Dale Ridge church of Christ

Through the pen of the inspired apostle Paul we understand that the church is the body of Christ (Ephesians 1:22-23), composed of many members (1 Cor 12:12), each having different abilities and responsibilities (Ephesians 4:11), all of which are given by God for the purpose of ministry.

With many works, and many workers, it may seem natural that some are more honored than others.  It is also true that those often honored, are equally as often dishonored.   But the ways of man are not the ways of God, and our wisdom is not His (1 Corinthians 1:25).

Of all the works in the body, certainly among the most talked about, yet least understood, the commonly overlooked, the popularly maligned, and the least appreciated must be the work of the elders.  Yes, the office of elder can often be described as “a thankless job”.  Yet the Bible would teach us this attitude is not in keeping with God’s plan.

The saintly men that lead the local work of the Lord’s church are indeed those that are “up in front”.  Along with the preacher, the elders are the most visible members of the congregation.  Someone has well said “Show me a leader, and I’ll show you a target.”  Throughout history soldiers have always been trained to identify enemy leaders as prime targets, for without proper leadership, what was once an organized force quickly becomes a muddled mass, each soldier following his own direction, seldom working together.

The New Testament is filled with passages defining the role of the scriptural elder, God’s plan for the organization of the Lord’s church, and the coordination of the local congregation.  An examination of the office is not the purpose of this article.  Rather, our goal is to encourage - indeed remind us – of the Biblical command  to honor scriptural elders, to uplift them with our love, and willfully follow their guidance.

When is the last time you thanked the elders of your congregation for their work?  I suspect for most of us, it has been too long.  At Dale Ridge we just closed a wonderful week of powerful Gospel messages delivered by brother Chuck Webster.  While certainly it was Chuck that orated God’s word, it was the elders that deemed a meeting was in order, scheduled the event for the purpose of education, encouragement, and saving the lost.  It is the elders that “feed the flock” (1 Peter 5:2).

Brother Peter had much to say about elders, and as he himself was an elder he spoke from experience (1 Peter 5:1).  But Peter had other experience that helped make him a good elder.  I believe Peter’s training as a fisherman (Matt 4:18) helped prepare him for the eldership.  As a fisherman, Peter learned patience.  He learned observation skills.  He learned how to adjust his presentation to best reach his target.  He learned the use of different tools, for different conditions.  And he learned perseverance, for we call it “fishing” and not “catching”.  Peter did not give up fishing when the “catching” was tough (Luke 5:5), and we can be sure that he did not lose the faith of an elder, when the “eldering” was tough.

Sadly, many Christians would seek to hold the elders to a different standard than themselves.  We would have our elders be some incredible model of perfection, so that we ourselves can be imperfect and somehow mirror our infirmities upon them.  Even worse, we would seek to blame the elders for our own failings. 

Let us consider that of all the divinely ordained qualifications for an elder recorded in 1st Timothy 3:1-7, only three could be said not to apply to every Christian.  Think about that for a moment.  The list we most often point to as “the elders qualifications” applies equally to each of us that have obeyed the Gospel, with but three exceptions.  And the exceptions are these: obviously not all of us are men and therefore not all shall be husbands, not all shall have children, and so long as we preach the Word which adds to the church (Acts 2:41), some members will be novices.

“But I don’t want to worship in a congregation with elders.”  Have you ever heard a brother or sister voice this conviction?  To willingly choose to depart the fellowship of a scriptural eldership is sin, for it is the denial of God’s organizational pattern for His church, a rejection of God’s economy, and the refusal of His authority.  History proves such activity is also a root cause in the development of many denominational groups.  It is a sad condition when those that know God’s revealed truth (John 17:17), choose to follow the doctrine of men (Psalm 14:4) and (Psalm 64:1-3).

Brethren let us be those that are thankful for Godly elders.  May we seek every opportunity to encourage our elders through our assistance to them, our willing submission to their authority, and our steadfast support to their decisions.  Pray for their continued strength, their constant adherence to the Bible, and their wisdom.  Each of us can indeed be an encouragement to the elders, as they are good shepherds to each of us.

Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.  Hebrews 13:7

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Filed under: Authors, Gregg Alexander on September 19th, 2008