Two Lost Arts (1 Timothy 3:1-7)

Big Idea: Biblical leadership requires multiple godly elders to guide the church with accountability, while the congregation must practice supportive followership for harmony and growth.

It's 64 AD, only about 30 years after Jesus left the earth. All over the Roman Empire, churches are starting, and the growth of these churches is, in many cases, explosive. Within a few short years, there are believers in major cities all over the Empire.

But there are problems. Many in the church are new believers. To make it worse, there is no Bible as we know it now. The apostles, who are recognized as having more authority, are infrequent visitors and are only able to write occasionally. False teachers are present within the church.

How is the church going to grow in a God-honoring and truthful way? How is the church going to protect itself from false teaching? Scripture describes godly church leaders as those who oversee the church and are accountable to God for their leadership.

In Acts 14:23 we read: "Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust." Paul and Barnabas literally risked their lives to return to churches where they had been threatened and even attacked. Why? To organize the churches' leadership, to appoint elders within the churches, to keep those churches on a God-glorifying path.

Paul's normal course of action in every city was to establish a group of elders after the church began. Paul even instructed his representatives, such as Titus, to appoint "elders in every town." It appears from a number of Scriptures, such as Philippians 1:1, James 5:14, and 1 Peter 5:1-2 that there were elders in every church in existence at that time.

What are elders? How do they relate to our current system of deacons and pastors? There is a lot of confusion about church government, and especially about the role of church leaders. This is especially true in congregational government systems like ours, where leaders can be constrained by the church's popular opinion.

So let's look tonight at two lost arts – the art of eldership, and the art of what I will call followership. And, in a few weeks, we'll look at the art of being a deacon.

1 Timothy 3:1-7 reads:

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.

The Art of Eldership

Here are a few questions and answers about elders.

What are elders?

Let's get the terminology clear first. 1 Timothy 3:1 calls them overseers or bishops – episkopos in Greek, but other passages talk about elders. Are they the same thing? Well, Paul is writing to Timothy, and Timothy is in Ephesus. From Acts 20:17-38 we know that there are elders at Ephesus. Paul refers to the same group as elders and overseers, and in 1 Timothy 5:17, we see that elders lead the church in Ephesus.

Again, in Titus 1:5-7, Paul uses the terms interchangeably. It appears that whenever the Bible talks about bishops, overseers, and elders, they're talking about the same thing. It's ironic that the term least used to describe elders is the one in use today – pastor. In fact, it's found only once in the New Testament to describe this office, in Ephesians 4:11. It's clear from 1 Peter 5:2-4 that Peter regarded pastors as the same as elders. The Bible refers to bishops, overseers, elders, and pastors as the same group of people.

How many are there?

How many are there? There's a clear pattern of plural elders being the main governing group in New Testament churches. The church doesn't have just one overseer. There are some who both teach and direct the affairs of the church, and there are some who lead and direct but do not necessarily teach.

Let's acknowledge that we've lost something by our one-pastor model in most Baptist churches today. The Bible does not reference the concept of solo pastors. Theologian Wayne Grudem writes, "No passage suggests that any church, no matter how small, had only one elder. The consistent New Testament pattern is a plurality of elders 'in every church' (Acts 14:23) and 'in every town' (Titus 1:5)."

If someone were to plant a church, I'd suggest that they start with two pastors. Why? It's biblical, and for very good reason – you need the support of another in leadership. You lose something when there's only one pastor.

What do they do?

But what are they to do? What is the job of an elder or pastor? Most people in a church likely have different ideas about a pastor's job. The Scriptures provide a clear outline of their roles. A key role of elders is to lead the church: "The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching." Paul also wrote: "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?)" 1 Peter 5 encourages elders to rule over the church without domineering.

It's clear that they have a leadership role in overseeing and directing the church. There are some who attempt to weaken the role of pastor. They try to make it a teaching-only role, with no leadership component. But biblically speaking, the role of an elder is to lead. But another one of their major roles is to teach. In Ephesians 4:11, elders are referred to as "pastor-teachers." In 1 Timothy 3:2, an elder must be an "apt teacher." In 1 Timothy 5:17, Paul seems to imply that there is a group of elders who give more of their time to preach and to teach.

So the two major roles of elders are to lead and to feed. Contrast that with the expectations of elders today. There is a danger today of expecting elders to be program directors or CEOs of the church. We have adopted business models in the church, which has harmed us. As a result, we view the pastor as an executive who relies on charisma or a strong personality. We also expect the pastor to be in charge of all the programs of the church.

Some churches just expect their pastors to teach, and to stay out of the way otherwise. Many see the pastor as a chaplain who delivers sermons and helps the congregation with personal issues and weekly visits. Many churches have got to the point where the pastor is a hired hand. The members' role is to pay his salary, and his role is to do the ministry.

But that's not what the Bible says about the pastor. His role is to lead and to feed. We should also include equipping the saints for ministry (Ephesians 4:11-12) and interceding for the church and its ministry. That's the role of the pastor.

Let's also realize that there appear to be different types of elders. In today's church, it's important to recognize that elders are responsible for spiritual oversight. Some elders are paid, as in the case of pastoral staff, but some elders are unpaid.

Some members of the board of deacons are spiritually gifted and effectively serve as elders in the church. Many churches have a recognized elders board, with some elders as volunteers and some as full-time pastoral staff. I'll say this much: there is little Scriptural support for giving the task of spiritual oversight to deacons. If we give people the job of spiritual oversight, it's probably a much better idea to actually call them elders.

Here's a brief overview of biblical eldership. Next time we meet, we'll look at the qualifications of an elder, in which personal character is of utmost importance.

1 Timothy 3:1 tells us that it is a good thing if one aspires to be an elder or a pastor. There might even be some people here who are aspiring to the role of the pastor. You feel God's call on your life to be an elder. If so, you're aspiring to a good thing. There's nothing I'd rather be doing.

The Art of Followership

I can't end tonight without discussing the importance of godly followership alongside godly leadership. We live in an individualistic time where many, even in the church, reject following leadership. We take immense satisfaction in criticizing our leaders. This extends to the church, where a "free for all" attitude can develop. I hear people suggest that those unhappy with the church's direction should join and vote for change.

Now, I'm not here to tell you that you must always agree with the leadership of the church. I'm not here to say that leaders of the church have always proven themselves worthy of being followed. I'm not suggesting following leaders blindly, but I support the biblical principle mentioned in Hebrews 13:17:

Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.

The writer's point is: cooperative followers are a joy to godly leaders.

God has appointed leaders in the church, and they must one day give account to God for their oversight. Are you actively supporting your church leaders to ensure that their ministry remains a joy rather than a burden? I've noticed that many sheep are reluctant followers. Many churches limit their leaders' ability to lead. Some individuals in the church are gifted leaders, and the church has appointed others to leadership positions. Within a congregational structure, it's extremely easy to refuse to get behind these leaders, or to frustrate their direction.

I was part of a church where the deacons and pastor presented a major proposal to the congregation. The proposal was presented in an appropriate way, with adequate communication and a clear rationale. But slowly, the tide of one particular meeting began to turn. It became a free-for-all, in which everyone felt free to express their opinion. And the unanimous recommendation of the deacons and the pastors was defeated.

That is a right of any congregation within a congregational government, but here's what happened. The church took a major step backward. The leaders had received a clear vote of non-confidence. The pastor soon found himself on a leave of absence due to stress, after which he soon resigned. That church was one in which you'd have to come early to find a seat, but to this day – ten years later – it still hasn't fully recovered.

All of which is to say: it is your right to refuse to follow. It's not biblical, but it's your right. But be aware that there are consequences when the art of followership is lost, when leaders aren't allowed to lead. That's a key area that we need to recapture within the church. If God has given someone the gift of teaching within the church, let them teach. If God has given someone the gift of mercy within the church, let them be merciful. If God has given someone the gift of service within the church, let them serve. And if God has given someone the gift and office of leadership within the church, let them lead!

We'll return to this passage in a few weeks, but let me close with a challenge. Is there anyone you ought to encourage to become a leader? If you have leadership gifts, set your heart on being a leader. We need people like you. If you don't sense that you are elder material, then follow confidently. Pray for your leaders, make sure they're Scriptural – but then follow them. Get behind them, and obey them so that their work is a joy and not a burden.