A Plural Leadership
Christians who profess the Bible to be God's
infallible, all-sufficient Word agree that they must establish their church
practices and doctrines on the teachings of the Bible. Many contemporary
scholars say, however, that the New Testament is ambiguous or silent regarding
the topic of church government and conclude that no one can insist upon a
biblical model of church government (by elders or anyone else) for all churches
because the Bible doesn't. George Eldon Ladd, author of A Theology of the New Testament and former professor at Fuller
Theological Seminary, expresses this view most concisely: “It appears likely that
there was no normative pattern of church government in the apostolic age, and
that the organizational structure of the church is no essential element in the
theology of the church”. Although this is a widely held view among scholars
today, it must be challenged because it simply does not fit biblical evidence.
In its major features, local church leadership
(or government) by the plurality of elders is plainly and amply set forth by
the New Testament writers. J. Alec Motyer, former principal of Trinity College
in Bristol, England, captures the true spirit of the New Testament when he
writes, “…it is not as much as hinted in the New Testament that the church
would ever need—or indeed should ever want or tolerate—any other local
leadership than that of the eldership group”.
Not only does the New Testament record the
existence of elders in numerous churches, it also gives instruction about
elders and to elders. In fact, the New Testament offers more instruction
regarding elders than it does regarding such important church subjects such as
the Lord's Supper, the Lord's Day, baptism, and spiritual gifts. When you
consider the New Testament's characteristic avoidance of detailed regulation
and church procedures (when it is compared to the Old Testament), the attention
given to elders is amazing. “This is why”, writes Jon Zens, editor of the
journal Searching Together, “we need
to seriously consider the doctrine of eldership; it jumps out at us from the
pages of the New Testament, yet it has fallen into disrepute and is not being
practiced as a whole in local churches”.
A Consistent, New
Testament Pattern
To hear some scholars speak, you would think
that the Bible doesn't say one word about church elders or church government. But
that is not true. The New Testament records evidence of pastoral oversight by a
council of elders in nearly all the first churches. These local churches were
spread over a wide geographical and culturally diverse area — from Jerusalem to
Rome.
Examples of Eldership: Consider, as recorded in the New
Testament, the consistent pattern of plural leadership by elders that existed
among the first Christian churches.
- Elders are found in the
churches of Judea and the surrounding area (Acts 11:30; James 5:14, 15).
- Elders governed the church in
Jerusalem (Acts 15, 21).
- Among the Pauline churches,
leadership by the plurality of elders was established in the churches in
Derbe, Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch (Acts 14:20-23); in the church in
Ephesus (Acts 20:17; 1 Timothy 3:1-7; 5:17-25); in the church in Philippi
(Phil. 1:1); and in the churches on the island of Crete (Titus 1:5).
- According to the well-traveled
letter of 1 Peter, elders existed in churches throughout northwestern Asia
Minor: Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia (1 Peter 1:1; 5:1).
- There are strong indications
that elders existed in churches in Thessalonica (1 Thessalonians 5:12) and
Rome (Hebrews 13:17).
Instruction About Elders: Not only does the New Testament provide examples of elder-led churches, it includes explicit instructions to churches about how to care for, protect, discipline, select, restore, and call the elders. The apostles intended these instructions to be obeyed, and they should be regarded as normative teaching for all Christian churches at all times.
- James instructs those who are
sick to call for the elders of the church (James 5:14).
- Paul instructs the Ephesian church
to financially support elders who labor "at preaching and
teaching" (1 Timothy 5:17, 18).
- Paul instructs the local church
about protecting elders from false accusation, disciplining elders who
sin, and restoring fallen elders (1 Timothy 5:19-22).
- Paul instructs the church
regarding the proper qualifications for eldership (1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus
1:5-9).
- To the church in Ephesus, Paul
states that anyone who desires to be an elder desires a "fine
work" (1 Timothy 3:1).
- Paul instructs the church to
examine the qualifications of prospective elders (1 Timothy 3:10; 5:24,
25).
- Peter instructs the young men
of the church to submit to church elders (1 Peter 5:5).
- Paul teaches that elders are
the household stewards, leaders, instructors, and teachers of the local church
(Titus 1:7, 9; 1 Thessalonians 5:12;).
Instruction and Exhortation to Elders: Besides giving instruction to churches about elders, Paul, Peter, and James give these instructions directly to elders:
- James tells elders to pray for
the sick and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord (James 5:14).
- Peter directly charges elders
to willingly pastor and oversee the local congregation (1 Peter 5:1, 2).
- Peter warns elders not to be
too domineering (1 Peter 5:3).
- Peter promises elders that when
the Lord Jesus returns they will receive "the unfading crown of
glory" (1 Peter 5:4).
- Peter exhorts elders to be
clothed in humility (1 Peter 5:5).
- Paul reminds the Ephesians
elders that the Holy Spirit placed them in the church to be overseers and
pastor the church of God (Acts 20:28).
- Paul exhorts elders to guard
the church from false teachers (Acts 20:28) and to be alert to the
constant threat of false doctrine (Acts 20:31).
- Paul reminds elders to work
hard, help the needy, and be generous like the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts
20:35).
