The Qualifications of Elders

The following comments apply to Chapter 12 of Batsell Barrett Baxter's book, The Family of God.  This chapter discusses the qualifications of elders.  If you have read the class book or were in our class last week, you remember from chapter 11 that elder, overseer, bishop, presbyter, pastor, and shepherd are used interchangeably in the New Testament for the same designation for the leaders of a local congregation.

Autonomous congregations work side by side, yet independently, with other congregations worldwide for the cause of the Lord.  In each one, elders are to rule, deacons are to serve, evangelists are to preach, and teachers are to teach.  It has been just this way since the apostles passed away, and so it remains today.

Baxter says we should think about the quality of leadership represented by the elders in a congregation--their knowledge of the Bible, their vision, their zeal and dedication.  The role of elder is a great responsibility, and it is also a great honor, one that Baxter calls the greatest honor the church can bestow on a man.

The qualifications are found in 1 Timothy 3:1-7, Titus 1:5-9, and 1 Peter 5:1-4, and elders are mentioned in a number of other places regarding their roles, relationships, and duties.  Not all groups who would be churches today teach heavily on these passages, probably because their concept of what these leaders are is not clear.  They omit this teaching at their own peril, because elders are a major part of God's plan for sustaining the church.  The qualifications can be placed in three groups: positive, negative, and special.

I gathered several translations for this lesson and wrote down the phrasing of each qualification in as many different ways as I could find.  This should prove to be an interesting comparison, shedding more and more light on what is expected of elders.

Baxter says that the full import of the special qualifications is only for elders, but all the others are qualities that all Christians should have.  Still, it is reasonable to expect that elders would exhibit these qualities more strongly than many other Christians.

Elders have general oversight of a LOCAL congregation.  They should be bulwarks against false teaching.  They have oversight in material things involving the congregation.  They should constantly serve as examples to other Christians.  They exercise full authority, but often they do so by leading and example.  Christians, in turn, should respect the elders.

Spending time looking at the qualifications and expectations God has for elders, it seems like a wonderful arrangement.  We should give a lot of thought to whether we are willing and able to make it work.