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A Proposal for
Elder-Led Church Government Bob Whitney "Everything rises and falls on leadership." I remember the president of the seminary I attended repeating this phrase many times during my three years at his school. I think he was right. After 20 years in pastoral ministry I can look back at the three local churches where I served and see the truthfulness of this statement. The health, strength, and effectiveness of the church is directly related to the quality and function of its leadership. The Bible recognizes and regulates the need for leadership and authority in society, in the home and in the church. It speaks to the issue of church government. The controversy, however, has always been over exactly whom did God intend to have the authority to lead the church. There have been several answers given, even by those of us who believe in the autonomy of the local church. Some have said the authority rests in a singular local church pastor. Others say the church is properly led by a plurality of godly pastors or elders. Still others say the authority of the church is in its membership. Who is right? Who should make the important decisions in the life of the church; the pastor, an elder team or the congregation? Before we try to answer that question, there are three important truths to keep in mind. First, any discussion on church government must begin with recognition of the clear teaching that Christ is the head of the church (Ephesians 5:23,24). This is not a figurehead position. Christ is actively involved in His church! (Matt 16:18, Rev 1:12,13,20) As a result, His is the only true authority. His will is what we all want to be done in the church. His commands are the ones we joyfully follow. His glory is why the church exists. Ultimately it could be said, "Everything rises and falls on Christ!" The role of every church leader therefore is to discern the will of Christ for His church. Second, the answer to the question of church government must come from the Word of God. This seems almost too obvious to mention but unfortunately much of the way the church operates today is a result of tradition, or pragmatism, or church growth studies and methodology, rather than the result of an inductive examination of the Word itself, which alone reveals to us the will of Christ, the head of the church. Third, it is good for us to remember that church government, while important, is not one of the major doctrines of the Bible. There are other things more important in the life of the church, such as preaching a pure gospel message, sound doctrine and dealing with sin. The Bible, for instance, says more about the character of church leaders then the structure of church leadership. In other words, who leads the church is more important then how the church is led. The testimony of Christ and the cause of the Gospel are too important to allow our disagreements over details of church government to fracture churches and our fellowship with other Christians. Full agreement on this issue should not be required for our acceptance of one another. As church leaders, we should be able to differ amicably and continue our discussion in an effort to work for increased purity in the church. As church members, we should be able to worship and serve in good Bible-believing churches that may have differing approaches to the details of church government. That is not to say that this is an entirely unimportant subject. While the Bible may not be a comprehensive manual on church government it does have many significant and specific things to say on the subject. There are clear biblical patterns for us to observe and churches will no doubt experience negative consequences if these are ignored or disregarded. So who should make the important decisions in the life of the church; the pastor, an elder team or the congregation? I believe the biblical evidence points clearly to a team of elders as responsible for leading the church. Let's discuss this under two headings. First, Biblical Principles, where we will briefly examine four clear guidelines for structuring a biblical form of elder church government. Second, Practical Considerations, where we will answer six questions on the details of how these guidelines work themselves out in the life of the church. Biblical Principles 1. Elders are responsible for the oversight of the church. There are three terms for church leaders that are used interchangeably in the New Testament. The word elder (presbuteros) is the most common biblical term used of church leaders. The word overseer or bishop (episkopos) is also used for the same office. The third word is pastor or shepherd (poimen). While pastor is the most common term used today for church leaders, it is the least used in the Bible. All three terms are used to speak of the same office. Elder emphasizes the man's mature character, overseer emphasizes his function and pastor emphasizes his caring spirit. There are two passages where all three terms appear in the same text and demonstrate their interchangeable nature. In Acts 20:17-28 Paul addresses the elders (verse 17) of the church in Ephesus and tells them that the Holy Spirit has made them overseers (verse 28) to shepherd (verse 28) the church of God. In I Peter 5:1-3, Peter exhorts the elders (verse 1) to shepherd (verse 2) the flock of God among you, exercising oversight (verse 2). The qualifications for overseer in I Timothy 3:1-7 are essentially identical to the qualifications for elder in Titus 1:6-9. In the Titus passage Paul uses both of these terms to refer to the same office. In verse 5 they are called elder and in verse 7 they are called overseer. When we examine the use of these three terms in the Bible a clear picture emmerges of the leadership and authority of elders in the church. In I Timothy 5:17 we read, "Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor." The word for rule (proistemi) literally means to stand first and has the idea of general oversight. It is used three other times to speak of the ruling responsibility of elders in the church (I Timothy 3:4,5; I Thessalonians 5:12). Peter warns elders (I Peter 5:2-5) that they are not to rule harshly or oppressively which strongly suggests that they having ruling authority and function in the churches to which Peter is writing. Although Hebrews 13:17 does not use the specific terms for the office of elder, certainly the author has this in mind when he writes, "Obey your leaders and submit to them; for they keep watch over your souls, as those who will give account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you." There are of course other important duties given to the office of elder but our purpose is to show those passages that clearly indicate how Christ has given elders the responsibility to oversee His church. This is not the responsibility of the pastor, although he should be one of the elders, nor is it the role of the congregation but God has given this serious task to the elders. 2. There should be a team of elders leading every church. As Luke records the history of Paul's church planting ministry, he carefully recounts how from the beginning these men where deeply concerned with the appointment of elders (plural) in every church. Acts 14:23 is part of a short summary statement of the things that mattered to Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey, "And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, having prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed." Their ministry of planting and strengthening churches was not complete without the appointment of elders within each local church. Notice the plurality of elders while the sphere of their leadership is a singular local church. There are six other New Testament passages where this pattern is clear. "And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called to him the elders of the church" (Acts 20:17). "Paul and Timothy, bond-servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, including the overseers and deacons" (Philippians 1:1). "But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction, and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Live in peace with one another" (I Thessalonians 5:12,13). Who else but elders could Paul be speaking of as discharging these duties in the church at Thessalonica? "Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching" (I Timothy 5:17). This verse is part of Paul's instruction to Timothy, which he was to pass on to the church in Ephesus. "For this reason I left you in Crete, that you might set in order what remains, and appoint elders in every city as I directed you" (Titus 1:5). "Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord" (James 5:14). There are an additional eight passages that refer to the office of elders in the plural form but may possibly link them with more than one local congregation. So these texts provide no support for either plurality or singularity of leadership for the local church (Acts 11:30; 15:2,4,6,22,23; 16:4; 21:18; I Timothy 4:14; I Peter 5:1,2; Eph 4:11; Hebrews 13:7,17,24). There are only three passages where the terms for the office of elder appear in the singular form (I Timothy 3:1,2; 5:19; Titus 1:7). Two of these passages refer to the examination of individual elders as to their qualifications for the office and the third is how to handle an accusation made against an elder, There is nothing in these verses that contradicts the overwhelming evidence from Scripture that the church is to be led by a plurality of godly elders. 3. Elders must be spiritually qualified Paul lists at great length the qualifications for elders to serve in the church. There are two significant lists of character traits needed for a man to serve as an elder. They are found in I Timothy 3:1-7 and in Titus 1:5-9. Space does not permit a full examination of them but it is important to say that elders are spiritual examples to the flock. These standards are essential considerations in selecting elders. The New Testament gives more instruction on qualifications of elders than on any other aspect of church government. Alexander Strauch says, "Proper qualification is a scriptural imperative, objective requirement, moral obligation, indispensable standard, and absolute necessity for those who would serve as leaders in the church" (p. 76, Biblical Eldership). Wayne Grudem writes, "Those who are choosing elders in churches today would do well to look carefully at candidates in the light of these qualifications, and to look for those character traits and patterns of godly living rather than worldly achievement, fame, or success. Especially in churches in western industrial societies, there seems to be a tendency to think that success in the world of business (or law, or medicine, or government) is an indication of suitability for the office of elder, but this is not the teaching of the New Testament" (p. 916, Systematic Theology). Included in these qualifications is a heartfelt desire for the work and a sense of God's call on his life (I Timothy 3:1). When you study them you will see that they speak of humble servants of Christ who sacrificially and lovingly shepherd the church. 4. The congregation should submit to the elder team. It is assumed that church members will read all the Bible passages that clearly give the responsibility for the oversight of the church to the elders. It will be their deepest desire to please Christ and obey his Word. But submitting is not always easy for us. Therefore there is a direct word to church congregations in Hebrews 13:17, "Obey your leaders, and submit to them; for they keep watch over your souls, as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you." In another passage Paul speaks of the love and respect that should be in the church for the ones given oversight responsibility: "But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction, and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Live in peace with one another" (I Thessalonians 5:12,13). The Bible is clear that the church of Christ is to be led by an official oversight body made up of godly men called elders who meet the strict standards of Scripture and lovingly shepherd the flock. I realize these four principles or guidelines raise a lot of questions. There are many decisions to be made by each local church about how to apply these principles in the government of the church. But there is great reward for the hard work of structuring a church according to biblical standards. Let me move into the realm of practical considerations. I share these ideas as one possible way to apply the scripture we examined together. I personally experienced how this can work successfully in the life of the church. I have served on two elder teams. In one church as an associate pastor for five years in another church as a senior pastor for 13 years. Here are the questions and answers with which we wrestled. I will answer each question with the example of how we applied the principles to our local church. Practical Considerations 1. How are elders chosen? Each year we asked the congregation to give names to the elder team of those individuals they felt met the qualifications for elders and to the best of their understanding had a desire to serve. This was always a useful exercise. As shepherds of the flock with responsibility for the care of souls (Hebrews 13:17) we had a pretty good understanding of who was ready to serve in this capacity. Yet depending on the size of the church there would be other names given which we did not know as well. There would be an elder application and interview process for each candidate with the existing elder team. Think of the steps most churches go through when they hire a pastor, for that is exactly what is taking place although the elder may not be paid staff. After the initial examination process a list of any new elders was posted for the church to review and evaluate. Although the elders took the lead in evaluating an aspiring elder's qualifications, opportunity was given for the congregation to express any questions or doubts about a candidate. The input from the church was very important. Each elder was available for discussion and a visit by anyone who had a concern to share. After a period of time and answering of questions a final list was posted for the annual meeting and affirmation by the church membership. Congregational meetings are generally not the time and place to work through issues. Elders should always be approachable and seek out input from the congregation prior to such meetings. This gives careful thought, prayer and personal attention to the issues. This also eliminates most misunderstandings and provides for open communication between the leaders and the congregation. All the work of communicating, explaining, and answering of questions should be done well in advance so that the congregational meeting is a time of affirmation and a celebration of the spirit of unity in the church. 2. Should elders have terms? Once an elder is affirmed by the congregation and set apart for this task he continues in his work as long as he desires the work and meets the qualifications. 3. What if the elders can't agree? Elder teams should strive for unanimity. If there are several elders who have concerns, about moving forward on something, this is a signal to slow down and give more prayer and thought to the decision. Even if there is only one elder who has concerns, we slow down the process to give more prayer and thought to the issue involved. If after a prolonged time and several meetings there is still only one person opposed then he will typically defer to the unanimity of his fellow elders. Remember there is no room for personal agendas. The goal is to discern the will of Christ for His church. 4. To whom are the elders accountable? Each year all of our elders went through a personal evaluation as well as an affirmation from the other elders. And every year at the annual meeting, all the elders (not just new elders) were presented to the church for affirmation for another year of service. The congregation affirmed the whole team, not individuals. Each church member knew that they were free to express concern or raise questions about any individual prior to the meeting. This open communication is much better than the typical secret ballot which promotes a lack of communication over congregational concerns. It is an important role of each elder to be humble and approachable with the congregation and their concerns. While each elder is ultimately accountable to God (Hebrews 13:17) there are also three other levels of accountability: personal, fellow elders, and congregation. 5. What does the congregation decide? There was one regular scheduled congregational meeting each year. We asked the congregation to affirm two things; the annual budget and all the spiritual leaders for the coming year. Both the budget and list of leaders was given to the church well in advance and opportunities were provided to ask questions and share concerns prior to the congregational meeting. Sometimes small group meetings with the elders were available for anyone who wanted to come with a question. The annual meeting was like a wedding ceremony. All the work was done prior to the event - the counseling, the prayer and the discussions. The meeting, like a wedding, should be an opportunity to celebrate what has already been decided - in this case, by the elders and the church family. The elders may decide to have other church meetings or even take church votes or surveys. We would appoint a congregational task force for important issues such as deciding when and how to move to three services. Communication is key! Elders must get the congregation involved as much as possible in the important decisions of the church. 6. Do elders and pastors have equal authority? The pastor was one of the elders and therefore part of the team. He had no more authority than other team members. However, as John MacArthur writes, "That does not eliminate the unique role of a special leader. Within the framework of elders' ministries there will be great diversity as each exercises his unique gifts. Some will demonstrate special giftedness in the areas of administration or service; others will evidence stronger gifts of teaching, exhortation, or other abilities. Some will be highly visible; others will function in the background. All are within the plan of God for the church." (p. 27, Answering the Key Questions About Elders) In conclusion, our conduct in the church in regard to this matter of leadership and authority will also communicate to a watching world something of how we relate to one another and to our God. May we recognize and respect the godly authority Christ has placed in His church - for our churches' health and God's glory. Bob Whitney graduated from Grand Rapids Baptist College (B.R.E.) and Temple Baptist Theological Seminary (M. Div.). A seasoned pastor, he now is Director of Ministry Support-Training for Slavic Gospel Association. He and his wife Pat have four girls. |
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