Biblical Eldership Church Leadership

Paul ’s Letters to the Churches

N0 group of elders is perfect. All elders have weaknesses, and each believer has a unique perspective on how elders should operate. As a result, there is always some degree of tension between leaders and followers. Even the best elders are inevitably accused of pride, wrong judgment, doing too much or too little, moving too slowly or too quickly, changing too much or not enough, and being too harsh or too passive. As commentator EJ. Bricknell observes, “The exercise of authority is always apt to provoke resentment.”l3 Difficult situations arise in which leaders cannot avoid angering some part of the congregation. Conflict between leaders and the led can at times become severe. Ultimately, however, God uses these con flicting situations to show us our pride, selfishness, and lovelessness. Paul E. Billheimer, well-known radio Bible teacher and author, is right in noting that the local church—with all its problems, stresses, and conflicts—is actually a testing ground for our growth in love and prepa ration for future ruling with the Lord: The local church, therefore, may be viewed as a spiritual workshop for the development of agape love. Thus the stresses and strains of a spiritual fellowship offer the ideal situation for the testing and maturing of the all-important qualification for sovereignty. Most controversies in local congregations are produced, not primarily by differences over essentials, but by unsanctified human ambitions, jealousy, and personality clashes. The real root of many such situations is spiritual dearth in individual believers, revealing lamentable immaturity in love. Therefore the local congregation is one of the very best laboratories in which individual believers may discover their real spiritual emptiness and begin to grow in agape love. This is done by true repentance, humbly confessing the sins of jealousy, envy, resentment, etc., and begging forgiveness from one another. This approach will result in real growth in the love that covers.” Believers who love their shepherds will have greater understand ing and tolerance for their shepherds’ mistakes. In love, believers will view difficult situations in the best possible light. In love, be lievers will be less critical and more responsive to the elders’ in struction and admonition. It cannot be emphasized enough that the

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