A few weeks ago, I gave a brief overview in answer to this question. Jesus runs His church and He does so through a group of qualified, called, and appointed men called Elders. So who are these qualified, called, and appointed men? And what specifically do these men do?
First of all, these men are those that meet the Biblical qualifications for such service as described in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:6-9. Second, these men are those that are willing to serve the church in this capacity. There is an internal desire to serve the church in this manner, a calling. Thirdly, these men are appointed to serve. They are not democratically elected through a voting process, but rather are appointed to serve as an Elder. This in short is who Elder’s are.
Now, what specifically do Elder’s do? No matter how you try to define what they do, the simple answer is they oversee or rule the local church (see 1 Peter 5:2-3, 1 Timothy 5:17). They shepherd a local church following in the footsteps of Jesus, the Chief Shepherd. They do this through decision making, preaching and teaching God’s word, and guiding the local church to fulfill God’s purpose for her.
The clearest, and most Biblical manner in which the church is to be organized is to have a group of qualified men who are called and appointed to serve as Elder’s of a local church body. These men are to meet biblical qualifications, desire to serve in this capacity, and be appointed to serve. They are to oversee (rule or shepherd) a local church through making decisions, preaching God’s word, and keeping the church focused on God’s purpose for her. May we become such a church in the near future!
Loving and Leading,
Jeff Powell
