Finish the Task
Part of the apostolic task is to finish what was started and appoint leaders in every church and town with prayer and fasting, entrusting them to the care of the Lord (see Acts 14:23 and Titus 1:5).
We’ve already looked at the Five Phases of Movement Planting (appointing and developing leaders is one of the five phases of The Movements Engine)
In this article we look at the Character, Calling and Crown of an Elder…
Servant
Jesus says; ‘Don’t let anyone call you “Rabbi”, “Father” or “Teacher”. Rather, the greatest among you must be a servant. But those who exalt themselves with be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted’ (Matthew 23:8-12)
Whoever wants to be leader among you must first be your servant;
‘You know that the rulers of this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many’ (Matthew 20:25-28)
Jesus defines the nature of leadership in one word; ‘Servant’
And the relationship between the leader who is a servant and those they are serving is friendship as modeled by Jesus;
‘I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me.’ (John 15:15)
Notice there is nothing that is off-limits in terms of sharing openly with those we are serving. Everything the father reveals to us we are to share with those we serve. This free-flow of information is open source. As Jesus said to His disciples; ‘Freely you have received, so freely give’
When leadership is seen as hierarchy, this can limit the free-flow of sharing between leader and follower and follower and leader. Some think that as the leader you should keep certain information back from others. But if leadership was redefined in the way that Jesus does as servant and if relationships are marked by friendship, that should change the way we perceive these things…
A Noble Task
On discussing the appointing of leaders in the church in Ephesus, the apostle Paul begins by stating; ‘This is a trustworthy saying: “If someone aspires to be a church leader, he desires an honorable position”‘ (1 Timothy 3:1)
The Greek word translated as ‘church leader’ in the above passage is ‘Episkopes’ from which we get our English words; overseer or bishop
The words ‘elder’ (presbuteros), ‘bishop’ (episkopes) and ‘shepherd’ (poimanate) are used interchangeably throughout the New Testament to refer to the same role (see 1 Peter 5:1-5, 1 Timothy 3:1-7 an Titus 1:5-9 where these descriptions of a leader in the church are all used interchangeably)
So if anyone aspires to become an overseer/church leader he desires or longs for a noble task.
Have you ever thought about it in that way?
The Character Qualifications of an Elder
There are 2 main lists of qualifications an elder must have in order to be appointed or recognised officially as elders. These lists are found in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9
The first list begins with this overview: ‘So a church leader must be a man whose life is above reproach’ (1 Tim 3:2)
That word ‘reproach’ can also be translated ‘blameless’ (never caught doing wrong or inculpable/free from guilt)
In Titus 1:7, Paul tells Titus, ‘A church leader is a manager of God’s household, so he must live a blameless life’
The lists then outline what this looks like, he must:
- be faithful to his wife (or must have only one wife, or must be married only once)
- exercise self-control
- live wisely and be just
- have a good reputation
- be hospitable: enjoy having guests in his home and he must love what is good
- be able to teach. He must have a strong belief in the trustworthy message he was taught; then he will be able to encourage others with wholesome teaching and show those who oppose it where they are wrong
- not be a heavy drinker (drink too much wine)
- not be violent
- be gentle
- not be quarrelsome
- not be arrogant or quick-tempered
- not love money or be dishonest with money
- live a devout and disciplined life (upright and holy)
- manage his own family well, having children who respect and obey him. His children must be believers who don’t have a reputation for being wild or rebellious. For if a man cannot manage his own household, how can he take care of God’s church?
- not be a new believer, because he might become proud, and he might fall into the same judgment as the devil
- people outside the church must speak well of him so that he will not be disgraced and fall into the devil’s trap
It may not have escaped your notice that all of the above qualifications relate to character. There is only one qualification related to skill or gifting, and that is; ‘ability to teach’
The Calling of an Elder
The calling of an elder is to be first and foremost a ‘servant’ as we saw earlier…
Acts 20:28-35 and 1 Peter 5:1-4 outline how that servant work is to be carried out…
‘Now, a word to you who are elders in the churches. I, too, am an elder and a witness to the sufferings of Christ. And I, too, will share in his glory when he is revealed to the whole world. As a fellow elder, I appeal to you…’ (1 Peter 5:1)
- Care for the flock God has entrusted to you
- Guard yourselves and Gods people. Watch out – keep constant watch and care day and night with many tears. Watch over the flock willingly, not grudgingly – not for what you will get out of it, but because you are eager to serve God
- Feed and Shepherd God’s flock – his church
- Help those in need by working hard
- Don’t Lord it over those entrusted to your care, rather, lead them by your own good example
The Crown of an Elder
The Character and Calling of an Elder are a tall order. This is not for the fainthearted! How can anyone measure up to such a task and responsibility?
We look to the Chief Shepherd…
There are 5 Crowns mentioned in the New Testament. And do you know what one of them is?
‘And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive a crown of never ending glory and honor’ -1 Peter 5:4
In some versions it says; ‘You will receive the crown of glory’
That’s right…for those who have shepherded the flock well, you will receive the Crown of Glory
Now that’s something to look forward to!
Are you called to be an Elder?
Do you have the character to be an Elder?
Are you planting churches and appointing elders in every church and town?
