Church Leadership

The church of Jesus Christ is precious to the Lord. When the church gathers for worship, they gather in order to express the love of Christ towards one another. This, in turn, produces a worshipful body, one in which God is pleased. The gathering of the church, then, is critical in the overall task of accomplishing the sanctification of God’s people. In order to facilitate and guard this process, God has established men who are gifted and called by Him to lead the church to that end. Leadership in the church is the unique and sole responsibility of whom the Bible calls “elders.”

The term “elder” is a traditional term, both in the historic leadership of the nation Israel and in the church. As with many cultures around the world, the term elder implies experience and maturity. The term further relays the ideas of the fortitude and wisdom necessary to provide adequate leadership. Alex Montoya writes this,

“Elder implies age and experience—essential ingredients for those assigned to lead the congregations (Acts 14:23; 20:17; Titus 1:5)”.

In the Old Testament, the elders were a ruling body, alongside a prophet, should God provide one. For example, in the preparation for Israel’s exodus from Egypt, the elders of Israel were assembled in order to hear from Moses and Aaron, and witness the prophetic miracles which attested to the prophets’ credibility as servants of God. Seventy elders joined Moses, Joshua, Aaron, and Aaron’s sons on the top of Mt. Sinai in order to witness YHWH in glory and to ratify the solemn covenant that Israel would make with YHWH. Another seventy elders, in fact, even prophesied visibly in order to imitate the role of Moses among the people.

 Throughout the history of Israel elders played a vital role in the success, and failure, of the people. With Joshua, the elders were instrumental in the godly leadership of the people of Israel after Moses died. However, it was the elders who made a poor suggestion for the sons of Israel to kidnap wives for themselves when there seemed to be no women in the tribe of Benjamin. And, it was the elders of Israel who allied themselves with David’s evil son, Absalom, in the mutiny against King David. Ultimately, the greatest tragedy of the elders was to confer with the Pharisees, and other leaders, in the arrest and crucifixion of Jesus Christ, the Messiah.

Jesus’ Men

As the Messiah was serving His Father in His earthly ministry, one of the critical aspects of His work was the appointment of men who would take His Word to the nations following His ascension. These men, called Apostles, were men who followed His earthly life, and witnessed His resurrection of from the dead. It is alongside these men whom God would appoint prophets and evangelists to establish His church. And, it is alongside these men as well that God would appoint those who would become known as Pastors and Teachers. These lists of offices which include the pastor-teacher are found in Ephesians 4:11 and alluded to in 1 Corinthians 12:28, although only the word “teacher” is used there. The indication of Scripture is that the roles of the foundational servants are set aside, being peculiarly useful to the first decades of the church’s formation. These are the roles of apostle, prophet, and evangelist.  The work of the Word, however, continues in the roles of men called Pastors and Teachers.

Pastors As Elders

The church is explicitly led by men who are carrying the term “elder.” As in the case of the nation of Israel, the term indicates older men who are familiar with the ways of God, and are experienced in the Word of God. For example, when Paul was hurrying to be in Jerusalem for Pentecost, as he passed by Ephesus, he called for the Ephesian “elders” to meet him in Miletus.Later in a charge he was giving to these men, he said:

Acts 20:28 (LSB)

​28 “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.  

Within this engagement, we see that Paul understood that these elders were appointed by the Holy Spirit as “overseers,” “shepherd[ing]” the church as a shepherd cares for his flock. In this exchange, all the terms involved in church leadership are used interchangeably: elder, overseer, shepherd.

In another passage, which is even more explicit, the Apostle Peter writes,

  1 Peter 5:1–3 (LSB)

​1 Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed,

​2 shepherd the flock of God among you, overseeing not under compulsion, but willingly, according to God; and not for dishonest gain, but with eagerness;

3 nor yet as lording it over those allotted to you, but being examples to the flock.

In this passage, Peter exhorts the elders to “shepherd” the flock of God, overseeing freely and willingly. He also adds that he, himself, is a fellow elder, although he is also called an “apostle.” His apostleship does not alleviate his eldership. The work of caring for the church is the work of the elders. Unique to Peter and Paul, although apostles, they too were elders, shepherds, and overseers, of God’s people.

The Work of Elders

As mentioned, elders are older men who are charged with overseeing the care and spiritual condition of God’s people. Like the elders of Israel, elders in the church are given that task from God for the nurture and care of the people of God. But, unlike Israel, the elders of the church are ministering during a time which is a post-Messiah age, and era unique to the work of God.

Therefore, we understand that the term, carrying over from the Old Testament, also refers to those men who are given the task of leadership over God’s people. The work in the church comes with different and specific dynamics which did not exist in the Old Testament with Israel, however. These dynamics include the establishment of the practices Jesus set in order for the church, practices unique to a post-Messiah era. These include the Lord’s Table, Baptism, as well as the use of spiritual gifts within the church. None of these items were extant with Israel, although they are the very fabric of the church. Elders are men who need to understand how to regulate and officiate these things in the life of the church.  

The charge of the care of the Messiah’s precious people is clear. Yet, there is ample debate as to what that care should look like. But, once the Scripture is collated and examined, the work becomes evident. There really are only two summary points of the work of the elder.

The summary points of the work of the elder are as follows: 

1. Pray - Acts 6:4

⁃ When the physical care of the church needed oversight, Peter and the other apostles, acting as elders, appointed other qualified men to oversee that need.

⁃ The devotion of Peter and the eleven was to prayer, as of first importance, and then the work of the Word.

2. Preach the Word of God - 2 Timothy 4:1-2

⁃ Timothy, as a pastor/teacher/elder, was exhorted by the Apostle Paul to proclaim accurately all that the Word of God has said.

⁃ Like Peter, Timothy must devote himself to the Word—the study of it, the preaching of it, and the defense of it.

Of course, within these activities are numbers of smaller responsibilities. Personal holiness, managing the family, evangelizing, and a host of unique responsibilities depending upon the region and culture in which the church exists. However, when we fully assemble all the responsibilities of the elders, they are neatly summed up by prayer and the ministry of the Word. From these two fountains flow the springs that feed the saints.

Conclusion

The work of the elder, then, is a monumental task. It is not for men who are selfishly ambitious, personally motivated, or have any other evil intention. These are men who must be motivated by love for the Lord Jesus Christ, the Head of the church. This love for Him will carry the man through the storms of ministry in this evil age. He will grow in his prayers to God. He will grow in his study of and preaching of the Word of God. This growth will do nothing but benefit the church and produce great glory to Jesus Christ, the glory due to Him by His people.