Hard Work and
sacrifice
When the church eldership is viewed as a status
or board position in the church, there will be plenty of volunteers. When it is
viewed as a demanding, pastoral work, few people will rush to volunteer. One
reason there are so few shepherd elders or good church elderships is that,
generally speaking, men are spiritually lazy. That is a major reason why most
churches never establish a biblical eldership. Men are more than willing to let
someone else fulfill their spiritual responsibilities, whether it be their
wives, the clergy, or church professionals.
Biblical eldership, however, can't exist in an
atmosphere of nominal Christianity. There can be no biblical eldership in a
church where there is no biblical Christianity. If a biblical eldership is to
function effectively, it requires men who are firmly committed to living out
our Lord's principles of discipleship. Biblical eldership is dependent on men
who seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matt. 6:33), men who
have presented themselves as living and holy sacrifices to God and view
themselves as slaves of the Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 12:1,2), men who love Jesus
Christ above all else, men who willingly sacrifice self for the sake of others,
men who seek to love as Christ loved, men who are self-disciplined and self-sacrificing,
and men who have taken up the cross and are willing to suffer for Christ.
Some people say, “You can't expect laymen to
rear their families, work all day, and shepherd a local church”. That statement
is simply not true. Many people rear families, work, and give substantial hours
of time to community service, clubs, athletic activities, and/or religious
institutions. The cults have built up large lay movements that survive
primarily because of the volunteer time and efforts of their members. We
Bible--believing Christians are becoming a lazy, soft, pay-for-it-to-be-done group
of Christians. It is positively amazing how much people can accomplish when
they are motivated to work toward a goal they love. I've seen people build and
remodel houses in their spare time, for example. I've also seen men discipline
themselves to gain a phenomenal knowledge of the Scriptures.
The real problem, then, lies not in men's
limited time and energy but in false ideas about work, Christian living, life's
priorities, and —especially— Christian ministry. To the Ephesian elders, Paul
says, “You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my own needs and to
the men who were with me. In everything I showed you that by working hard in
this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus,
that He Himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive'“ (Acts
20:34, 35). How do working men shepherd the church and still maintain a godly
family life and employment? They do it by self-sacrifice, self-discipline,
faith, perseverance, hard work, and the power of the Holy Spirit. R. Paul
Stevens, author and instructor at Regent College in Vancouver, British
Columbia, sets us on the right track when he writes:
“And for tentmakers to survive three full-time
jobs (work, family and ministry), they must also adopt a sacrificial lifestyle.
Tentmakers must live a pruned life and literally find leisure and rest in the
rhythm of serving Christ (Matt. 11:28). They must be willing to forego a
measure of career achievement and private leisure for the privilege of gaining
the prize (Phil. 3:14). Many would like to be tentmakers if they could be
wealthy and live a leisurely and cultured lifestyle. But the truth is that a significant
ministry in the church and the community can only come by sacrifice”.
Shared Leadership
Shared leadership should not be a new concept
to a Bible-reading Christian. Shared leadership is rooted in the Old Testament institution
of the elders of Israel and in Jesus' founding of the apostolate. It is a
highly significant but often overlooked fact that our Lord did not appoint one
man to lead His church. He personally appointed and trained twelve men. The Lord Jesus Christ gave the church plurality of leadership. The Twelve
comprised the first leadership council of the church and, in the most exemplary
way, jointly led and taught the first Christian community. The Twelve provide a
marvelous example of unity, humble brotherly love, and shared leadership
structure.
Shared leadership is also evidenced by the
Seven who were appointed to relieve the Twelve of the responsibility of
dispensing funds to the church's widows (Acts 6:3-6). The Seven were the
prototype of later deacons. There is no indication that one of the Seven was
the chief and the others were his assistants. As a body of servants, they worked
on behalf of the church in Jerusalem. Based on all the evidence we have, the
deacons —like the elders— formed a collective leadership council.
I am convinced that the underlying reason many
Christians fear the plurality of elders is that they don't really understand
the New Testament concept of plural elders or its rich benefits to the local
church. New Testament eldership is not, as many think, a high-status,
church-board position that is open to any and all who desire membership. On the
contrary, an eldership patterned after the New Testament model requires
qualified elder candidates to meet specific moral and spiritual qualifications
before they serve (1 Timothy 3:1-7).The qualifications of such elder candidates
must be publicly examined by the church (1 Timothy 3:10). The elders selected
must be publicly installed into office (1 Timothy 5:22; Acts 14:23). They must
be motivated and empowered by the Holy Spirit to do their work (Acts 20:28).
Finally, they must be acknowledged, loved, and honored by the entire congregation.
This honor given by the congregation includes the provision of financial support
to elders who are uniquely gifted at preaching and teaching, which allows some
elders to serve the church full or part time (1 Timothy 5:17,18). Thus a team of
qualified, dedicated, Spirit-placed elders is not a passive, ineffective
committee; it is an effective form of leadership structure that greatly
benefits the church family.
A Council of Equals
Leadership by a council of elders is a form of
government found in nearly every society of the ancient Near East. It was the
fundamental, governmental structure of the nation of Israel throughout its Old
Testament history (Exodus 3:16; Ezra 10:8). For Israel - a tribal, patriarchal society
- the eldership was as basic as the family unit. So when the New Testament
records that Paul, a Jew who was thoroughly immersed in the Old Testament and
Jewish culture, appointed elders for his newly founded churches (Acts 14:23),
it means that he established a council of elders in each local church.
By definition, the elder structure of government is a collective leadership in which each elder shares equally the position, authority, and responsibility of the office. There are different names for this type of leadership structure. More formally it is called collective, corporate, or collegiate leadership. In contemporary terms, it is referred to as multiple church leadership, plurality, shared leadership, or team leadership. I use these terms synonymously throughout this booklet. The opposite of collective leadership is unitary leadership, monarchical rule, or one-man leadership.
By definition, the elder structure of government is a collective leadership in which each elder shares equally the position, authority, and responsibility of the office. There are different names for this type of leadership structure. More formally it is called collective, corporate, or collegiate leadership. In contemporary terms, it is referred to as multiple church leadership, plurality, shared leadership, or team leadership. I use these terms synonymously throughout this booklet. The opposite of collective leadership is unitary leadership, monarchical rule, or one-man leadership.
