And when they had preached the gospel to that city and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, “We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.” So when they had appointed elders in every church, and prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed. (Acts 14:21-23)

The Eldership Of The Church[1]

When Moses was leading the children of Israel to Mount Sinai, he was overcome by the immensity of the burden of leadership. The man of God was trying to deal with all the people’s problems, and it was too much. His father-in-law, Jethro, saw how Moses struggled and advised him to appoint others to make decisions and Moses to address the weightier problems. The key was organization, and it made things work much easier for Moses.

The church was in the mind of God before time began, and the Lord had a plan for its organization. Jesus would be the head of the church. Through the Holy Spirit, the early church learned of the pattern of worship, the authority of the church, and the organization that would define the church of Christ as an autonomous body of believers. The first reference to one of the key elements of the first-century church is found less than ten years after its beginning. Peter had opened the keys of the kingdom to the Gentiles, and Barnabas had brought Saul from Tarsus to the church at Antioch, Syria, to evangelize.

A prophet named Agabus spoke of a great famine worldwide, and the disciples determined to send relief to the saints dwelling in Judea. Luke first mentions how the brethren sent the relief to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul. On the first missionary journey of Paul and Barnabas, the evangelists appointed elders in every church. When the question of circumcision was addressed in Jerusalem, the apostles and elders came together to consider the matter.

Paul called the elders of Ephesus to meet him in Miletus, where he reminded them to fulfill the work given to them by the Holy Spirit. They are called overseers who shepherd the church of God. Paul warned them to be watchful of false doctrines creeping among them. A few years after Luke wrote his book on the early church, Paul wrote to Timothy and Titus, outlining certain qualities necessary for those seeking to serve in the work of the bishop. This was not the first time these qualities had been discussed, as elderships existed many years before the letters to Timothy and Titus.

The qualities described in Paul’s letters are two similar but different lists. There are sixteen qualities given in 1 Timothy and seventeen in Titus. Six are the same, six are similar, and four qualities are found in Timothy that are not in Titus and four in Titus not found in Timothy. God wants His people to see the summation of these qualities to describe the kind of men who will lead the flock. These are not suggestions but requirements. And these are not qualifications as much as qualities that define the man’s character and his work. The qualities of the wives are also under consideration as essential.

Elders are men who serve the Lord. The pattern of leadership in the church is not held by one man but by a plurality of men. They are charged with leading the flock as a shepherd, not driving cattle like a cowboy. The overseer’s work is to see over the flock’s spiritual needs. As a bishop, the elder(s) will seek to mold the members into the image of Christ. As husbands, they will be called on to guide families in distress. God desires an elder to be a father so that he will be able to guide parents in the raising of their children. Having believing children illustrates the capability of the man to guide his family in the way of truth. He will need abundant patience, temperance, self-control, and wisdom to watch over the family of God.

Peter was an apostle and a preacher and served as an elder. He was married and had children. He writes to other men who served as bishops, reminding them to serve not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly. They are not to lord over the flock or rule as an authoritarian figure. Their lives should be examples to others in their manner of life. Those men who are elders are shepherds who will receive the crown of glory from the Chief Shepherd, Jesus Christ. The brethren must obey those who rule over them and submit to them as men who watch out for their souls. There is a harsher judgment for those who serve as elders as they must give account of the work they do in the church.

There have been abuses of leadership in the church over the centuries. The first apostasy came from among elders who walked away from the divine pattern of organization. As a result of the apostasy, the Catholic church was born. In the modern world of denominationalism, the concept of New Testament organization is ignored. Among the churches of Christ, many congregations go for years without an eldership and have no plans to establish an eldership, contrary to the command of God.

The divine wisdom of God created the church in a perfect design, and failing to follow that pattern denies the word of God. What the church needs today are men and women willing to give their lives to serve in the leadership of the church. It takes time and a great spiritual awakening in the souls of young men and women to live so that one day, they can be called upon to serve in the leadership role.