Church leadership

Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. He appointed twelve—designating them apostles—that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons. These are the twelve he appointed: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter); James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means Sons of Thunder); Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. (Mark 3:13–19)

Twelve apostles

The first thing we should ask is: Why did Jesus choose twelve apostles? Why not five, or eight, or ten? The answer is because there are twelve tribes of Israel. Jesus said that at the renewal of all things, when he sits on his glorious throne, his twelve apostles will sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel (Matthew 19:27–28).

Judging, in this sense, means administering justice and settling disputes. This will take place when our Lord returns and begins his thousand year reign on earth (Revelation 20:1–6). At that time the twelve apostles will judge Israel, as other leaders had judged Israel in the Old Testament (Exodus 18:13–26).

Judas Iscariot

Judas Isacariot, one of the twelve Jesus had chosen, hung himself after betraying the Lord (Matthew 27:3–5). That betrayal was in accordance with God's will and purpose and had been foretold by the prophet Zechariah five hundred years previously (Zechariah 11:12–13).

Judas betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. John's Gospel tells us that he was a thief who, as keeper of the money bag, used to help himself to what was put into it (John 12:6). So our Lord was handed over to be crucified by someone who loved money. We can see why the Bible says that the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil (1 Timothy 6:10), and why church leaders must certainly not be lovers of money (1 Timothy 3:1–3).

Because Judas hung himself it was necessary for another apostle to be chosen. That was foretold in the Book of Psalms (Acts 1:20). This man had to be an eye witness of everything our Lord had said and done and to have seen him after his resurrection (Acts 1:21–22). Our Lord's resurrection featured prominently in the apostles' preaching (Acts 2:23–24; 31–32), the belief of which is essential for every man's salvation (Romans 10:9).

They chose a man to replace Judas by casting lots (Acts 1:23–26) and Matthias was chosen. Casting lots was an Old Testament way of discerning God's will (Joshua 18:8–10; Proverbs 16:33). After Pentecost such methods became obsolete and God's will was decided by the leading and the witness of the Spirit (Acts 15:28–29).

Elders in the Old Testament

The twelve apostles became the first leaders of the Church but, as the Church expanded numerically and geographically, more leaders were needed. This problem was solved by appointing elders (Acts 14:23), which was a method of government God had used in the Old Testament.

Elders, in the Old Testament, served five main functions:

  1. They were leaders of the people.
    When Moses went up the mountain to meet with God, he took seventy of Israel's elders with him. The Bible says that God did not raise his hand against these leaders of the Israelites. They saw God and they ate and drank (Exodus 24:1–2; 9–11). God regarded the elders as leaders of his people.

  2. They were guardians of the people.
    When God met with Moses in the desert and told him to bring his people out of Egypt, he sent him first to the elders of Israel. Even though Moses had been chosen by God and anointed by him, he had to convince the elders that he had been sent by God. God told Moses that they would believe him (which they did) and then Moses and the elders went together to Pharaoh (Exodus 3:1–18).

  3. They had authority to discipline.
    God decreed in his law that if a man married a woman and then afterwards claimed that she wasn't a virgin, the elders should investigate the case and, if they found the claim to be false, they should punish the man for having given an Israelite virgin a bad name (Deuteronomy 22:13–19).

  4. They appointed kings.
    All the elders of Israel met together at Hebron and agreed to appoint David as king over Israel (1 Chronicles 11:1–3). Even though David had been chosen and anointed by God, he couldn't set himself up as king, he had to be approved and appointed by the elders.

  5. They were advisers to the king.
    When Rehoboam became king in place of his father Solomon, he would not listen to the advice given him by the elders who had served his father. Instead he consulted the young men who had grown up with him and followed their advice. In doing so he brought trouble upon himself and Israel (2 Chronicles 10:1–17).

Elders in the New Testament

When we look at the function of elders in the New Testament, we see a striking similarity to their function in the Old Testament.

  1. They are leaders of the people.
    When a dispute arose over whether Gentile believers should be circumcised, it was brought before the apostles and elders at Jerusalem. They consulted together and issued a statement declaring what the Holy Spirit had instructed in the matter (Acts 15:1–29).

  2. They are guardians of the people.
    When Paul said farewell to the elders of the church at Ephesus, he told them to keep watch over the flock of which the Holy Spirit had made them overseers (Acts 20:17,28–31). The Greek word translated 'overseer' (episkopos) means 'a watchman'.

    Elders are appointed by the Holy Spirit to 'watch over' the flock of God. They are guardians of God's people and are responsible for their spiritual welfare. The English word 'bishop' is derived from the Greek word episkopos, so a bishop is an elder, or overseer, of a church.

  3. They have authority to discipline.
    Leaders of the Church (which includes elders) have authority from God to discipline those who need it. Paul told Timothy to correct, rebuke and encourage with great patience and careful instruction (2 Timothy 4:2).

    When Paul told the church at Corinth to expel the immoral brother from their midst, it would have been the leaders of the church (including the elders) who would have carried out that decree (1 Corinthians 5:1–5).

  4. They appoint ministers in the Church.
    It is the responsibility of elders to approve and appoint pastors, teachers and other ministries in the Church. This is done to safeguard the people.

    The New Testament warns against false apostles (2 Corinthians 11:13), false prophets (1 John 4:1) and false teachers (2 Peter 2:1) who will try to infiltrate the Church and lead people astray. Elders, as mature Christians, are more likely to discern such false brethren.

  5. They give advice to ministers.
    The king of Israel, in the Old Testament, was one of only three ministries that was anointed with the Holy Spirit, the other two being the priest and the prophet. But even though the king was anointed by God he still sought advice from the elders.

    The same is true with ministries in the Church. Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers, are all leaders of God's people (Ephesians 4:11–13), but they still need advice from elders. This, again, is to safeguard the people. No minister, no matter how anointed, can claim infallibility; we are all human and capable of error.

    But what happens if a pastor receives direction from God for his church and the elders don't witness with it? In that case the pastor should pray that the Holy Spirit will speak to the elders also. The alternative is to have a dictatorship with all decisions being made by one person. That would create a dangerous situation. Proverbs 11:14 says: 'Where there is no counsel, the people fall, but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety (NKJV).'

Elders figure prominently in both the Old and New Testaments, and if we want further proof of their importance, we need look no further than Revelation 4:1–4. Elders are very important in the Church.

Qualities required of elders

Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task. Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect. (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God's church?) He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil's trap. (1 Timothy 3:1–7)

The words 'overseer' and 'elder' are used interchangeably in the New Testament and represent the same office. That is why the qualities required of them are the same (Titus 1:6–9). The word 'elder' denotes the title of the person, whereas 'overseer' describes what he does.

It is scriptural to desire to become an elder but that doesn't mean the position is open to anyone who wants it. Because of its importance and the level of responsibility involved, the Holy Spirit has laid down strict qualifications for those who would serve in this way. Most of them are self-explanatory, but a few can benefit from comment.

Leadership is male

Is it possible for a woman to be a leader in the Church? The answer is no. Paul, speaking by the Holy Spirit, said that he did not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man. He gave three reasons for that:

  1. Adam was formed before Eve.
  2. Eve was deceived by Satan. (Adam was not deceived by Satan.)
  3. The woman became a sinner before the man.

Whether it's easier for Satan to deceive a woman than a man is uncertain but, because of those three facts, God has forbidden women to have spiritual authority over men (1 Timothy 2:12–14). Church leadership involves correcting those who fall into sin and, as woman sinned first and then led man into sin (Genesis 3:6), God has forbidden her to perform that function in the Church.

The Greek text provides further evidence that church leadership is male. The New Testament was written in Greek and the word translated as 'elder' is presbyteros, which can mean either an elder in the Church, or an older person (male or female). However, the Greek word needed to specify a female elder would be presbytera. That word occurs only once in the New Testament (1 Timothy 5:2), where it clearly refers to an older woman, and not an elder.

Choosing elders

In the Old Testament an elder was simply an older man, because a person who had seen more of life was more likely to have gained wisdom. However, in the Book of Job, Elihu declared that it is God's Spirit that gives man wisdom (Job 32:4–9), which is perfectly true. But even though wisdom can be given by God to a Christian of any age (James 1:5), because of the qualities of character required of elders in the New Testament, we are more likely to be looking at older, rather than younger, men.

Paul and Barnabas appointed elders in the churches they planted (Acts 14:23); those elders would have appointed other elders as needed. If a man is not scripturally qualified to be an elder, then God hasn't chosen him to be an elder—at least not at that point in time.

We can only appoint elders as God raises them up. Many problems in the Church have been caused by unfit leaders within: either leaders have been appointed whom God has not chosen (1 Samuel 16:8–10), or they've been placed in positions of authority before their time.

Jesus said that he will build his Church (Matthew 16:18). Let us not get ahead of God. David had been chosen as the future king of Israel, but he had to go through many years of trials and testings before he was ready for that post. Those trials and testings developed his character.

The twelve apostles were the first leaders of the Church and Luke tells us that Jesus spent a whole night in prayer before choosing them (Luke 6:12–13). If Jesus, who was God's Son, spent a night in prayer before choosing leaders, how much more time should we spend in prayer before doing the same? Paul said: 'Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands (1 Timothy 5:22).' It's easier to appoint an elder to office than it is to remove him from office.

The Bible says that we're not to entertain an accusation against an elder unless it is brought by two or three witnesses (1 Timothy 5:19). Satan is the accuser of the brethren (Zechariah 3:1) and one of his tactics is to attack church leaders.

The words: 'Strike the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered (Zechariah 13:7).' were not only prophetic for our Lord, but can also be true for his Church. We need to pray for our leaders and they, for their part, should avoid situations where Satan could falsely accuse them.

Obey your leaders

Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you. (Hebrews 13:17)

Church leaders watch over God's people on God's behalf and will have to account to God for their ministry. That is an awesome responsibility and is not something that anyone should enter into lightly.

Because of that, we are told to obey our leaders when they give us moral and spiritual instruction, so that their work will be a joy and not a burden. The Greek word translated 'burden' in that verse means 'to groan, or to sigh (with longing or sadness)'.

John, who was an apostle and an elder, said that he had no greater joy than to know that his children were walking in the truth (3 John:4). It blesses the heart of any leader to see God's people walking in the truth. If we refuse to obey the godly counsel of our leaders, their ministry will be of no advantage or benefit to us.

Michael Graham
June 2006

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version ®. NIV ®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.

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