Elders in New Testament Congregations

Introduction

Text: Eph. 4:11-13.
We need to study the eldership -- so we can understand and practice scriptural teaching on this subject.
1. Congregationally, elders are an important part of what Christ has provided for the health of the local church - Eph. 4:11-16.
2. Individually, we each need the help of those whom Christ has designated to watch for our souls
  - Hb. 13:17.
3. If we would truly pattern ourselves after the NT, we must have scriptural concepts of the eldership.
Two basic, foundational facts are important for us to recognize:
1. The eldership existed.
2. The eldership was an appointed office.

I. ELDERS IN THE NEW TESTAMENT PERIOD

The existence of the eldership.
1. The eldership is a divine provision for a real need - Eph. 4:11,12.
2. Following an initial period of establishment, congregations of Christians in the NT were supplied
  with elders.
  1. "So when they had appointed elders in every church, and prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed" (Ac. 14:23).
  2. "Paul and Timothy, bondservants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons" (Phil. 1:1).
  3. "For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders in every city as I commanded you" (Tit. 1:5).
3. The individuals appointed to this work were known as:
  1. ELDERS (presbyters).
  2. OVERSEERS (bishops).
  3. SHEPHERDS (pastors).
4. These terms are interchangeable in that they all describe the same group of men within a congregation
  -- they describe separate aspects of the same work - Ac. 20:17,28; 1 Pt. 5:1,2.
5. The eldership was related to other roles, gifts, and works - Eph. 4:11. The elders' oversight was
  distinct from:
  1. The apostles' and prophets' revelation of truth - Eph. 2:20.
  2. The evangelists' communication of truth - 2 Tim. 4:2,5.
6. It was possible for one man to serve in more than one capacity, e.g. Peter - 1 Pt. 5:1.
Four important characteristics of the eldership.
1. Male. Cf. 1 Tim. 3:2.
2. Plural. Cf. Phil. 1:1.
3. Co-equal. Cf. Ac. 20:17.
4. No oversight outside of the local congregation. Cf. 1 Pt. 5:2.

II. THE OFFICE OF AN ELDER

In the NT were elders merely the "older men" in a congregation?
1. Like many words, elder can be used either generically or specifically.
  1. Consider the English word auditor.
    1. Generically, one who hears.
    2. Specifically, one authorized to "hear" and verify financial accounts.
  2. In the NT, consider words like apostle (messenger), deacon (servant), and church (assembly).
  3. With elder, as with other words, context determines how it is used in a given instance.
2. "Elders" (specific usage) were distinct from "older men" (generic usage) in two basic ways:
  1. They had met definite qualifications - 1 Tim. 3:1-7; Tit. 1:5-9.
  2. They were designated by others and recognized as a distinct group - Ac. 20:17; etc.
    1. Ac. 14:23: "Appointed elders in every church." Appoint = cheirotoneo = choose, elect
      (2 Cor. 8:19).
    2. Tit. 1:5: "Appoint elders in every city." Appoint = kathistemi = put in charge (Mt. 24:45); ordain (Hb. 5:1). Cf. Hb. 5:4.
    3. Ac. 20:28: "The Holy Spirit has made you overseers."
    4. However many older men there may be in a congregation, only those possessing the qualifications (stipulated by the Holy Spirit) and appointed (as required by the Holy Spirit) are elders in the specific sense.
  3. Elders, then, were such by appointment, not by assumption -- their status was assigned, rather than circumstantial.
If elders were not merely the older men, then did the eldership constitute an "office"?
1. To say the eldership was an office is not to say that elders were:
  1. Clergymen or priests in the denominational sense.
  2. Officers in the sense of elected representatives.
  3. Officers in the sense of police-like law enforcers.
  4. Officers in the sense of corporate executives.
2. Nevertheless, the eldership was an office.
  1. "If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work" (1 Tim. 3:1 NKJV).
    1. Episkope = position of being an episkopos (overseer, guardian; superintendent, bishop).
      1. Cf. "office of a bishop/overseer" (KJV, ASV, RSV, ESV).
      2. The expression could be literally translated "overseership" or "post of oversight."
    2. The fact that the "post of oversight" is said to be a "work" does not mean it is not also an office. Indeed, most offices are works.
  2. An office is "a position of authority, duty, or trust given to a person" (AHD).
  3. An officer is one who has any work or responsibility assigned to him by a body, one charged with public duties.
  4. Appointment implies office.
  5. The sense of Ac. 14:23 is incomplete until it is specified to what elders were appointed!

Conclusion

The eldership was a vital office in congregations in the NT period, and it is no less vital today.
Biblical instruction concerning the eldership is a part of the teaching that informs us about how to conduct ourselves in the church, the "pillar and ground of the truth" (1 Tim. 3:14,15).
There is no greater work or privilege among Christians than to serve as an elder. It is an honorable "good work" (1 Tim. 3:1).

Gary Henry
WordPoints