28). They must be willing to forego a measure of career achievement and private leisure for the privilege of gaining the prize (Phil. 3:14).

As shepherds of the flock, the elders must be available to meet whatever needs the sheep have. This means visiting the sick, comforting the bereaved; strengthening the weak; praying for all the sheep, even those who are difficult; visiting new members; providing counsel for couples who are engaged, married, or divorcing; and managing the many day-to-day details of the inner life of the congregation.

The local church is not only a flock; it is also a body of Spirit-gifted, royal priests who minister to the Lord and His people.

Biblical elders do not want to control a passive congregation. They desire to lead an active, alive, every-member-ministering church.

the deacons are the church’s ministers of mercy. Like the elders, they are to attend to the people’s many practical care needs (Acts 6:1-6). So the elders need to delegate to the deacons many of the practical mercy needs of the congregation.