Sunday, May 16, 2010 am
For quite some time now I have been thinking about the subject of
the eldership here at Rose Ave.
For a number of reasons I have decided to present a series of
lessons addressing what the Bible says about elders.
In this study we will examine:
·
The need
for elders within a local congregation
·
The
responsibilities and work of the eldership.
·
What
qualifications are necessary for one to be appointed and serve as an
elders
·
What are
our responsibilities toward our elders?
·
We will
also examine the duties and office of the deacon.
·
The
quality of wife an elder must have
·
And other
related subjects as they need to be addressed.
As we begin this study I want to take note that this is always a
controversial study. It
involves both emotions and intellect. The
desire to appoint elders has been the cause of many problems within the
brotherhood. Churches have
divided over the appointments, unqualified men have been appointed just
for the sake of having elders and qualified men have been left
unappointed because of the contentious attitudes of some that were
allowed to influence the process.
When it comes to appointing elders and adding more elders within
a congregation we need to respect God’s boundaries whether we like them
or not. In other words, this
is NOT a popularity contest.
Just because someone you don’t like is being considered is no reason, in
and of itself, to oppose him.
For the sake of the church, HONESTY must prevail at all levels
and we ought to be willing to appoint any man with the desire and who is
adequately qualified to do the work (and we should NOT appoint one who
is not qualified). We will
have more to say about this as our study progresses.
Our study will address these
boundaries.
a.
Since we
have elders, why is this study needed?
b.
We only
have two elders.
The Bible always speaks of the
eldership as a plurality (Phil. 1:1, 1 Pet. 5:1, Acts 20:17, 14:23 –
elders in every church).
With only two elders, we are always only one away from having no
eldership.
c.
As a
congregation we need to be looking toward the future.
We need to seek for and work to develop
others in this congregation to serve in this capacity.
We have some here who are approaching the time when they should consider
serving the congregation in this capacity and we should consider
appointing them.
My goal in this study is to encourage such to begin examining their
lives and the necessary qualities to serve as an elder of this
congregation. And if they
see shortcomings, to begin working on those things so that they can
serve along side our present elders.
And to encourage all of us within the congregation to prepare to seek
out these qualified men and help them achieve their goals.
d.
To
remind us of what our responsibilities toward our elders ought to be.
STATEMENT: I am fully convinced that we have a qualified eldership.
Both Max and Jerry work well together and complement one another
(even in their differences). They have both served for many years (more
than I have been here) and lately they have dealt with an extremely
burdensome load of problems.
They deserve our help and respect for all that they have done.
More on this throughout our study.
e.
To
encourage everyone, especially our young to aspire toward this noble
office later in life.
If such is a goal early on, you can make preparations now that
will improve you chances of being qualified later on and WHEN you are
qualified, you will be better prepared to assume the role.
(One reason this is the case is that the qualities needed in an
elder, for the most part, apply to every Christian.)
a.
The
Biblical pattern
i.
Elders are
part of the organizational structure God has given for the church –
Phil. 1:1
Acts 20:28 – Ordained of the Holy Spirit
ii.
It is what
God desires for the congregation -
1 Timothy 3:1 – it is a good work (cf. James 1:17)
iii.
Authority
exists for elders
1.
Command -
Titus 1:5 – where there are no elders, something is lacking
2.
Example -
Paul appointed elders in every church – Acts 14:21-23
3.
Divine
implication – 1 Tim. 1:3-7 – Paul giving instructions to Timothy about
who to seek as an elder implies it is what God wants.
b.
Churches
need such qualified leaders
i.
Ephesians
4:11-16 – from early on they were intended to be a part of God’s plan
for growth within the church.
ii.
As is
always the case, based upon what the Bible says about their work- we
know this is the BEST form of leadership for the Lord’s Church.
He knew what He was talking about.
iii.
God’s
pattern has built in a number of “safeguards” that demonstrate its
wisdom –
1.
such as
local oversight only (there is NO authority for an elder to oversee the
work of another congregation NOR create and maintain an organization
larger than the local church).
2.
shepherds
KNOW the flock and thus they are able to wisely direct (Ac. 20:28, 1
Peter 5:2)
3.
they are
of such a character that they assist in keeping the church pure from
false teaching and immorality.
For lack of a better term, they can “smell the rat”.
4.
The
qualifications of necessity bring out the best individuals who are well
rounded to work with the church.
c.
When you
have a qualified eldership you have competent leadership, protection,
guidance and care that are part of the qualities and responsibilities of
the elders. The purity of the
church is preserved.
d.
What
happens when there are no elders?
i.
You are
NOT a mature congregation.
IF there are not qualified men, one source says, “Get them!”
There is a problem with a church that has failed to appoint
elders within a reasonable amount of time.
I say this for a number of reasons:
1.
For some
reason they are failing to mature and grow as expected
2.
Usually
(not always) there is someone who runs things that would lose that power
if an eldership were appointed (obviously he knows he is not qualified).
3.
Often
there are some who do not want to submit to the authority of qualified
men.
ii.
Business
meetings are generally the alternative – there are many dangers in such.
1.
However,
such may be what is necessary when there are no qualified shepherds.
It is better to be scripturally unorganized than to be
unscripturally organized.
2.
Voting on
doctrinal matters IS unscriptural.
Majority rule is NEVER a good pattern to follow.
Such leads to politics, bickering and division, etc.
It also gives the novice as much input as the mature, experienced
Christian.
3.
The unity
of a congregation could be in danger.
The bigger the body, the greater the potential for division.
4.
There is
the danger of making the preacher into “the pastor” with everything but
the title.
iii.
There are
often issues and problems that go unaided.
1.
The weak
may be neglected, discipline ignored, troublemakers have their way, etc.
While these can still be addressed without elders, often they are
not unless someone takes the leadership – but WHO?
2.
There are
issues best handled by competent leadership without bringing in everyone
in the congregation.
There are some things that brethren would not bring up before all the
men of a congregation but they would be willing to confide in trusted
leaders who can often handle problems without involving everyone in the
church.
3.
There are
many who will simply not attend a congregation where there are no
elders, when they have a choice.
Right or wrong, they will
choose a congregation, perhaps not their preference, because they do
have elders over the one without.
I used to work with a church that did not have elders where
Christians passed by our congregation to go to the one in town with
elders. We struggled as a
result.
We may point the finger that such individuals are wrong, but what if
that congregation refused to appoint qualified men or was not working to
develop them?
a.
The church
accountant – though they are aware of and oversee how the resources are
being used.
b.
The
maintenance foreman – appointed to paint, repair the roof and parking
lot, etc.
c.
Furthermore, he is not YOUR personal repairman, mover, problem solver,
etc.
d.
Your
personal financial advisor, your marriage counselor or your piggy bank.
e.
Your
escort and errand boy – you have no right to expect him to put his life
on hold to run your errands.
Galatians 5:13 – do NOT take advantage of him or any Christian.
f.
To
micromanage your life – 1 Peter 5:3 makes that very clear
g.
To relieve
you of your spiritual responsibilities (such as going to a brother you
have a problem with). A good
elder will ask you if you fulfilled your responsibilities in this.
He can’t study for you at home, he can’t pray in your place (but
he does pray for you), do your personal work (he has his own load), etc.
Galatians 6:5 is clear about that!
Cf. James 5:19, Matt.
18:15
h.
He is not
the one to blame because you are not what you ought to be or are having
problems.
1 Timothy 5:19.
i.
While the
elder can aid in these matters, especially providing spiritual guidance
(as a mature brother in Christ) and a proper example,
he is not to be taken advantage of.
Consider Acts 6 when 7 men were appointed to tend the neglected widows.
The role of the apostles was greater than “serving tables” (Ac
6:2). While that passage is
not speaking of elders, we shall see in their responsibilities that it
is a spiritual work, looking out for your spiritual welfare (Heb.
13:17). Don’t degrade the
office to some figurehead or your personal errand boy.
And thus we introduce this very important study.
Over the next few week, I will present some things for your
consideration. I ask you to
consider these things with 1)an open Bible, 2)prayerfully and 3)with an
open mind. As we study these
things, if you see need to change in these matters then do so for the
good of the church here. Our
elders deserve our support, praise and honor for the work they have
done.