If we look at the New Testament and see what kind of structure apostles left in local churches, we see that they appointed elders in churches. The scripture also says tha they appointed elders in every city.

The word 'pastors' shows up in Ephesians 4:11, and the idea of having one pastor speak every Sunday. Bu actually, the word 'pastor' here was not a loaded religious title the same way it is today. It was the same Greek root word used to refer to shepherds watching their flocks by night in Luke's story. Jesus is the 'Good Pastor,' the 'Chief Pastor' , and the 'Pastor and Bishop of our souls.' The word 'pastor' is just a fancy word for 'shepherd.'

Something many who read the KJV do not realize is that there is a verb form which comes from the Greek word 'to pastor' or 'to take care of sheep.' One thing I like about the Indonesian Bible is that it clearly translates this term. 'Gambala' is shepherd in Indonesian. 'Kan' is a verb ending, and 'Gembalakan' is the verb form 'to pastor.'

But in the KJV, this word is confusingly translated as 'feed' or 'tend.' This Greek verb shows up at the end of John where Jesus told Peter to _pastor_ his sheep. In Acts 20, Paul tells the Ephesian elders to _pastor_ the church of God over whom God had made them overseers (bishops.) In I Peter 5, Peter charges the elders to _pastor_ the flock of God which is among them. Then it says when the Chief Pastor shall appear, they will recieve a crown.

'Pastor' is a loaded term. Many people think it means to stand up in front of a group of people three times a week and preach sermons, in addition to offering counseling and visiting the sick. But we need to remember that 'pastoring' is taking care of sheep. Think about how a middle eastern shepherd who had a hundred sheep would take care of them.

Many churhces seem to have the idea of 'lay-elders.' I saw an article on the Internet about the development of elders inteh Reformed Church. The Reformed church, early on, saw a need to have mroe lay involvement in the church. So, in addition to their presbytry of ministers, they looked at the model of 'garusia' elders in Noth Africa. The Christian community in North Africa had presbuteros, and also garusia, elders that held civic duties. So we see that a system of church lay elders that were involved in committees and chruch decision-making developed. The Reformed church, according to the article, developed a pattern of having lay-elders based on this model.

Many churches have been influenced by this type of thinking. In many churches, elders do not do a lot of the real pastoral work, but rather serve on decision-making boards. In many church, pastoral work is assigned to one or more 'pastors' who do this sort of care-tending pastoral work, while elders sit on committees and make decisions.

Planning and decision making was probably a major role that elders in the Jerusalem church in the New Testament would have made. Modey was delivered to elders in Jerusalem, they met along with the apostles to make decisions in Acts 15, and they gave advice to Paul when there was sure to be contraversy about his return to Jerusalem.

But in addition to that, we see that the elders were supposed to do real pastoral work. James gave instructions for the elders to pray over the sick and anoint him with oil. I Peter instructs elders to pastor the flock of God. Elders are to lead by example rather than by lording over the flock, according to Peter. Let us think about that. For example, if elders want people in their flock to evangelize, then elders should model evangelism for the saints.

Paul wrote that elders (bishops) should have a knowledge of the truth so that they can resist the gainsayers. He also writes that elders should be able to teach.

There exists a false dichotamy in the minds of many believers between the professional pastor and the local church elder. The professional pastor is considered to be the religious professional who is supposed to do the pastoral work, visiting the sick, giving counseling, etc. When someone gets sick in a church with elders and a pastor, they may choose to call the pastor to visit them, rather than the elder. If someone gets demonized, the pastor gets a phone call. Pastors offer counseling. What do the elders do in many of these churches? They sit on a board and decide how the money is spent.

Scripturally, there is a case for elders, as well as deacons, having responsibility for fincances in a church. However, elders are charged to pastor God's flock. Sheep-tending activities include visiting the sick, counseling, teaching, and discipling new converts.

Another consequence of the concept of one pastor handling spiritual affairs while elders handle practical affairs is that, in some churches, pastors are allowed to minister which do not fit the Biblical requirement for elders. Some churches recognize that the pastor is supposed to be an elder as well. But other churches, since they call him by a title other than 'elder' or 'bishop,' think of a man being qualified to be a pastor becuase he is called to preach, or because he has theological education. Scriptrually, we don't see local churches organized with one religious professional pastor above a group of lay-elders like this.

Did you know that, historically, church leaders who taught in meetings, broke communion bread, and held the main responsibility in churches were actually called 'elders?' After the Reformation, some churches started hiring clergymen calling them 'pastors.' To understand this point, we have to look at the etymology of the word 'priest.' 'Priest' comes from the Greek word for elder. Look at these historical stages: presbuteros>prester>priest.

After Christianity because the state religion in the Roman Empire, it became common to view church elders as Old Testament priests. The New Testmaetn calls elders bishops, but elder and bishop got divided into two offices. The bishop was over the church and all the elders in a city. Elders pastored believers in the hcurches in which they ministered. In the West, more levels of chruch heirarchy developed as well- archbishops, cardinals, the pope.

The bishop came to be seen as similar to the high priest in the Old Testament. Elders (presbuteros) were seen as functioning as OT priests (heiros (sp?). Deacons were seen as Levites.)

Of course, New Testmaent elders correspond with Old Testament elders not with Old Testament 'priests' (heiros or kohenim.) But the use of the term 'priest' came to be used for those OT ministries, even though the word originally referred to elders. So now, iin English Bibles, the word 'priest' is used for OT priests, and 'elders' is used to refer to the presbuteros of the New Testament.

In the Roman Catholic Church, leaders doing pastoral work were referred to as priests, from presbuteros. Luther came along proclaiming the 'priesthood of all believers.' He was talking about the OT heiros/kohen priesthood, not NT eldership. Since the word 'priest' was used for the OT kohen/heiros ministry, it fell out of favor in many Protestant circles. So the practice of calling church leaders 'pastors' became popular.

Some churches had leaders called 'pastors' and later adopted a system similar to the Reformed church in which certain lay leaders were referred to as 'elders.' So now there are churches with a system of church governmetn that does not come from the Bible.

When we consider how Paul and Barnabas planted churches, it was really simple if you think about it. God called these two men to go preach. They preached and churches were established because of this. Maybe up to two years later they came back ot some of these churches and appointed elders from among the congregation.

Think about it. There were churches without any official elders doing pastoral ministry? How could they survice? How could they meet on Sunday? Who preached the sermon? And think about when Paul and Barnabas came back and appointed elders in these churches. They appointed elders from within the church. Can you imagine that- just regular men, possibly older men, from within the church chosen to lead. The idea of this occuring today is uncomfortable for some people. Some people think about the idea of one of their regular church elders speaking for 45 minutes every Sunday, and don't like to think about it.

In order to understand how eldership functioned in the New Testament, we must understand how the church functioned, and how their meetings worked. The Bible does not command us to gather every week and hear one man to preach a sermon. Rather, we see, that when Paul gave some detailed instructions (commandments from the Lord) concerning church meetings, that his instructions were in regard to a meeting in which 'every one of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation.' He gave instructions that saints could all prophesy one by one that all may learn and all may be comforted.

Hebrews 10:24-25 contains famous instructions which are often repeated to tell us to go to church. But many don't pay close attention to the words: forsake not the assembling of yourselves together... BUT EXHORT ONE ANOTHER. Notice, exhort one another, not sit and listen, and be exhorted.

In I Peter 4, Peter instructs believers to minister their gifts one to antoher, as good stewards of the manifold grace of god. One of the gifts he mentioned was speaking as the oracles of God.

Many point to Acts 20, of Paul speaking all night as an example of one man preaching a sermon. (Also some preachers use this as a reason to preach really long messages.) But if we look up the Greek word for 'teach' in Acts 20:7, we can see that it is the word from which we get the word 'dialogue' and is a Greek word used to refer to the idea of a discussion.

In Ephesians 4, we see that god has set forth some in the church as pastors and teachers. They are to equip the saints so that the saints might do the work of the ministry. Saints are supposed to do the work of the ministry. Also, elders are to be 'pat to teach' and also are charged to pastor the church of God. Can you see that elders are supposed to be 'pastors and teachers?' As such, they are to equip the saints to do the work of the ministry.

Elders are not the only ones who are supposed to teach or use their gifts in an assembly. But they are to be apt to teach, and should equip others in these ministries as well.

Paul wrote to Timothy to commit the teachings he had taught Timothy to faithful men, who would in turn be able to teach others. This is how teachers are to be raised up. If elders are able to teach, then they shoudl teach faithful men until these men are able to teach others. Elders should not 'hog' the ministry of a church, but rather equip other saints to do the work, and be _examples_ to the flock. Elders should model teaching ministry and encourage other saints to do this work.

Any experienced minister of the gospel can tell you how much more he knows about ministry now than he did years ago. Many preachers and teachers exercise their gifts and develop their abilities to preach and teach over time. A church in which only one person does all the teaching is a church in which many believers are not getting much chance to exercise and grow in their gifts. The type of meeting the New Testament instructs us to have is one that involves mutual edification. A good side-benefit of these meetings is that they are a tool for developing ministers of the Gospel. Mutually edifying meetings are also a good for a body that wishes to edify itself in love as the NT teaches.

Think about the churches Paul and Barnabs established. They started the churches with no elders. The saints probably ministered to one another and learned the word of God together regularly. They probably baptiszed new believers, took communion, and had to learn to get along as brethren. They had to learn a little about mutual submission, letting go of their own desires (compromise in a good sense), and loving one another. By the time the apostles returned, some of these saints were spiritually mature enough to be elders in the church. Remember, an elder was not to be a novice. I believe these elders grew up spirituall and developed their gifts through ministering to other saints before they were actually appointed elders.

Think about how these churches continued on after Paul and Barnabs left. Eventually, they probably started to benefit from traveling ministers, as more saints came to the faith, but they also had to minister to one another within the body. Elders in the church and other ministers had to teach other believers. Some of these believers eventually learned enough about these truths to teach others. Then, some of these teachers probably grew and matured, and eventually became elders themselves. From one generation to the next the church could continue on. This was before there were Bible schools and seminaries. This happened during a time when teaching went on within the church and leaders were trained up through learning to exercise their gifts and through apprenticeship.

Being an elder is a great responsibility. Elders must tend to the flock of God, be examples for them in life and ministry, encouratge them in their gifts, help keep order in church meetings, encourage gifted people in their gifts in church meetings, and love the saints, rather than lording over them.

And now a question- in your experience, how close is the concept and practice of eldership in the churches you have seen to the Biblical model?

-- Anonymous, November 30, 2000

Answers

WOW!! Most, perhaps all, of what you said in this posting is right in line with the historic thinking/theory/ideal of the Restoration Movement. I must admit that much of the Movement has (probably for pragmatic reasons or perhaps because of a lack of deep personal study on the matter) fallen into habits patterned after other "Evangelical" churches. But what you outline is still held up as an ideal and taught as an ideal in at least some Bible colleges -- though more often in classes on Acts than in classes than in the classes on church polity, church administration, etc.

-- Anonymous, December 01, 2000

If that is what the RM teaches, why isn't it practiced much? Probably just about everything in what I wrote would be in line with Plymouth Brethren teaching. interesting- I think the Plymouth Brethren started in Enlgand around the same time as the RM in the US. They had some similar values- belief in local authonomy. The Brethren called themselves brethren so as to not be a denomination, and the early RM grew out of a desire to do away with denominationalism as well.

Historically, has the RM also recognized the fact that chrch meeings are supposed to be mutually participatory. I've heard of mutual edification Churches of Christ, but it sounded like they trade the pulpit among male church members week to week. I'm not sure about that, though.

-- Anonymous, December 01, 2000