The front line in ministry includes elders who oversee the church 1 Timothy 3:1-7
Overseeing elders are those called to watch over the church. In other places they are called presbyters or elders, because they are mature in the faith. Elders are ordained to work with the minister in the area of shepherding. They teach, encourage and warn the flock for the sake of the individuals and the whole congregation. This passage gives the qualifications for overseeing elders. Since the whole church elects elders, it is important for us to know and recognize these qualifications.
The congregation needs a pastor for edification, but it needs enough elders to even exist. The elders are the ones who, in the absence of a pastor, would be responsible to gather the people for worship, give prayerful counsel, evangelize, catechize and harmonize the people. All through the New Testament we see examples of churches that are not governed by a solo pastor, but by a group of elders who oversee.
If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task. Note first, that the office of elder (or overseer) is desirable. No one should despise the office or consider it unimportant. It is a good thing to work toward. Scripture says that we should not push ourselves forward where we are not properly called. An elder may feel the call, but it has to be recognized by the session and the congregation. Until then, he can still desire the office of elder and try to become ready for the work.
The office of elder is not just a rank or an honor. It is a work, a noble task. Being an elder is a ministry that comes with spiritual shovel and hardhat. The elders are not a board of directors who only meet monthly to check up on how things are doing. They are active in the ministry of shepherding and the other ministries of the church. They must take their calling seriously as men who must give an account to God. It is not a task that men indiscriminately rotate through. Those in office must have the calling and character needed.
Realize that to be ordained as an elder does not mean that you have all of these qualifications in perfection, but that each is already visible in your life. Elders feel the need to grow in grace because there is no other way to be up for the task. Elders do grow in grace because they depend on the Holy Spirit and prayer. Working with the Holy Spirit will produce growth.
The first qualification sets the tone for the rest. The overseer must be above reproach. This does not mean perfect, because that standard would disqualify everyone. In fact, one of the ways you can be above reproach is if you handle your sin with true repentance and humility. You won’t be above reproach by trying to hide your sins; people will find out. Rather, you can no longer be blamed if you have your sins dealt with in the right way. We are all forgiven in Christ. We confess our sins and are cleansed. We even confess them to one another. No one should reproach you if you have been forgiven. Elders should model repentance.
There is another point here. If a man is reproachable because of his vices so that people question his leadership, then he cannot lead. People will not follow those they do not trust. When people see blameworthy things in an elder, they will not listen to him. As trust evaporates, so does the possibility for ministry. Just as a fly in the perfume will ruin its appeal, a little foolishness in a wise man will ruin his effectiveness (Ecclesiastes 10:1).
Many of the character issues that follow are just a derivative of that first one. An elder is to be the husband of but one wife (literally a one-woman man). Who would trust an elder with a roving eye? He is to be temperate, self-controlled, respectable… not given to drunkenness, not violent, but gentle, not quarrelsome. All of these reflect the character of an elder. One who lacks self control, who is addicted to alcohol or rage or anything ungodly is not to be an elder. If a man cannot govern himself, how can he govern the church? Also, with his family—if he has demonstrated that he cannot govern his own family, why put him over the church? An elder needs a good track record.
An elder is to be hospitable. Hospitality is literally a love of strangers. The love of Christ is communicated through the actions of hospitality. An elder is not a lover of money, but will give of himself and his goods to show real love to others.
Elders are able to teach. An elder must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it. The elder does not rule by force but by teaching. He does not command people giving the reason, "Because I say so," but "because God says so here in the Word." Elders must know the Word and be ever growing in their understanding and practice of it.
May God prepare your heart for service in the way he will call you. May God continue to raise up men with the heart and character of overseeing elders so this church can move forward in its ministry.
Pastor John Howard Dawson 09-04-05