Let’s look at the office of elders in the church. First, a little word study. 1 Timothy 3:1 It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do. The Greek for overseer is episkopé: Oversight, visitation, office of a bishop. It is the word that the Episcopalian church used to describe their “bishops”. The Episcopal Church is structured around bishops, who oversee geographic areas called dioceses. Bishops are considered the primary shepherds of the church, and their authority is equal to that of the Apostles. An overseer here is obviously the same as an elder in Titus 1 and 1 Peter 5:1 but a different Greek word is used there. Titus 1:⁵ This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you. 1 Peter 5:1 So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder …” Both times the Greek word is presbuteros: elder, older, presbyter (emphasis on an older man). The Presbyterian Church has presbyters. The word “Presbyterian” comes from the Greek word πρεσβύτερος (presbyteros), meaning “elder.” Accordingly, Presbyterian church government is elder-ruled church government, as we see clearly taught in the New Testament. BTW 1 Timothy 5:17 ¹⁷ Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. The word for elders here is presbuteros, so that shows that the overseers in 1 Timothy 3:1 are the same as elders. Then in Titus 1:7 ⁷ For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain.” The word for overseer is episkopos which is the same office as presbuteros translated elder in Titus 1:5. So they are the same office.

There is a 3rd word for elders. (AI) “The Greek word for pastor is poimēn (poy-MAYN). It appears in the New Testament 18 times, but is translated as “shepherd” in every instance except Ephesians 4:11, where it is translated as “pastor”. Poimēn is a noun that means “one who shepherds” or “one who serves as guardian or leader”. The verb form of the word is poimaino, which means “to tend a flock as a shepherd”. In the Bible, the terms “pastor,” “bishop,” and “elder” are used interchangeably to refer to the same office. Ephesians 4:¹¹ And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds (or some translations “pastors”) and teachers. The work of elders is to shepherd the flock. 1 Peter 5:² shepherd (poimanate) the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight (episkopountes), not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; ³ not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. Again, that equates the elders (presbuteros) of 1 Peter 5:1 with the overseers (episkopos) of 1 Peter 5:3 as being the same office. Acts 20 combines all 3 words. Paul has called the elders from the church at Ephesus to come meet him at Miletus. Acts 20:¹⁷ Now from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders (presbuteros) of the church to come to him. ¹⁸ And when they came to him, he said to them… ²⁸ Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers (episkopos), to shepherd (poimainein)the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. So elders (presbuteros), overseers (episkopos), and pastors or shepherds (poimen) all refer to the same office although some churches have separated them. Some churches call the preachers “pastors” but unless they are qualified elders, that is not the Biblical use of the word.

The early church met in house churches. The structure was simple. Each church hopefully had some qualified men as elders and some lesser qualified men as deacons. Philippians 1:Paul and Timothy, bond-servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, including the overseers and deacons. That was it. There might have been some elders who shepherded all the house churches in a given city. Paul told Titus in Titus 1:⁵ For this reason I left you in Crete, that you would set in order what remains and appoint elders in every city as I directed you” but that could mean elders in every house church in every city and not elders over all the house churches in every city. I do think that it is God’s plan for every house church to have elders and deacons. I don’t think it was God’s plan to have paid preachers, church groups owning property and buildings, etc. After all, nowadays churches have “trustees” and are incorporated. Where is that in the New Testament? Do the trustees make major decisions? Technically they probably due based on the church’s “charter”.

“During the 2nd century, the Christian church leadership transitioned from a system of multiple elders to a more centralized structure with a single bishop at the head of each congregation, assisted by a group of presbyters (elders) and deacons, marking a significant shift towards a more formal “episcopal” style of leadership; this development is particularly evident in writings from figures like Ignatius of Antioch.” This is not the scriptural organization of church leadership. “Kruger then points to evidence from the Didache, 1 Clement, and the Shepherd of Hermas  to show that during the first century a plurality of elders leading a local church was the most common pattern.” (The Simple Pastor) It evolved after the 2nd century to eventually be the Catholic church organization: (AI) The Catholic Church has a hierarchical structure with several levels of leadership: Pope: The head of the Catholic Church and God’s representative on Earth. Cardinals: A group of close advisors to the Pope who usually choose the next Pope when the current one dies or resigns. Archbishops and bishops: Oversee multiple churches in a region. Priests: In charge of individual churches. Deacons: Assist with practical works of charity and have a more limited liturgical role. This is not the scriptural pattern of church organization either.  

That’s a lot, but important info on elders. Now let’s look at the qualifications of elders. The first elders had miraculous gifts. Ephesians 4:11 ¹¹ And He gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, some as pastors and teachers.” These are 5 miraculously gifted leadership positions in the early church. Paul established churches in Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe on his first missionary journey, and immediately backtracked through those cities appointing elders. Acts 14:²³ When they had appointed elders for them in every church, having prayed with fasting, they entrusted them to the Lord in whom they had believed.” They did not have the New Testament. 1 Timothy 3:6 says the elders could not be a “new convert” but these new elders were new converts. The only way they could shepherd the church and protect it against false teachers was to have those miraculous gifs. James 5 is probably talking about some of those miraculously gifted elders who could heal people. James 5:¹⁴ Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; ¹⁵ and the prayer of faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him.By the time Paul wrote 1 Timothy, the church would have access to almost all of the New Testament books so the need for miraculously gifted elders would have diminished.

The qualifications: 1 Timothy 3:1 It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do. ² An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, skillful in teaching, ³ not overindulging in wine, not a bully, but gentle, not contentious, free from the love of money. ⁴ He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity ⁵ (but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?), ⁶ and not a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into condemnation incurred by the devil. ⁷ And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he will not fall into ^[f]disgrace and the snare of the devil.”

Titus 1 has these qualifications: ⁵ For this reason I left you in Crete, that you would set in order what remains and appoint elders in every city as I directed you, ⁶ namely, if any man is beyond reproach, the husband of one wife, having children who believe, not accused of indecent behavior or rebellion. ⁷ For the overseer must be beyond reproach as God’s steward, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not overindulging in wine, not a bully, not greedy for money, ⁸ but hospitable, loving what is good, self-controlled, righteous, holy, disciplined, ⁹ holding firmly the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict it.

I think most of these are self explanatory. All Christian men should have most of these. The ones that are unique to elders: 1) Husband of one wife. 2) Skillful in teaching. 3) Believing children. 4) Not a new convert. 5) Manages his own household well keeping his children under control (to prove that he can manage the household of God). 6) Able to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict it. This last one is very important if the elders are to fulfill what Paul asked elders to do in Titus 1:9 and Acts 20:²⁸ Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you ^[u]overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. ²⁹ I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; ³⁰ and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things to draw away the disciples after them.”

It might be surprising to some that elders could drink wine, just not be addicted to or overindulge in wine. Several questions might arise. What if a man is divorced and remarries? He is the husband of one wife, but is he stll quallified? What if his wife dies? Do all of his children have to be “believing”? Does that mean baptized believing children? If a man becomes an elder but one or more of his believing children leave the faith after he becomes an elder, should he resign? What if there are two elders in a church and one dies or resigns: should the remaining elder resign?

The main work of elders is to “shepherd” (poimen) the flock. Ezekiel has a scathing rebuke against the elders of Israel: Ezekiel 34:34 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ² “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and say to those shepherds, ‘This is what the Lord ^[b]God says: “Woe, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves! Should the shepherds not feed the flock? ³ You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat sheep ^[e]without feeding the flock. ⁴ Those who are sickly you have not strengthened, the diseased you have not healed, the broken you have not bound up, the scattered you have not brought back, nor have you searched for the lost; but with force and with violence you have dominated them. ⁵ They scattered for lack of a shepherd, and they became food for every animal of the field and scattered. ⁶ My flock strayed through all the mountains and on every high hill; My flock was scattered over all the surface of the earth, and there was no one to search or seek for them.”’” The work of the elders of Israel was to shepherd. To make sure the flock is fed well. To strengthen the sickly. To heal the diseased. To bind up the broken. To search for and bring back the lost sheep. They had not done these things. They “dominated” the sheep: the Hebrew is “with force (chozqah: Strength, power, might) you have ruled (radah: To rule, to have dominion, to subdue)”. Peter talks about that in 1 Peter 5:² shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not with greed but with eagerness; ³ nor yet as domineering (katakurieuó: to exercise dominion over: also translated “not lording it over”) over those assigned to your care, but by proving to be examples to the flock.” Elders are not to act like dictators over the flock. They must not be carried away with power over the flock. Instead they should be “examples”: the Greek word is tupos: the mark (of a blow), an impression, stamp (made by a die). They should be such good examples of what a Christian should be that the sheep want to be an exact imprint just like them.

Too often men are appointed as elders in a church just b/c they are important in their worldly occupations. The eldership becomes a “board of directors” whose main job is to “control” the flock. They push their opinions on the flock and shut out those who disagree. They don’t personally shepherd the sheep. They become the business managers of the church instead of shepherds. They spend more time in elders’ meetings than they do in shepherding. Lynn Anderson wrote the best book I have ever read of elders: They Smell Like Sheep. He told of a man who resigned from a “board of directors” eldership so he could actually shepherd the flock. He told of changing such an eldership from a “board of directors” model to a shepherding model. He told of a church having just a few elders even though there were many more men qualified to be shepherds, men who in some way were. shepherding at least a few of the sheep. That church went from 5 elders to 25 elders. They turned the business of the church over to deacons and trustees so that they could spend their time shepherding. They met rarely, and when they did, it wasn’t a business meeting: instead it was a prayer meeting and discussion of how to shepherd the flock better. I know of a church of 1,000 memers with 7 elders. That church no doubt had 30 or 40 men who were not elders but were just as qualified to be elders as those 7 elders. When that church added any elders, it was always adding 2 or 3 that totally agreed with the way the elders were doing business. I asked one of those 7 elders, “why don’t you appoint all those 30 or 40 qualified men as elders”? He said, “we might lose control if we did that”. 7 elders can control a flock as a board of directors but they can’t effectively shepherd the flock. 30 or 40 elders could divided the flock of 1,000 into small groups and actually effectively shepherd each group they are assigned to with small house church type groups. Each shepherd could have a small group that he could actually know the physical and spiritual needs of that group and shepherd that group. I know of a church that had several men who were not elders but were continually shepherding sheep in the flock, taking care of members. But those men, though fully qualified, would not allow the flock to make appoint them as elders. They saw the elders as a board of directors whose job was to make decisions for the flock and control the flock and they didn’t want that responsibility to be that type of an elder. So that church has 3 elders when they could have 15 elders.

Another important point is “how long should elders be appointed for”? Is it like a supreme court justice: appointed for life? The church I was raised in had no procedure to assess whether elders were doing a good job or not. The church voted them in as elders, but had no way of voting them out if need be. Some churches therefore have a “reup” each year or some time interval where they vote to reaffirm the current elders, which sounds like a good idea. Elders must have the confidence of the flock if they are to shepherd well.

That brings us to 1 Timothy 5: ¹⁷ The elders who lead well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching. ¹⁸ For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle the ox while it is threshing,” and “The laborer is worthy of his wages.” ¹⁹ Do not accept an accusation against an elder except on the basis of two or three witnesses. ²⁰ Those who continue in sin, rebuke in the presence of all, so that the rest also will be fearful of sinning. ²¹ I solemnly exhort you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of His chosen angels, to maintain these principles without bias, doing nothing in a spirit of partiality. ²² Do not lay hands upon anyone too quickly and thereby share responsibility for the sins of others; keep yourself free from sin.” “Double honor” would be the honor of serving as an elder but also getting some monetary help if need be. An elder might need supplemental income from the flock if he is devoting so much time to both shepherding and preaching. But where would they “preach” in addition to shepherding? In the New Testament, the word “preach” comes from the Greek word kerusso, which means to proclaim, to declare, to announce, or to herald a message. It was the message proclaimed by the kerux, who was the official spokesman or herald of a king.Used to describe the act of proclaiming the Gospel message of Jesus Christ.” It would not be the word used of an elder shepherding his house flock, although he might preach the gospel basics if a non Christian is visiting the group gathering. Apparently some elders would go to surrounding locations and actually preach the core gospel message to those who were not Christians. That might take time from their trade and incoome to support their family. The paid preacher system is not Biblical, but paying shepherds in some cases (rare) actually is. Most elders have full time jobs and don’t need any financial help from the flock.

Paul cautions about receiving an accusation against an elder unless there are 2 or.3 witnesses to some specific sin of an elder. It is easy for some sheep to sit back and overly criticize the elders. On the other hand, elders could and should be rebuked publicly if necessary. Remember, however, that Timothy was inspired by the Holy Spirit and would have miraculous guidance from the Spirit in rebuking an elder. An uninspired person might try to rebuke an elder in some kind of a power struggle. If, after a correctly done rebuking of an elder, he continues to sin, then he should be forced to resign. There should be no partiality in dealing with elders. If an elder sins, he should be rebuked whether we like the man or not. He should not be given any preferential treatment.

We do not have miraculously gifted elders as they did in the very early church (AD 30-70). Elders must realize that when making decisions. They must refute heresy, but they must be careful in what they deem to be “heresy”. I know of a church that forced an elder out b/c they said he was teaching heresy, but what he was teaching was not “heaven or hell” doctrine. Very few doctrines are “heaven or hell” essential doctrines. Elders must be careful not to force their opinions on non-essential on the flock. Elders must be very wise. I know a church where the elders made a very unwise decision that caused the church to split unecessaily. There was a way that the elders could have kept the flock together in love but they chose not to do that. They were more interested in controlling the flock.

I hope this is a beneficial study of elders.