1. Christ’s Church Part 3 – Organization of the Church (Elders)

2. Christ’s Church – Organization Ephesians 4:11-12 mentions some particular leadership positions within the church The apostles of Jesus Christ and the New Testament prophets comprise the foundation upon which Jesus built His church – see Ephesians 2:19-22 Jesus has left us complete instructions within the New Testament as to how we are to build upon that foundation

3. Christ’s Church – Elders The office of elder may be the most important remaining position in the Lord’s church In order to be the church that Jesus built, our elders must meet the same qualifications, and serve in the same manner, as they did in the New Testament churches

4. Christ’s Church – Elders Names for Elders In Acts chapter 20, three descriptive words are applied to the office of elder “And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called to him the elders of the church” (Acts 20:17) “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood” (Acts 20:28)

5. Christ’s Church – Elders Names for Elders The three descriptive words applied to elders are: ◦Presbuteros – elder, older man ◦Episkopos – overseer, bishop ◦Poimen – pastor, shepherd The interchange of elder and bishop is seen in Titus 1:5,7 The interchange of elder and pastor is verified in 1 Peter 5:1,2

6. Christ’s Church – Elders Names of Elders Over the years, tradition has obscured the fact that elder and bishop refer to the same office One of the earliest deviations from the New Testament pattern was the elevation of one of the elders of the congregation, and reserving for him alone the title of Bishop

7. Christ’s Church – Elders Names of Elders A tradition that has recently developed is the artificial distinction between “elders” and “the pastor” By tradition, the preacher of the local congregation has come to be the “Pastor” In the New Testament, the “elders” were the “pastors” – the shepherds of the flock So it is to be today

8. Christ’s Church – Elders Qualifications of Elders The Holy Spirit lists the qualifications for elders in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9 In 1 Timothy 3:1, Paul says, “… if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do” Paul began by emphasizing the “work” Above all else, the man who wants to be an elder must desire the “work” Much fewer squabbles if “work” was emphasized over “position”

9. Christ’s Church – Elders Qualifications of Elders It is clear that an elder must be a family man with only one wife, and with children who believe Apparently the family is the training ground for the future elder As Paul put it: “but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?” (1 Timothy 3:5)

10. Christ’s Church – Elders Qualifications of Elders It is also clear that any man who aspires to the office of elder must be a very good man ◦Excellent personal habits ◦A good reputation outside the church He must also be an older man ◦Implied by the use of the word “elder” ◦He also must have children old enough to believe He must not be a new convert, but a man of experience who can “exhort in sound doctrine” and “refute those who contradict”

11. Christ’s Church – Elders Appointment of Elders Paul instructed Titus the evangelist (compare with Timothy – 2 Timothy 4:5) to “appoint elders in every city as I directed you” (Titus 1:5) On their return trip of their first missionary journey, Paul and Barnabas “appointed elders for them in every church…” (Acts 14:23) In both examples, those who served in the capacity of preachers (see 2 Timothy 1:11) appointed elders in the respective congregations

12. Christ’s Church – Elders Appointment of Elders In the context of Timothy’s relationship to elders, Paul cautions him, “Do not lay hands upon anyone too hastily and thus share responsibility for the sins of others” (1 Timothy 5:22) Even back in the days of Moses and Joshua, appointment to leadership was given through the laying on of apostles’ hands – see Deuteronomy 34:9

13. Christ’s Church – Elders Appointment of Elders Remember that a Christian could receive a gift of the Holy Spirit through the laying on of an apostle’s hands (see Holy Spirit study) Timothy was not an apostle, and could not pass on this kind of gift Timothy could do something through the laying on of his hands – this something had to do with elders

14. Christ’s Church – Elders Appointment of Elders Based on Acts 14:23 and Titus 1:5, we conclude that this laying on of hands was in appointment of elders New Berkley Version translates 1 Timothy 5:22 in this way, “Lay hands of ordination on no one hastily…” In Acts 6, seven men were appointed to care for the widows of the Jerusalem congregation

15. Christ’s Church – Elders Appointment of Elders This process of appointment was accomplished through the laying on of hands of the apostles following the selection of the men by the congregation The same Greek word – epitithemei – is used both in Acts 6 and in 1 Timothy 5:33 We conclude that: ◦Elders are selected by the congregation; appointed by the laying on of hands by a preacher

16. Christ’s Church – Elders Appointment of Elders Although appointment of elders is in connection with the will of the congregation, Timothy was charged with final responsibility in the appointment “Do not lay hands on anyone too hastily and thus share responsibility for the sins of others” (1 Timothy 5:22) Timothy apparently had veto power over the selections of the congregation

17. Christ’s Church – Elders Appointment of Elders We have looked at all verses in the New Testament concerning the appointment of elders Let’s emphasize these three points 1.Elders are appointed by evangelists, by means of laying on of a preacher’s hands 2.This appointment may be done in consultation with the will of the congregation 3.Preachers are responsible to God for the appointment they make

18. Christ’s Church – Elders Appointment of Elders What is the term of appointment of an elder? Recall that: ◦He has been set aside to do the work of an elder ◦Elder qualifications required by God demand a substantial time of preparation for that great work ◦An elder must desire that work

19. Christ’s Church – Elders Appointment of Elders These facts, along with the meaning of the word “appoint,” indicate that a man is an elder as long as he continues to do the work of an elder If anyone had a complaint against an elder, he was to talk to an evangelist The instructions for the preacher are, “Do not receive an accusation against an elder except on the basis of two or three witnesses” (1 Timothy 5:19)

20. Christ’s Church – Elders Appointment of Elders Many people today do not follow the New Testament pattern for the appointment of elders They have a number of excuses as to why this pattern won’t work ◦It gives elders too much authority ◦Real men could never meet the qualifications ◦The Scripture isn’t sufficient They substitute their own by-laws for the Scripture

21. Christ’s Church – Elders Appointment of Elders Remember that we have studied the New Testament pattern No pattern is any better than the men who fill that pattern If the pattern isn’t working, it is because someone wasn’t careful in the appointment of those elders Read Paul’s warning in Acts 20:29,30

22. Christ’s Church – Elders Appointment of Elders We should never replace God’s pattern with one of human design The solution to the problem is to build men who can function in God’s pattern One final thought ◦In the New Testament, every mention of elders is plural ◦There need to be at least two men who meet the qualifications and who want to do the work

23. Christ’s Church – Elders Work of Elders Read Acts 20:28 The elders were to shepherd the church As overseers, they were to be on guard against false teaching The description of elders as overseers or bishops gives us an indication of one aspect of the elders’ work They are the “bosses” of the local congregation

24. Christ’s Church – Elders Work of Elders Paul describes the elders’ function as to “rule” (1 Timothy 5:17) Since they have such serious responsibility given to them by the Holy Spirit, He in turn gives them the authority necessary to carry out that responsibility

25. Christ’s Church – Elders Work of Elders Elders are also described as shepherds A shepherd guides and cares for a flock of sheep He makes sure that the sheep are fed and protects them from wolves and other dangerous animals In 1 Timothy 3:5, Paul states that elders are to “care” for the flock

26. Christ’s Church – Elders Work of Elders Peter cautions elders as they guide the flock Read 1 Peter 5:2,3 It is difficult to move a heavy log chain by trying to push it It is much easier to grab one end and pull the chain People are like chains; they can’t be pushed

27. Christ’s Church – Elders Work of Elders A good shepherd leads the flock by going before it Elders are to lead by example Even Jesus the Lord led by example – see Hebrews 4:15 Elders are to lead for the purpose of pleasing the Lord Jesus – not some ecclesiastical authority

28. Christ’s Church – Elders Work of Elders Bishops of the local church are responsible directly to the Holy Spirit, and not to some devilish diocesan concept of men Every congregation is to be independent, responsible directly to the Lord Jesus Himself Ecclesiastical orders, denominational discipline, and the like are substitutes of men Such substitutes betray lack of trust that the Head of the church (Jesus) is capable of directing His body as He should

29. Christ’s Church – Elders Work of Elders To summarize the elders’ work ◦All the responsibility of caring for the flock of God ◦Concern about continuing spiritual growth of each Christian entrusted to his care ◦Oversight of the ongoing work of seeking and saving the lost ◦Leadership by example ◦Eagerness to do this work, desiring to please the Master in heaven

30. Christ’s Church – Elders Responsibilities of Christians to Elders Read Hebrews 13:17 Any team, in order to function well, must have a coach or coaching staff The same is true with the church, the Lord’s team on earth This isn’t just a game; it is spiritual battle with the devil The local church will only be victorious if every member cooperates in following the plan of the eldership Read 2 Timothy 2:5

31. Christ’s Church – Elders Responsibilities of Christians to Elders The Holy Spirit places upon the Christian one of the most difficult commands ever given ◦obey or submit Elders are not free in this regard either They will give an account If the elder does his job, but the Christian doesn’t, then the elder won’t be able to give a joyful report to the King

32. Christ’s Church – Elders Christians Should Pay Elders Read 1 Timothy 5:17,18 The “honor” that the Bible speaks of includes both respect and “cold cash” When a man does the Lord’s work, and works hard at it, he deserves to be paid An elder who works hard at preaching and teaching along with his responsibilities of oversight is worthy of “double honor”

33. Christ’s Church – Elders Christians Should Pay Elders Many congregations have restored the form of the church of Christ, but have denied its power In practice it is a clergy-laity system, wherein the preacher is paid to do most of the work, and the elders are figureheads A congregation of any size guarantees plenty of work for a couple of full-time elders

34. Christ’s Church – Elders Christians Should Pay Elders If a man really desires to do the work of an overseer, he will be willing to leave his employment to work full-time for King Jesus If he is willing and qualified, how can the church afford not to have his full-time services

35. Christ’s Church – Elders Christians Should Pay Elders A point worth stressing ◦It is more important to have full-time elders than any other full-time office in the church The devil has blunted the force of the church in this world by convincing us that our most able and qualified men don’t need to be paid to work full time in the kingdom

36. Christ’s Church – Elders Christians Should Pay Elders The Scripture says elders are worthy of “double honor” Let’s seek and find men who are qualified and willing to do the work of elder, and then make sure they get paid by the congregation

37. Christ’s Church – Elders Summary The Bible uses three names to describe one office – elder, bishop, and pastor A man must desire the work of an elder, and he must meet the Scriptural qualifications Elders are responsible directly to God, and are to oversee the activities of God’s flock Christians are to obey their elders Elders are to be appointed by the laying on of hands of an evangelist Elders are to be paid as full-time servants of God

38. Christ’s Church Part 4 – Organization of the Church (Evangelists, Deacons, and Apostles)