The Elders

Bible Reading 1 Pet 5:1-11  https://youtube.com/watch?v=TmwiTjk9L7E&feature=share

Introduction[1]

To speak on the topic of eldership. To do this I have had to return to some of my old lecture notes, and the subject of Church Ministry and Sacraments, which is far from my passion[2].  Interestingly, in the last three weeks I have preached in an ethnic Pentecostal congregation whose denomination is based in Malaysia, it is manifestly pastor-led but also has elders, an independent Evangelical church whose statement of faith says nothing about forms of leadership, and an Anglican parish which has, as all Anglicans officially do, a belief in the hierarchical three-fold order of ministry, bishops, priests and deacons[3], and where only ordained clergy can administer the sacraments and give absolution from sin. Over the decades I have also belonged to Pentecostal, Baptist, Churches of Christ (as an associate pastor), I was one of the leaders/teachers in a house church network, part of a Lutheran parish and so on. Some of the clearest guidance I have ever received came in changing denominational locations[4]. We were led to a Lutheran Church because of a very clear dream[5]; not because the Lord prefers the Lutheran theology of Church government, but because at that stage of our lives we needed to be in a quiet place to rest and recover[6].

This broad exposure to the Church of Jesus doesn’t mean I have no theology of ministry,  but that I have long concluded treating differences over ministry as something essential[7] is a confusion. Living by the motto, “Any friend of Jesus is a friend of mine.”, enables me to enjoy fellowship with all sorts of Christians[8], and work with them in Christ’s name.

People have been debating church government for many centuries[9]. At theological college the question was asked, are elders part of the esse/essential bene esse/good or plene esse/fulness of the church?[10] As I consider that only the presence of Jesus[11] is essential to the life of his Bride and Body[12], and that the minimum requirement for a church is spelled out by Jesus in the context of church discipline, “Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 19 Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, vit will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”” (Matt 18:20), eldership is for the good of the Church and its recognition a dimension of her fulness. Recognised or not, I consider that elders are always present in a congregation[13]. Yet to grasp the New Testament teaching of eldership, we must appreciate the dynamic of the earliest gospel movement against resistance from Judaism[14], false teaching from within[15] and persecution from the Roman Empire. Only in this sense can internal consistency be realised.

Beyond this, it is essential to be first centred on the life of Christ before we attain any biblical accuracy on the issue of eldership (see footnote 11 above). Jesus is not a past historical example to imitated, but his indwelling life[16] is the content of Christian ministry.  He works to serve his Bride in the power of the Holy Spirit by the gifts he gives to his own Body. The exalted reigning Lord loves the Church through the Spirit as the content of his glorious life (Acts 2:33).  The pattern of all ministries, is: Christ receives from the Father through the Spirit, believers receive from Christ in the Spirit, believers pass on what they have received from Christ to others. Being reconciled in Christ (2 Cor 5:19), God draws us covenantly into relationship with himself so that we become his fellow workers (1 Cor 3:9; 2 Cor 6:1) in the service of the gospel for the salvation of the world.

Jesus and the Elders

In the New Testament Jesus is the good shepherd (John 10:10) the great shepherd (Heb

13:20); the shepherd and guardian of our souls (1 Pet 2:25). Jesus is the substance and motivation of all eldership. It must be the manifestation and outworking of the life of the indwelling Saviour which makes any person to be an elder. This is why charisma[17] can never be allowed to be given precedence over character.

 

In 1 Peter 5:3, Peter warns the elders (as an elder who has seen the sufferings of Christ) that they are not to be motivated by a love of human praise or of power. On the contrary, they are to assume the lowly role of example just like Jesus did (Luke 22:24-30; John 13:1-20). The glory will then follow, not from men but from Christ himself, not a fading human glory but an unfading one. Assured of this unfading glory, elders can forsake all worldly motives like money and power, and eagerly do their overseeing as humble, Christ-like examples to the flock.

 

That Christ himself is the proper pattern for the elder/overseer is seen clearly not only from the allusion to his earthly teaching in 1 Pet 5:3, but also from 1 Peter 2:25. There Peter says, “You were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the shepherd and overseer (episkapon) of your souls.” Christ is the “chief shepherd” as 1 Pet 5:4 says, but also the “chief overseer/elder” (2:25) This is the highest thing about eldership in the church. It is a summons from Christ to do his work under him in his likeness and for his sake.

 

Jesus is the pattern of all shepherding because:

(1)    he knows the sheep by name (John 10:3,14,15)

 

(2)    he is heeded by the sheep (John 10:3,27)

 

(3)    he leads the sheep (John 10:3 –4, 27)

 

(4)    the sheep follow him (John 10:4 –50

 

(5)    he feeds the sheep (John 10:9)

 

(6)    he gives life to the sheep (John 10:10,28)

 

(7)    he gives his life for the sheep (John 10:11,15,17 –18, Matt 26:31)

 

(8)    he protects the sheep (John 10:12- 13, 28 –29)

 

(9)    he unites the sheep (John 10:16)

 

(10)he enlarges the flock (John 10:16)

 

(11)he goes after lost sheep (Luke15: – 7)

 

(12)he is the final judge (Matt 25:31 –46)

 

The History of Eldership

Whilst most treatments of elders likely concentrate on 1, 2 Timothy and Titus, I want to start with the vision of the 24 elders in Revelation (4:4. 10; 5:5-6, 8,11; 7:11, 13; 11:16; 14:3; 19:4). While there is some merit in arguing for a simple symmetry between the form of earthly worship and the heavenly scene[18], these elders are best understood as a council of angelic beings who lead the rest of creation in praise and worship[19]. The main point to be drawn from this scene is that the holy Lamb of God, slain “from before the foundation of the world (Rev 13:8), has always established elders to represent him in his government over the universe.

The “divine council” in the Old Testament describes the heavenly assembly where God makes decisions in concert with angels and elders above, and prophets on earth. It is the place from which the Lord holds court (1 Ki 22:19-23; Job 1-2; Psalms 82; 89; Isa 6; Jer 23:18-22; Zech 3:1-7). Under the old covenant God’s sovereign decisions were shared with a vast company of holy beings, angelic and human. The latter being special representatives of God, like the patriarchs and prophets (Gen 18; Isa 6; Jer 23:18-22; Zech 3:1-7). This understanding is vastly enlarged and completely centred on Christ in the New Testament/covenant.

The glorification of humanity through the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus has brought about a radical transformation in the status of God’s people. He is both our Father and our God in a new way through Christ’s glorification (John 20:17). The whole Church’s being seated with Christ in the heavenly places (Eph 2:6) means both rest and rule over the world[20], for Jesus has ascended with us into the heavenly council (Luke 24 Acts 1). From this exalted angle, the “priesthood of all believers” (Luther), can also be seen as a “prophethood of all believers etc.” for we all hold “the testimony of Jesus, the Spirit of prophecy” (Rev 19:10). According to Hebrews, the Church has “come to” the heavenly Mount Zion, we are a Church centred on the blood of the cross in the midst of jubilant angelic powers (Heb 12:18-24 cf. Gal 4:26ff.). With minds “set on things above not on things that are on earth.…with lives hid with Christ in God” (Col 3:1-4), we are being renewed in our thinking (Rom 12:1-2; Phil 2:5) to realise that the new community/ekklesia of God, is sharing together the new creation life of Christ[21]. The deficit in heavenly thinking about our identity in the contemporary Western Church (cf. Phil 3:20-21) makes sub-biblical forms and functions of eldership almost inevitable.

It is as the ascended heavenly Lord that Christ appoints apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers/elders, to fill “all things”, the world of life and culture, with his own fulness of divine glory (Eph 4:10)[22]. As the Church is called to reveal “the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God…10 so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.” (Eph 3:8-10), the ongoing spiritual conflict is with these evil dark counterfeit “rulers” in “the heavenly places.” (Eph 6:12). Therefore those appointed to eldership etc, will be particularly targeted and their “fall from grace” (Heb 12:15) especially painful[23].

Whilst the Church represents a peak of God’s plan in the present time, some form of eldership seems existent in all human cultures[24]. In ancient Israel[25] ‘the elders” is a collective title[26]. Around the time of Jesus, the Jewish ruling council in Jerusalem, the Sanhedrin, is called “the council of elders”[27]. The elders of the local Jewish community often led in prayer or took readings, but had no official ministerial function.  This was taken by the archisunagogos (Matt 5:46; Luke 13:14; Acts 13:15; 18:8, 17) whose role was to supervise the congregation at worship. “Elder’ denoted not so much office as prestige. Elders also existed in Graeco-Roman society[28]. Whilst this background has some significance, we must turn to the New Testament for a Christian understanding of elders. Our story begins in Acts, immediately after the Day of Pentecost.

Elders in Acts

Since the first Christians met in homes (Acts 2:46; 5:42 cf. 4:31; 8:3; 12:12; 17:5; 20:7ff; 20:20; 21:16; 28:30), they had a leadership provided by household structures. Luke introduces Christian elders without explanatory comment (Acts 11:30; 14:23; 15:2ff; 20:17). They seem to function as a communal council representing the church in their locality, rather than as office bearers. The appointment of elders by Paul and Barnabas on the First Missionary Journey, “And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.” (Acts 14:23), is best understood within the charismatic climate of the early church[29],[30].  Appointment through “the laying on of hands’ (cheipotonein) seems to be the impartation of a blessing, accompanied by prayer for God’s grace cf. Acts 13:3.  Like other elders these people had emerged rather than been appointed within a hierarchy, and were recognized in virtue of their seniority, status and contribution to the church.  The apostles repeated what had happened to them as they were entrusted with the work of God (Acts 13:1-3[31] cf. Acts 20:32)[32]. The only other reference to elders is found in Acts 20:17 where the Ephesian elders gather with Paul and are charged to function as overseers/episkopoi (Acts 20:28) over the flock. In this passage “elder” describes the person and “oversight” the action. There is no evidence in Acts that the elders took the dominant role when the local church met together, in the manner of present day “ministers”.

 

Paul’s Letters

In his earliest writings no one is called an “elder”. Leaders must have been the head of a household recognised in the culture of the time as having oversight of the new house-church.[33],[34]. In 1 Thessalonians 5:12 cf. Rom 12:8 Paul refers to those “who labour among you and are over you in the Lord and who admonish you”.  These are leaders who preside and admonish; but nothing suggests an exclusive function.  Paul’s use of the proistanai “have charge over” is a verbal form of the noun prostates, which means “patron”. An informal brotherly relation seems to be in mind[35]. In 1 Corinthians 16:15 –18 the apostle appeals for respect to be shown to heads of certain households[36]. the terms “bishops/overseers and deacons” appear without introduction in Philippians 1:1, these seem to be recognised and permanent leaders. “Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons” (Phil 1:1). The episkopoi/overseers are best thought of as hosts of home churches and the diakonoi/deacons as those who assisted them in the care of church members.[37]  Given that the church at Philippi had been in existence for about ten years when Paul wrote this letter, we may assume that the number of people meeting in the atrium of the house had increased[38], with a corresponding need for a division of labour.  It was practical to be able to recognise and distinguish the householder by a general title such as “overseer”.  No one however would think of calling such a person an “elder”, for these were not singular office holders but members of a collective group who together represented a wider community.  With the death of the apostle (pending?) and the threat of factionalism[39], the linking of separate house – churches by “elders” would emerge in a natural way. In the early stages of the evangelisation of the Roman Empire Paul writes into the churches in terms of his “work”, rather than one preoccupied with church order[40].  He thinks of people as fellow workers, brothers and servants of God, rather than as elders of the community. Despite all the difficulties in these early churches, none of the letters are addressed to the leaders alone, nor are they given charge to set the church in order or to withstand error.

By the time of the writing of the Pastoral epistles, 1-2 Timothy and Titus, the dynamic has intensified. The Pastorals are not an attempt to lay down a normative structure of ecclesiastical offices but focus on the practical implications of the gospel and its teaching in the absence of the personal presence of apostles.  Tradition rather than office is the emphasis, it is fitness of the person that is the focus, not set roles. The Pastorals shows great concern not to attract adverse publicity from a hostile and alien society[41]. The context remains that of the house – church (1 Tim 3:15; 2 Tim 2:20; Tit 1:7), so that the structure of the congregation is modelled on that of the household, Christians relate to one another as members of households. By this stage of the growth of the church (60’s A.D), the need for clear lines of authority had emerged.

In all cases leadership was plural, “elders” (1 Tim 5:17; Tit 1:5).[42] The elders’ called “overseers” are responsible for teaching (1 Tim 3:3; 5:17; Tit 1:9), and as a group they were to “manage/care for” the local church (1 Tim 3:4-5; 5:17). The Pastoral letters to Timothy and Titus are not “church manuals”[43], but put in place measures to deal with false teaching from within the churches (1 Tim 1:3; 3:15; Acts 20:30). This means that they are concerned with appointing good elders and deacons who will defend the faith and behave in an appropriate way. The internal disorder explains why Paul does not write directly to the church in Ephesus, but to them through his long-time trusted companion, Timothy. These letters are “on the spot”/ad hoc responses that reflect what was going on in the fourth decade of church life with its theological and behavioural abuses. Timothy and Titus are not model resident pastors but itinerant apostolic delegates. They were to learn the “ways” of Christ by following the apostolic model (cf. 1 Thess 1:6; 2:14; 1 Cor 4:16; 11:1). They were to teach, exhort and rebuke, the function taken up after the apostolic co-workers had left; these were first of all apostolic functions.

Paul, for example, tells Titus to appoint qualified leaders, and in doing so, he is replacing the “unqualified leaders” who are destroying congregations.   That these elders are unqualified is clearer once we look at how they have been teaching and behaving (1:10ff.), and it is plain from the qualification list in 1:5-9[44] that there is a serious ethical and moral problem with some of the elders in these churches.

Titus 1:5 – 9 speaks of elders “in all the cities”. Titus did not need to appoint leaders of the various house churches as they had been there from the beginning. The expression “appoint elders in every city” does not mean “appoint one of the elders in every city to be the elder i.e. overseer for that city”. It seems the situation in Titus parallels that in Acts 14:23 where Paul and Barnabas do not appoint elders until their return visit.  A group of senior people is emerging in leadership, some whom are active in teaching whilst others are not. Titus has the task of formalising what is happening because of the rise of heresy (Tit 1:9).

Other New Testament Writings

1 Peter 5:1 – 5 speaks of elders who are responsible for the “flock” (poimnion); they give   oversight (episkopein) (cf. Acts 20:28; Eph 4:11). It is likely particular elders had charge of a particular house – church, while for certain purposes they met in council. Age seems to have been an important factor in their status (1 Pet 5:5).

Elders are to be called for the sick in James 5:14. They may be the leaders of various house – churches who assemble to minister to a serious life threat; they all live in the same town.  No liturgical or specific teaching duties are mentioned[45].

Pastors and Elders[46]

An old saying, “pastors come and go but the elders remain forever” implies a lack of intercommunion in the body of Christ and can lead to eventual division in the community. Given that the word for “pastor” appears only as a noun once (Eph 4:11) and as a verbal description (“to act as a shepherd”) of a role only twice (Acts 20:28; 1 Pet 5:2), and that the teaching role of pastors seems to be one with that of elders/overseers (1 Pet 5:2), it is likely that pastors and elders are the same people in scripture. “Pastor” was not intended to be as much a title, as it was an adjective to describe what the person does.

The Scope of Eldership

Unlike the itinerant ministries of apostle, prophet and evangelist, which are brought to a congregation, an elder is thoroughly embedded in the life of the local church. (“I want to die with these people.” George S.) No celebrity status but corporate identity in a mutuality of love.

Who Appoints Elders?

This is an important question. Self-appointment is a biblically impossible idea, because the elders are a representation of the local Christian community[47]. Speaking personally about my own appointment as an elder, after being rejected in my approach for ordination by two very different dioceses[48], divine intervention led to ordination in a rural diocese I knew almost nothing about. (This was at the recommendation of a visiting UK theologian who saw me as someone with the ability to teach and rule[49]). At the opposite end of the story, many years later we found ourselves in a small independent local Evangelical congregation whose three elders had all been appointed by the previous husband and wife pastoral team prior to them leaving Perth. After numerous ongoing efforts to communicate with this group, without any responses, certainly no Bible based ones, I sadly concluded they were not elders at all. This was a plain failure of spiritual discernment[50] by the previous leadership[51]. Not long after the church closed, sold its building, and passed the money on to other Christian groups.

Spiritually Recognising Elders

Once, in a disciplinary meeting, I heard the archbishop about  my advocate, “I feel like we have been in the presence of an elder of the Church in the city”. This was not a comment made by someone who occupies a senior ecclesiastical office, but by someone inhabited by the Spirit of Jesus.

The Preparation of Elders[52]

In modern times “theological education” has been seen as a prerequisite for ministry, but overall, the more years of seminary study the less effective in terms of church growth. Whilst I will always recommend a college to anyone who asks, in the end it is the Spirit of Jesus working through the complexities of life who forms a shepherd after God’s own heart[53][54].

Application and Conclusion

Models of sole pastoring lead to an overwhelming weight of responsibility. I have two friends who are most definitely apostolic. In one case whenever I see the man exhausted by his many obligations, I recall my exhortations to him that he needs elders around him to help carry the load of Christ (cf. Gal 6:2)[55]. This is not the same as being the leader of a network of independent pastors. In another case, when this man’s wife left him he immediately put a letter of resignation in the hands of his elders, stating that if they could find fault in him he would stand down. This is both biblical (Ttitus 1:6) and wise. The decision of the eldership has protected him from demonic and human accusations, and, I believe, “saved his life and ministry”.

There is an old saying: “Leaders are the problem, leaders are the solution.” An experienced Christian leader, Lesslie Newbigin[56], once said, “A true Christian pastor [elder] will be one who can dare to say to his [or her] people: ‘Follow me, as I am following Jesus.’” “To be a Christian pastor one should be intelligent enough to interpret the world’s dilemma; compassionate enough to be involved in its pains; pure enough to become an agent of redemption, and courageous enough to make the necessary sacrifices.” This explains the failure of pastors/priests/ elders to make disciples today, very few can say with Paul, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.” (1 Cor 11:1). Hence many find it necessary to subvert the message of the gospel, drifting either into a legalistic Bible-based fundamentalism or a Bible-denying liberalism.  All to avoid living out the scandal of the cross (1 Cor 1:23).

As Christ has commanded us to serve each other (Luke 22:26; John 13:15-17), we must identify ourselves as servants of God (Acts 20:19; Rom 12:11; 1 Peter 2:16; Rev 1:1), and all acts of ministry as acts of service (Acts 6:1, 4; 19:22; 20:24; 1 Cor 16:15; 2 Cor 4:5; Phm 13).

 

Appendix 1 What About Covering[57]

I was in a meeting recently with someone who is very well known in their own country and has a genuine global ministry. In relation to an upcoming event, he was insistent that it needed a city-wide “covering”. I made a remark to the effect that the language of covering is not at all biblical but merely a rather antiquated Pentecostal way of talking about what the scriptures call “oversight”. The problem with “covering theology” is that it opens the door to the sins of envy and selfish ambition (James 3:14, 16). I remember being in an Anglican deanery meeting and being shocked when the facilitator talked about his future “career”. Rather than the call of God on his life. Relationship rather than leadership is primary.