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February 13, 2019 - May 25, 2020
Elders are to be servant leaders, not rulers or dictators.
Servant elders have chosen a life of service on behalf of others.
In addition to shepherding others with a servant spirit, the elders must humbly and lovingly relate to one another.
patiently build consensus, compromise, persuade, listen, handle disagreement, forgive, receive rebuke and correction, confess sin, and appreciate the wisdom and perspective of others—even those with whom they disagree.
to submit to one another, speak kindly and gently to one another, be patient with their fellow colleagues, defer to one another, and spea...
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Conflict among elders is a serious, all-too-common problem.
The solution to the problem, however, is not to revert to one-man rule or to leave the church.
That is the easy way out.
I firmly believe that if elders were to spend as much time praying for one another as they do complaining about one another that most of their problems and complaints would disappear. That is the kind of leadership God wants the elders to exemplify for His people.
Elders must understand that the agonizing frustrations, problems, and conflicts of pastoral life are the tools God uses to mold them into the image of the Good Shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ. If they respond to these difficulties in obedience and faith, they will be molded into Christ’s image. And few things in life are more thrilling than to know that one is being transformed into a Christlike pastor.
The New Testament terms that describe the elders’ position and work—”God’s stewards,” “overseers,” “shepherd,” “leading”—imply authority as well as responsibility.
As shepherds of the church, elders have been given the authority to lead and protect the local church (Acts 20:28-31). The key issue is the attitude in which elders exercise that authority.
You have authoritarianism in the state when the regime uses power in an unprincipled way to maintain itself.
When we consider Paul’s example and that of our Lord’s, we must agree that biblical elders do not dictate, they direct. True elders do not command the consciences of their brethren, but appeal to their brethren to faithfully follow God’s Word. Out of love, true elders suffer and bear the brunt of difficult people and problems so that the lambs are not bruised. They bear the misunderstanding and sins of others so that the assembly may live in peace. They lose sleep so that others may rest. They make great personal sacrifices of time and energy for the welfare of others. They see themselves as
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They lose sleep so that others may rest.
of church government (also referred to as church polity,
Some of the worst havoc wrought to the Christian faith has been a direct result of unscriptural forms of church structure.
Only a few centuries after the apostles’ death, for example, Christian churches began to assimilate both Roman and Jewish concepts of status, power, and priesthood. As a result, church government was clericalized and sacralized.
Furthermore, church organizational structure matters because structure determines how people think and act. Ultimately, structure determines how things are done in the local church.
church organizational structure matters because structure determines how people think and act.
Liberating the Laity, R. Paul Stevens shares how he tried to equip the people in his church for doing the church’s ministry but failed because—as he discovered—the governmental structure of the church required him to do “the ministry.” He writes, “Structure, I discovered, is important; there is no point in saying that every member is a minister if the structure of the fellowship ‘says’ the exact opposite—by making it hard for people to discover their gifts or to exercise loving service.”1
“Structure, I discovered, is important; there is no point in saying that every member is a minister if the structure of the fellowship ‘says’ the exact opposite—by making it hard for people to discover their gifts or to exercise loving service.”
Since the structure of the church matters both practically and theologically, we must ask if there is a scriptural base for insisting on one form of church government. I believe there is such a base and that church government by a plurality of elders can be honestly and reasonably demonstrated to be the teaching of the New Testament.
In its major features, eldership is plainly and amply set forth by the New Testament writers.
Not only does the New Testament record the existence of elders in numerous churches, it also gives instruction about elders and to elders. In fact, the New Testament offers more instruction regarding elders than on other important church subjects such as the Lord’s Supper, the Lord’s Day, baptism, or spiritual gifts.
The New Testament records evidence of pastoral oversight by a council of elders in nearly all the first churches.
Elders are found in the churches of Judea and the surrounding area (Acts 11:30; James 5:14,15). Elders governed the church in Jerusalem (Acts 15). Among the Pauline churches, leadership by the plurality of elders was established in the churches of Derbe, Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch (Acts 14:23); in the church at Ephesus (Acts 20:17; 1 Tim. 3:1-7; 5:17-25); in the church at Philippi (Phil. 1:1); and in the churches on the island of Crete (Titus 1:5). According to the well-traveled letter of 1 Peter, elders existed in churches throughout northwestern Asia Minor: Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia,
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Despite this evidence of government by a plurality of elders, it is commonly thought by most Christians that Timothy, Epaphras, and James are examples of local pastoral leadership by one individual, but such is not the case. Timothy was not a local church pastor in the traditional sense of the term. He was primarily—like Titus, Erastus, and Tychicus—an apostolic delegate.
the New Testament never clearly identifies his official position in the church at Jerusalem.
Yet the pastor of the local church certainly doesn’t represent Moses. If anyone today is Moses, it is the Lord Jesus Christ. He leads us in all that we do and is always present with us (Matt. 18:20; 28:20). Christ is our Moses, our great Deliverer!
We must remember that Moses was a unique, one-time deliverer for the nation of Israel. He was not a permanent institution. He is an example to all godly leaders, yet it is hard even to describe his position and role (Deut. 34:10-12; Num. 12:6-8; Ex. 33:11). After the people of Israel settled in their cities, they were no longer to be led by Moses or his successor Joshua. They were to be led primarily by their local elders and the priestly family, with God as their King and Shepherd. Unfortunately, Israel never appreciated this blessed truth (1 Sam. 8).
To argue for pastoral oversight by a plurality of qualified elders is not to deny that God raises up extraordinarily gifte...
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The organizational and pastoral oversight of the local church is to be in the hands of a plurality of qualified, pastor elders, not one person.
The multi-gifted servants of God described above may or may not be local elders; in many cases they are not. Local elders need to call upon these gifted men for help in evangelism, teaching, and setting the vision for the church.
In our setting, these gifted leaders might be paid elders that are positioned to cast vision, teach, evangelize, etc. (Staff Elders in our case)
Instruction About Elders Given To The Churches
James instructs those who are sick to call for the elders of the church (James 5:14). Paul instructs the Ephesian church to financially support elders who labor “at preaching and teaching” (1 Tim. 5:17,18). Paul instructs the local church about protecting elders from false accusation, disciplining elders who sin, and restoring fallen elders (1 Tim. 5:19-22). Paul instructs the church as to the proper qualifications for eldership (1 Tim. 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9). To the church in Ephesus, Paul states that anyone who desires to be an elder desires a noble work (1 Tim. 3:1). Paul instructs the church
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Instruction and Exhortation Given Directly to Elders
James tells elders to pray and anoint the sick with oil (James 5:14). Peter directly charges elders to pastor and oversee the local congregation (1 Peter 5:1,2). Peter warns elders against being too authoritative (1 Peter 5:3). Peter promises elders that when the Lord Jesus returns they will receive “the unfading crown of glory” (1 Peter 5:4). Peter exhorts elders to be clothed in humility (1 Peter 5:5). Paul reminds the Ephesians elders that the Holy Spirit placed them in the church as overseers to pastor the church of God (Acts 20:28). Paul exhorts elders to guard the church from false
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To try to define the New Testament elder (Pauline elder) by the Old Testament elder or the Jewish synagogue elder (of which we know very little) is to distort the New Testament’s teachings on eldership. The work and qualifications of the Christian elder are more clearly defined than those of the Old Testament elder.
New Testament, Christianized elders are not mere representatives of the people; they are, as the passages above show, spiritually qualified shepherds who protect, lead, and teach the people. They provide spiritual care for the entire flock. They are the official shepherds of the church.
The local church is not an undefined mass of people; it is a particular group of people that has a unique mission and purpose.
Testament. In Chapter 2, we enumerated three practical reasons for a plurality of elders: (1) balancing people’s weaknesses, (2) lightening the work load, and (3) providing accountability. Now we will consider four ways in which the elder structure of government complements the nature of the local church.
So numerous are these, and so frequently do they appear, that the comparison of the Christian community with a “family” must be regarded as the most significant metaphorical usage of all... .More than any of the other images utilized by Paul, it reveals the essence of his thinking about community.10
The local Christian church, then, is to be a close-knit family of brothers and sisters.
The New Testament displays the family character of the Christian brotherhood in many practical ways: The early Christians met in homes (Rom. 16:5; 1 Cor. 16:19; Col. 4:15; Philem. 2). They shared material possessions (Acts 2:44,45; 4:32; 11:29; Rom. 12:13,20; 15:26; 1 Cor. 16:1; 2 Cor. 8; Gal. 2:10; 6:10; Heb. 13:16; James 2:15,16; 1 John 3:17). They ate together (Acts 2:46; 20:11; 1 Cor. 11:20 ff; Jude 12). They greeted one another with a holy kiss (Rom. 16:16; 1 Cor. 16:20; 2 Cor. 13:12; 1 Thess. 5:26; 1 Peter 5:14). They showed hospitality (Acts 16:15; 21:8,16; Rom. 12:13; 1 Tim. 3:2; 5:10;
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In complete obedience to Christ’s teaching on humility and brotherhood, the first Christians and their leaders resisted special titles, sacred clothes, chief seats, and lordly terminology to describe their community leaders.
Do we go with just the title of Pastor/Elder and have areas of concentration/giftedness? Executive Pastor, Worship Pastor, Discipleship Pastor (Lay), Evangelism Pastor, Etc.? These men provide theological teaching/leadership to the church.
Deacons provide practical leadership/oversight of day to day ministry.??
The first Christians found within their biblical heritage a structure of government that was compatible with their new family and theological beliefs.
Not only is the local church an intimate, loving family of redeemed brothers and sisters, it is a nonclerical family. Unlike Israel, which was divided into sacred priestly members and lay members, the first-century Christian church was a people’s movement. The distinguishing mark of Christianity was not found in a clerical hierarchy, but in the fact that God’s Spirit came to dwell within ordinary, common people and that through them the Spirit manifested Jesus’ life to the believing community and the world.
Under the new covenant ratified by the blood of Christ, every member of the Church of Jesus Christ is a holy saint, a royal priest, and Spirit-gifted member of the body of Christ. Paul taught that a wide diversity of gifts and services exists within the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12), but he says absolutely nothing about a mystical gap between sacred clergy and common laity. Surely something as fundamental to the Church as the clergy-laity division should at least be mentioned in the New Testament. The New Testament, however, stresses the oneness of the people of God (Eph. 2:13-19) and the
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Yet it is deeply ingrained in the minds of many Protestants that only the ordained clergyman is qualified to pastor the church, lead in worship, administer the Lord’s Supper, pronounce the blessing, preach, and baptize and that the believing community as a whole is unfit to carry out these functions.
