Seeking Elders

The local church needs leaders. This is God’s design, and this likely isn’t something new to you. Without people who are willing to lead and to serve, to volunteer, and to give; without people willing to step up and use their gifts, without people who are willing to minister to those whom the Lord has given us, without people who are willing to do what it takes to reach the lost, the local church will wither away into obscurity or possibly obsolescence.

The work the Lord has for us is too big, too important, too weighty for any one person to handle. We all need each other. And we need a plurality of men (a group of likeminded men) to lead us, to guide us as a shepherd guides and cares for his sheep. We need men who will give oversight to the body, men who will give their attention to prayer and the ministry of the word (Acts 6:4).

As the leadership of the church goes, so goes the church. Who will lead the church is not a matter of triviality. It’s not merely an “Oh, they’ll do in a pinch” scenario. It’s more than the church taking out a personal ad:

“Traditional, established, independent Christian church seeking faithful, spiritually mature men willing to give several hours a week to oversight, leadership, vision, teaching, preaching, praying. All interested parties, inquire within.”

Who will lead the church is a matter of serious consideration—it’s not a free-for-all, open application kind of job. This is something the church must take seriously. And the Lord is gracious to raise up men of God, to unite them to our local church family, and call them to this role.

We are so blessed to have a number of men in this local body who are either ready to step into this role and lead or to join the elder team in the next few years. And we have both men and women who are ready to step into the role of deacon (a role that we’ll discuss next week).

For this week, for our purposes here this morning, we’re going to look at the biblical office of elder/pastor/overseer.

These three words describe the same role using different titles:

Elder comes from the Jewish background; generally those with seniority would be the leaders and decision makers. In the NT Church, elder doesn’t have anything to do with physical age or maturity but rather spiritual maturity.

Pastor is the Latin word for shepherd. The visual of shepherd is all the image we need to describe the office of pastor—the one who loves and is concerned for those in his care.

Overseer, or your Bible might say bishop, is the one responsible for the spiritual oversight of a congregation.

These three describe the same role. It’s like the transitive property of equality in mathematics. My 9-year-old reminded me of this (I’ve long since forgotten most math I ever learned; Sorry, Mrs. MacDonald). The transitive property: if A=B and B=C then A=C.

Titus 1:5–9 NIV

5 The reason I left you in Crete was that you might put in order what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you. 6 An elder must be blameless, faithful to his wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. 7 Since an overseer manages God’s household, he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. 8 Rather, he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. 9 He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.

Elder and Overseer are used interchangeably. A=B

Acts 20:28 NIV

28 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.

Overseer and Shepherd are used interchangeably. B=C

If elder and overseer are the same, and overseer and shepherd are the same, then it follows that elder and shepherd are one and the same.

Elder=Overseer. Overseer=Shepherd. Elder=Shepherd/Pastor

This is what we’re talking about. I will read the word overseer (that’s the word used in 1 Timothy 3), but we need to understand that whichever of the words are used, we’re speaking about one office in the Church, one role: the role we call elder.

>If you have your Bible (and I hope you do), please turn with me to 1 Timothy 3. If you’re able and willing, please stand for the reading of God’s Holy Word:

1 Timothy 3:1–7 NIV

1 Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task. 2 Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4 He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full respect. 5 (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?) 6 He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. 7 He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.

May the Lord add His blessing to the reading of His Holy Word!

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As we seek elders, what is it we’re looking for?

Perfection? No.

No one would verbally admit that perfection is what’s being called for here. But in practice, it’s almost as if the church expects its elders/ pastors/ overseers to be functionally perfect.

He can’t mess up like the rest of us, he can’t really have any issues, none of those big sins (or little sins really). He doesn’t get angry, he never struggles with pride (ever), he’s omnipresent (at every meeting, every gathering, every event), he only ever smiles, his breath never stinks, and he makes a really good cup of coffee.

“Now the overseer must be perfect.” No.

No, what it says is: Now the overseer is to be above reproach...

This is, many think, a general heading to the qualifications for the overseer. Above reproach does not mean “without sin”, which would disqualify everyone except Jesus; it means good report. The elder’s public reputation, his observable conduct is clear of any issues.

Whatever we understand this phrase—above reproach—to mean, we cannot take it to mean ‘faultless’; no man alive today would make the cut. Only one Man in all history has been faultless.

I’ve served with a lot of men in various churches and, whereas none of them are anywhere near perfect, the men who belong in the leadership of the church are above reproach. That is, there are plenty of people—those from within the church and those outside the church—who have nothing bad to say about them, no charge leveled against them would stand up.

You can imagine how this plays out. Say you’re out around town and someone says something about Don or Joe and you can say, without any hesitation, “Nah, that doesn’t sound like him. He wouldn’t do that.” And you don’t even have to check into it, because you know. He is above reproach.

This above reproach is echoed in verse 7:

1 Timothy 3:7 NIV

7 He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.

Have a good reputation with outsiders and above reproach form brackets around the requirements for elders in the church.

It’s not a matter of being perfect, but we must understand that the elder must meet high ideals. The elder’s reputation must be able to withstand assaults when they come. There is a high standard for elders, but that standard is not perfection.

If we’re not seeking perfection when we’re looking for elders, what are we seeking?

Super-Saints? No.

We’re not seeking for perfection; it’s not even that we’re searching for super-saints or super-Christians. The characteristics of the elder listed here in 1 Timothy 3 are all fairly common. The list is remarkable for being unremarkable.

It’s unexceptional, really. There is no mention here of the level of IQ or the necessity of being an extrovert. There’s nothing about education or degrees.

With only two exceptions, everything in the list of characteristics is required of every Christian.

It’s not that elders/overseers/pastors are held to a ridiculous standard that no one else is. In fact, it’s quite the opposite.

The elder is supposed to be faithful to his wife. Does that mean the rest of the church can be unfaithful, or have a bunch of wives? Of course not.

The elder should not be given to drunkenness. Does that mean the rest of the church can “tie one on” and get plastered every weekend (not Sunday, of course, but any other day of the week)?

The elder must be hospitable. Can the rest of the church be selfish with their time or their homes? No, Hebrews 13 makes hospitality a requirement of all believers.

Here’s the truth: it’s not about evaluating elders/pastors/overseers with a strict code and then letting yourself slide with whatever sort of behavior you feel like.

What you expect from your elders, you should expect of yourself (with one exception).

These qualifications for elders have nothing to do with being super spiritual, super-Christians; they have everything to do with a mature faith and a calling to lead the members of the local church.

Among the list of qualifications are a mix of positive and negative attributes: he will do/be this, he won’t do/be this.

As I read through the list of qualifications, none of them make me think that Paul is going to launch into, “Oh yeah, he can do all these things AND he’s “faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound!”

We’re not seeking Superman. What we’re seeking is really a common committed Christ-follower.

It’s pretty basic stuff, really.

Faithful to his wife—there’s nothing in this that mentions divorce or remarriage, and nothing that rules out a single man (Paul and Barnabas and Jesus would be ruled out). What’s called for is faithfulness. Faithful to his wife really does capture the meaning here. Where divorce is concerned, these cases should be evaluated on an individual basis. When singleness is a factor, purity is the concern.

Temperate—that is clear-headed.

Self-controlled—disciplined, the fruit of the the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Respectable—this the outward expression of an inward self-control.

Hospitable—literally, ‘a love for strangers’; urged of all Christians, but especially of Christian leaders.

Not given to drunkenness—not total abstainers (nothing in the Bible speaks against drinking, just drunkenness). Self-control should affect the elders’ drinking—how much they drink, why they drink.

Not violent—pretty clear, this. Not a bully with the tongue or the hand.

Gentle—another part of the Spirit’s fruit in the believer’s life.

Not quarrelsome—often times it’s the immature believers who will pick a fight with another over some secondary matter or over something that doesn’t matter at all. And by immature, I’m not talking about physical age. There are immature people in their 70s; there are mature people in their teens.

Not a lover of money—it is, after all, the love of the money which is the root of all kinds of evil. They don’t covet. They give when others hoard. They are generous and willing to share.

Manages his own family well—how a man leads his home (his wife, his kids) is an indication of how he’ll serve the church. Leadership begins at home.

Not a recent covert—this makes good sense. You don’t throw someone who just learned to hold their breath under water into the middle of the Atlantic and say “swim.” One who’s going to lead must follow for a while.

Good reputation—the non-Christian public esteems the elder well.

These are not unfair, high and lofty demands no one can meet. This is a reasonable, average-Christian kind of walk.

The only characteristic of the elder that’s not common and expected of all Christians to some degree is that the elder is able to teach. That’s the standout, the exception. The elder, not the deacon, not the lay leader, not the average church member, but the elder must be able to teach.

This is the single “professional” qualification among a list of moral qualities. Elders/Pastors/Overseers are essentially teachers.

What distinguishes Christian pastoral ministry is the importance in it of the Word of God. This is our Book. This is what we must teach. Within these pages is the gospel, the Good News about Jesus and what He did in our place.

There needs to be within the elder/pastor/overseer a love for and a knowledge of God’s Word as well as a desire to teach it and preach it and instruct others in it.

We’re not seeking super-saints. On the contrary, we’re seeking those who meet the qualifications set out in the Bible, most of which apply to all followers of Christ.

As we are seeking elders, what are we looking for? Not perfection, not super-saints. What, then are we looking for?

Servant Leaders? Absolutely.

This is as good a description of the office of elder that I have found—servant leaders.

Elders aren’t just leaders in the sense that they run a business and tell others what to do. Elders are servants of God and of His people, under-shepherds of the Chief Shepherd who serve and lead, and through their leadership and service show others, by example in word and deed, how to follow Christ.

Leadership acumen in the world doesn’t translate to leadership ability in the church. Too often I’ve seen the church select their elders from those who are successful in the business world because they’re successful in the business world. That kind of leadership doesn’t necessarily translate into leadership in the church.

My home church cycled through elders like they were elected officials (1-year terms, 3-year terms; where that came from, I have no idea. No, I do know—not from the Bible, but from the board room. Worldly business practices and Robert’s Rules of Stinking Order imposed upon the church). It’s just wrong.

In my home church, there were some men in the mix who were there, not because of their spiritual maturity, but because they were successful/wealthy businessmen with heavy clout and thick pocketbooks. Doug (a successful businessman) and Gary (a very wealthy farmer) and Lloyd (the owner of an oil company) were good and successful at what they did, but they had no business being elders.

The church doesn’t need businessmen focused on efficiency and the bottom line; the church needs leaders who will step up and serve—a Bible in one hand and a basin in the other; servant leaders who will teach the mysteries of God’s Word and who are just as willing to wrap a towel around their waist and wash some dirty, grimy, smelly sheep feet.

Servant Leaders are those who reflect the life and and love of Christ. A good question to ask is: “If we follow these men, will our church look more like Christ? If we follow these men, will our church reflect the mission and values of Christ?”

Elders/Pastors/Overseers must have the glory of God as their primary goal and the good of His people as their second.

Those who would serve as elders aspire to the task. It’s not selfish ambition for prestige and power (there’s very little of that anyhow). It’s desire; a deep, decisive sense of calling. God calls the man. The man desires the task. And it’s followed by a careful screening by church leadership to see if they meet the requirements listed.

Those who lead and serve and teach will be held to a higher standard. Judgment will be more severe.

James 3:1 NIV

1 Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.

This is no task to jump into blindly. This is a role that requires much thought and prayer. It calls for calling. It demands desire.

There are a group of men the Lord has raised up at this moment to become elders—servant leaders—of this local congregation; and there are more who are considering and wrestling with the call to eldership.

This morning, we are going to have four of these men come down front. Don, Joe, and myself, as the current elders, will install them as the newest elders/ overseers/ shepherds of Rich Hill Christian Church.

Tyler Black, Josh Entrikin, Jimmy Kithcart, and Richard Kithcart—men who desire the position and have, with much prayer and consideration, recognized the call of God on their lives. With the full and joyous affirmation of the elders and others within the church these are men whom the Holy Spirit has made elders/ overseers/ shepherds of this local body.

We know these men as faithful men, faithful to their wives, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not quarrelsome, gentle, not lovers of money; men with good reputations both inside and outside the church.

We thank the Lord for giving us Tyler and Josh and Jimmy and Richard and we are so thankful to add them to the elder team here.

Men, I’m going to read this exhortation over you:

1 Peter 5:2–4 NIV

2 Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; 3 not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.

Now, we’re going to do this alphabetically by last name:

Tyler, do you commit yourself by God’s Grace and with His help to love and care for God’s people who have been purchased by the blood of Jesus, to tend God’s flock, to teach, shepherd, oversee, and protect them?

Josh, do you commit yourself by God’s Grace and with His help to love and care for God’s people who have been purchased by the blood of Jesus, to tend God’s flock, to teach, shepherd, oversee, and protect them?

Jimmy, do you commit yourself by God’s Grace and with His help to love and care for God’s people who have been purchased by the blood of Jesus, to tend God’s flock, to teach, shepherd, oversee, and protect them?

Richard, do you commit yourself by God’s Grace and with His help to love and care for God’s people who have been purchased by the blood of Jesus, to tend God’s flock, to teach, shepherd, oversee, and protect them?

We, as the elders of this local church are going to pray for these men as they answer the call and step into the role of elder/overseer/shepherd. Would you join us, please.

[Pray]

Brothers and sisters, it is our honor to present to you the newest elders, overseers, shepherd-pastors of Rich Hill Christian Church.

Let us rejoice and be glad this morning, excited for the future, hopeful in Christ and in what He will do in and through the people and leaders of this local congregation. With a plurality of elders, a larger number of elders working together, we will be better equipped to serve and lead and care.

As a group of elders, we have a fire burning within us to see Rich Hill Christian Church become the church the Lord would have us be—a church that makes disciples, ministers to the saints, reaches the lost, and spreads the Good News about Jesus to Rich Hill, Bates County, Missouri, and to the nations.

There will be changes made—some good, some hard. But we are all for doing Bible things in Bible ways for the glory of God and the good of the people. We want more and more people to come to know Jesus; this is a step in that direction.