Churches Preparing for Elders
by Don Bunting
via Biblical Insights, Vol. 15 No. 2, February 2015
If a prophet is not without honor, except in his own country (Matthew 13:57), then it should not surprise us that it is difficult for churches to appoint and submit to elders. While we may dream about qualified men moving in from elsewhere, reality shows us that elders are found within the local congregation.
Attitudes necessary for a church to properly follow elders do not spontaneously materialize on the day of appointment. That includes the feelings about elders in general and about the particular men being appointed. Proper attitudes must grow over time as knowledge and confidence increase, so that spiritual leadership is readily accepted.
How do churches prepare for God’s design in church leadership? As in everything, we need to understand the Lord's will and intent through the scriptures and discern and apply those principles spiritually. Every spiritual failure is the result of worldly thinking and carnal conduct. To prepare for elders, the members of the church must develop spiritual qualities and behavior.
God intends that His churches be served by elders (Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5). So churches need to talk about, pray about, and study about elders until they are properly in place. Churches may not appoint men who do not meet God’s qualifications ("A bishop then must be..." I Timothy 3:2), so by implication, churches can exist and function without elders. Such a church is handicapped - a spiritual body functioning without necessary parts. Choosing to continue without elders when men are available to serve is a violation of God’s will. A desire for a good eldership must be cultivated. Submission to God’s instruction in this matter is essential to faithfulness.
God’s kingdom is a monarchy with Christ as King, Lord, and Head in His church. His authority is absolute - His word is final. That word is revealed through apostles and prophets, proclaimed by evangelists, pastors, and teachers (Ephesians 4:11-13). With or without elders, the church is not a democracy, and a representative body does not lead it. In every age, God’s people have been led by the older, wiser men who, by His word, represent God, not the people
- Fathers in the age of the patriarchs
- Elders in the days of Moses and Israel
- Elders in the Lord’s church.
One danger of the business meeting is that it might teach us to value and protect the idea that every person has a voice, that everybody has a right to be heard, and that the majority decides. Such a model is not preparing us to yield to the older, follow the wiser, or trust the spiritual. Even in our necessary meetings to make decisions about our work in the Lord (without elders), we need to begin thinking in terms of following spiritual shepherds rather than a democratic model.
If you can’t trust your elders, who can you trust? Love “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things...” (I Corinthians 13:8). Do we optimistically believe in our elders? The sheep are willing to follow the shepherd because they know his voice - they know him (John 10:1-6). A shared history and a mutual love serve as a basis for optimism and trust. Elders cannot lead and will not even be appointed where jealousy and suspicion flourish. Worldly wisdom teaches: “A preacher should not be an elder because then he will be voting on his own salary.” Carnal thinking suggests that there must always be an odd number of elders, so there will be a tiebreaker in a vote. Suspicion says that “the elders can’t all be brothers because then you have one family running the church.” Principles of the world are not needed as safeguards or checks and balances in the Lord’s church. The spiritual principles of the gospel protect the church from these fears and suspicions. We must not fear an elder or eldership because of worldly attitudes toward one another. God’s qualifications for elders provide a strong foundation for trust. To prepare for elders, let us trust one another.
The only power an elder possesses to rule and lead a congregation is the willing submission of each member of the church. Just as a husband has no power to compel his wife to submit and obey, an eldership cannot compel a church or a church member to do anything. The Lord’s direction compels the wife and the church to submit, but the husband and the elder cannot force obedience. The power of the shepherd is the investment of trust and love that the sheep have placed in him. His appointment is the product of that trust and love. If a church really wants elders, it needs to nurture a love for and confidence in the older, spiritual servants in the church.
