Biblical Eldership Church Leadership

Qualified Leadership

that not one of the seven leaders even mentioned the biblical qualifica tions for leadership outlined in 1 Timothy or Titus! This article reveals a widespread ignorance within the Christian community concerning Scripture’s vigorous insistence on God’s qualifications for local church leaders. It also demonstrates that churches and denominations have substituted their own standards for the biblical ones.

THE NEED FOR QUALIFIED SHEPHERD ELDERS

The most common mistake made by churches that are eager to imple ment eldership is to appoint biblically unqualified men. Because there is always a need for more shepherds, it is tempting to allow unquali fied, unprepared men to assume leadership in the church. This is, how ever, a time-proven formula for failure. A biblical eldership requires biblically qualified elders. The oveniding concern of the New Testament in relation to church leadership is for the right kind of men to serve as elders and deacons. The offices of God’s Church are not honorary positions bestowed on individuals who have attended church faithfully or who are senior in years. Nor are they board positions to be filled by good friends, rich donors, or charismatic personalities. Nor are they positions that only graduate seminary students can fill. The church offices, both eldership and deaconship, are open to all who meet the apostolic, biblical re quirements. The New Testament is unequivocally emphatic on this point: 0 To the troubled church in Ephesus, Paul insists that a properly constituted Christian church (1 Tim. 3214,15) must have qualified, approved elders: It is a trustworthy statement; if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do. An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, uncontentious, free from the love of money. He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity (but if

68