Biblical Eldership Church Leadership

Bible-Based Leadership Structure

James are examples of local pastoral leadership by one individual, but such is not the case. Timothy was not a local church pastor in the traditional sense of the term. He was primarily—like Titus, Erastus, and Tychicus—an apostolic delegate. He served as Paul’s partner and coworker in spreading the gospel and strengthening the various churches under Paul’s care (Acts 19:22). Timothy was an evangelist (1 Thess. 3:2; 2 Tim. 4:5) and did pastoral work in the same sense that Paul did, but he was always under Paul’s authority and direction (1 Thess. 3:2; Phil. 2219,20; 1 Cor. 16:10,]1; 1 Tim. 123). Like Timothy, Epaphras was also Paul’s apostolic delegate. He min istered on Paul’s behalf in the Lycus valley while Paul resided in Ephesus (C01. 127). Epaphras was probably the original evangelist of the church in Colossae (Col. 127,8; 4212,13; Philem. 23),5 but at the time Colossians was written (AD. 61) he was with Paul in Rome and had no certain plans to return to Colossae (Col. 427,8). Although Epaphras did pastoral work among the churches of Colossae, Laodicea, and Hierapolis (C01. 4213), there is no certain evidence that he was the sole pastor of a church. James was an apostle who ministered uniquely to the Jews (Gal. 1:19; 229). Along with Peter and John, James was considered one of the “pillars” of the church (Gal. 2:9), not “the pillar.” He was one of the most prominent leaders among the leaders in the church at Jerusa lem and among all Jewish Christians (James 121; Gal. 2212). Never theless, the New Testament never clearly identifies his official posi tion in the church at Jerusalem. Luke and Paul do not reveal the nature of his formal relationship to the Twelve and the Jerusalem elders. I concur with Bruce Stabbert: “James has been a difficult person to pi geon-hole readily into the categories of ministry in the early church.”6 In light of John’s vision in which he sees seven golden lampstands and seven stars (Rev. 1212,16,20), some scholars assert that the angels of the seven churches of Revelation were the pastors of the various local churches. The meaning of these symbols, however, is interpreted for us by our Lord Himself: the seven golden lampstands “are the seven churches” and the stars “are the angels of the seven churches” (Rev. 1220; cf. 1 Cor. 11:10). So “the stars” are “angels” (Job 3827), not hu man pastors or messengers.7 Even if it could be demonstrated that “the stars” represent humans, the reference still doesn’t disclose the official position of the human representatives (or messengers) or whether or not the representatives are the sole leaders of their local churches.

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