Elder

Ministry Team Leadership
The Ordained Office of Elder

What Elders Are

“Elder” (presbuteros) in the Bible means “overseer, shepherd, pastor, bishop, presbyter, ambassador, spiritual supervisor, older/matured person in age and life.” Together with Deacons, the office of Elder is the only other office of spiritual authority for the church described in the Bible. Even the role of “Pastor” is encapsulated in the Elder office, although for the sake of church order, our denominational family (ECO Presbyterian) has set the Pastoral office apart as another ordained role due to its unique nature and work in addition to the functions of an Elder.

An Elder is described as an overseer held to a higher standard of godly character, conduct, accountability, and commitment. Elders shepherd the flock of Jesus Christ through the faithful teaching of the Word of God and the leadership they display foremost by their own godly example before others. The church must honor Elders by willingly following their instruction and leadership, by providing financially/materially for those who labor in teaching and who occupy the Pastoral office, and by praying for them. Broadly, the roles of the Elder are threefold:

guard the purity of doctrine and the spiritual health of the congregation by teaching, preaching, correcting error, admonishing waywardness, upholding church discipline, and shepherding congregants with both truth and grace, gentleness in spirit yet sharpness in conviction
govern all ministries of the church by overseeing, managing, and utilizing the spiritual giftings of the Deacons alongside the present facilities/property
guide the church into the future with godly wisdom and discernment

The biblical term "Elder" does not solely refer to age (an old person), or gender (a male-only elderly person), but maturity (a spiritually grown person or spiritually older person who has grown from spiritual infancy, through spiritual adolescence, into spiritual adulthood/elderhood and is above-reproach, that is, blameless – not sinless – in their character and conduct). He or she has a clear calling from God to this role, has matured in discipleship to Jesus Christ, has a teachable-humble mind, has modeled generosity, has championed unity over division, has put out gossip or dissension, has displayed grace-filled forgiveness for others, has displayed humility-filled petitions to be forgiven by others, has sacrificially followed after Jesus, has proven character with integrity in their marriage (if they be married) or purity in their singleness, has proven integrity in their spiritual life, their financial life, their family life, alongside signs of capability to teach spiritual truth to those younger in the faith. Elders are those who have displayed the ability to oversee broad areas of the congregation-at-large with godly wisdom. Chief among their responsibilities include guarding the purity of the church's doctrinal statements, shepherding the spiritual life of congregants with tenderness alongside supporting the visionary direction of the installed Pastor, recruiting and training Deacons to mature into the Elder role, supporting the wellbeing (spiritual/financial/physical) health of the Pastor and Pastor’s family members, exercising confidentiality, integrity, and fidelity, especially in handling, stabilizing, and growing the finances of the church. The Elder must also nurture a close accountability of trust with the installed Pastor and in many cases speak on behalf of the Pastor.

Concerning the gender of the Elder, this church and denominational family (ECO Presbyterian) sees the most faithful interpretation of 1 TIMOTHY 3:1-7 in particular as the apostle Paul using the masculine gender pronouns "he/his" as a collective general reference to both genders, just as he regularly uses "brothers" to address both brothers and sisters in the community – and not solely the men only. The phrase "husband of one wife" (1 TIMOTHY 3:2) is also taken as an idiomatic expression emphasizing the apostle Paul's sexual ethic of faithfulness to the marriage covenant – not exclusively as the gender of the married partner. This phrase can equally mean "wife of one husband." In Paul's mind, the issue is not the gender of the spouse, but their faithfulness to their marital status - if married, the Elder should stay married and be faithful in their marriage. Likewise, if single, the Elder should be chaste and sober-minded in their singleness.

Where Elders Began

Then he said to Moses, “Come up to the Lord, you and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship from afar. (EXODUS 24:1)

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-- (TITUS 1:5)

During the days of Moses, there were elders in Israel. This indicates that spiritual eldership was in the mind of the Lord from the very beginning of His creation of the nation. Through Abraham, God chose for Himself a people who would be unique to any other nation – they would be a nation led by priests and elders. Throughout Israel’s history, God raised spiritual elders to guide, protect, rebuke, and encourage His people through different judges, prophets, priests, and kings. When Jesus arrived on the scene of history, that pattern did not change – He appointed twelve apostles to the ministry of the gospel. Likewise, the apostle Paul appointed elders in all the churches he planted, writing in his final years the three pastoral letters – the letters to elders Timothy and Titus, who were a new generation of young pastor-elders in the cities of Ephesus and Crete, where we find all our instructions today on church eldership. The LORD cares deeply about Elders (and Deacons) – a shared leadership model that works harmoniously and effectively to shepherd God’s flock, build-up His church, and advance His Kingdom agenda.

Who Elders Must Be

The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God's church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil. (1 TIMOTHY 3:1-7)

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— if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. 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, but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it. (TITUS 1:5-9)

*As in a similar list of requirements for Deacons, the qualification for Elders reinforces the biblical principle that the LORD is more concerned with who Elders must be in their character over and against what exactly Elders can do practically for the church. The right character will always direct the right action, which God will always fill with the right equipment at the right time to complete His work. The biblical qualifications for the Elder as stated in 1 TIMOTHY 3:1-7 and TITUS 1:6-9, are the following:

above reproach
faithful to their spouse in marriage or chaste in their singleness
sober-minded
self-controlled
respectable
hospitable
*able to teach, give instruction in sound doctrine
not a drunkard
not violent
gentle
not quarrelsome
not a lover of money, greedy for gain
able to manage his/her household well, with all dignity
if married with children, children are believers and are submissive, not insubordinate
not a recent convert
not puffed up with conceit or arrogant
well thought of by outsiders
not quick-tempered
hospitable
lover of good
self-controlled
upright
holy
disciplined
is holding firm to the trustworthy word as taught
able to rebuke others who contradict sound doctrine

In addition to the biblical qualifications, for the sake of a unified spiritual order in the church, the Elder must also be:

baptized and confirmed in the faith (if infant baptized), and received into the congregation as a covenant partner
proven to have a personal testimony of salvation
actively involved in the communal-spiritual life and activities of the congregation
in agreement with ECO’s Essential Tenets, Polity, and Rules of Discipline
proven to be faithful in sacred giving of tithes and offerings
examined and passed by pastoral evaluation in: (6a) an ability to advise spiritual direction; (6b) a proven life of prayer; (6c) a motivation to take spiritual initiative-responsibility and giftedness in spiritual leadership and teaching before the congregation; (6d) a demonstration of a teachable spirit in godly submission to ordained pastoral authority
elected by two-third’s majority vote of the covenant partners of the congregation
committed to a term of two years; may return for an additional one-year term voluntarily or at the request of the current Session; may be re-elected by the congregation for additional two-year term; at end of term/service, he/she will step-down as an Elder. *It is critical to finish the covenant term of two calendar years to honor the Lord’s ordination and installation to this office. The covenant term cannot be nullified unless under the following biblical circumstances: (a) unforeseen move of residence to a location that makes holding the office inoperative; (b) dissolution of the Session and the church by false teaching and corruption; (c) pastoral approval for early end to term due to a change of calling to another approved church’s ministry team leadership via transfer in good standing and blessed commissioning by the congregation.
committed to monthly & emergency Session gatherings, Ministry Team Leadership gatherings with the Deacons, Staff and Advisors once-every-two-months, and ongoing communications weekly, as needed.

Those who reach the age of 65 and have served five or more full two-year Elder terms will be honored with the title “Distinguished Board Member Emeritus.”

What Elders Must Do

So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” (1 PETER 5:1-5)

Elders are charged with the high calling and task to shepherd the flock of God, exercising oversight, willingly and eagerly for the gain to bring more glory to God, without domineering authority but with the gentle example of one’s self for the flock to follow. This is what the chief elder, chief Shepherd Jesus Christ, would do. The broad practical responsibilities that accomplish this central task of Elders are:

to ensure a flourishing worship and Christian educational life for the congregation
to oversee and administer the Lord’s Supper and Baptism regularly
to prepare and implement programs for new believers in order to help them get acclimated in the church and be spiritually nurtured to become disciples of Jesus Christ
to maintain relationship with the Presbytery of Texas, the National Synod office, and elect Elder commissioners to the Presbytery
to maintain and update the list of covenant partners on a regular basis
to oversee the adoption and administration of an annual budget for the church
to resolve conflicts between church members with the reconciling forgiveness and peace of Christ
to exercise church discipline wisely on those who harm the congregation and put in place protective measures to ensure it will not happen again
to admonish members who need to be corrected or gently rebuked with the Word of God
to support the installed Pastor’s visionary direction and ensure the spiritual, physical, and financial health of the Pastor’s family
to fill the LORD’s Day pulpit weekly and guard the pulpit from false teachings
to raise up holy hands in prayer for the congregation daily and especially the leaders, Deacons, Pastors, servants, the ill, the hurting, new visitors – and prayerfully intercede on behalf of them
to visit with congregants, teach them the Scriptures, lead them in prayer, and provide for their needs
to put in place new policies for the safety and spiritual growth of the congregation

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Elder:Definition, Roles & Responsibilities

Elder:
Definition, Roles & Responsibilities