Spiritual Leaders in the Local Church - Chapter 9
The Placement of Spiritual Rulers In The Local Church
or
How does a man become an elder?
by Fred G. Zaspel
Published by Word of Life Baptist Church, Pottsville, PA
copyright © 1987; revised, 1998. All rights reserved
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Chapter 9
The Placement of Spiritual Rulers In The Local Church
or
How does a man become an elder?
The next question which arises concerns the way in which a man comes to be an elder in a local church and how he comes to be recognized as such. There are basically two steps by which a man becomes a pastor/elder in a New Testament local church: Divine appointment and human appointment.
Divine Appointment
The Fact of It
The first and most obvious step in becoming an elder is Divine calling, Divine appointment. This was true of the apostles themselves (Romans 1:1, "separated unto the Gospel"; Ephesians 3:7-8 and I Timothy 1:12, where Paul speaks of his being in the ministry as Divine placement, a special privilege and enablement) The same is true of all ministers of the Gospel. In Acts 20:28 Paul tells the elders of the church of Ephesus that the "Holy Spirit has made you bishops." Peter affirms the same in I Peter 5:1-2. Clearly, God appoints those who are to be elders. It was John Newton who said, "None but He who made the world can make a minister of the Gospel."
His Method
But how? What is God's method in calling these men? And how can they know it themselves? The answer is very simple and yet often overlooked: God calls by gifting. In Ephesians 4:11 Paul says that God has given pastors-teachers to the church. They are men gifted with that ability and are themselves gifts to the church. God sovereignly distributes spiritual gifts (I Corinthians 12:11, 18). Some are given the gifts of teaching and ruling and pastoring; such men are elders. In other words, God calls by equipping with the necessary abilities. A man who has no ability to rule or teach has not been called to be an elder (I Timothy 3:2, 4-5); it is that simple. If God calls a man, He also equips him for the task. Giving the necessary abilities and gifts for the task required is a part of God's calling to the work.
According to I Timothy 3:1, one evidence of God's calling of a man to the presbytery (eldership) is a desire for it. This does not mean that anyone with the desire is called; there are many who have had merely a desire to excel or a lust for authority. But it is safe to assume that a person whom God calls to be an elder will have the God-given desire for it.
The first step in becoming an elder is God's. He sovereignly appoints men to this office, equips them accordingly, and places in them an honest desire to serve Him in this way.
Human Appointment
A man duly qualified and who evidences a Divine call is then appointed to an eldership position by the existing elders. The New Testament knows nothing of men becoming pastors by popular vote or any method other than placement by those who were currently ruling.
Luke writes in Acts 14:23 that Paul and Barnabas "appointed elders in every church" and "set them aside" unto that task. This was the case with Timothy, who through the laying on of the hands of the presbytery was gifted for the ministry of the gospel (I Timothy 4:14; II Timothy 1:6). In Titus 1:5 Paul commanded Titus to do this very thing while he was in Crete: "For this cause I left thee in Crete, that thou shouldest put in order the things which are lacking, and appoint elders in every city, as I had appointed thee." Notice that Paul appointed Titus who, in turn, appointed more elders. This pattern may also be what is implied in I Timothy 5:22. In all of these examples the rulers are appointed by the existing rulers.
It is also evident that the elders were not called in from remote places a favorite Bible college, theological seminary, or whatever. They were appointed to serve in their own church where they had proven themselves and demonstrated an ability to teach and lead. With our modern methods of choosing on the basis of one day's meeting, it is no small miracle that it ever works! This is not to say that our modern methods are wrong in every respect, but any comparison shows which method would be more productive.
It should be noted that in Acts 14:23 and Titus 1:5 the Authorized Version (KJV) speaks of "ordaining" elders. This translation is the result of the Anglican ecclesiastical bias of the translators. The Greek word in Acts 14:23 is cheirotoneo which speaks of appointment or selection. The Greek word in Titus 1:5 is kathistemi which simply means to place or to appoint. These verses stress the fact that elders are appointed by those who were previously appointed to the same task. The words have nothing whatever to do with "ordination" as a religious or "ministerial" rite (see John Gill's A Complete Body of Doctrinal and Practical Divinity, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, vol.II, pp. 579-584).
Some insist that Acts 14:23 gives evidence of democratic rule, indeed, a democratic vote. Cheirotoneo (from Cheir, hand), they argue, indicates "election by the outstretched hand"; i.e., voting. The verb, however, does not indicate this at all; it simply means "to appoint." In Acts 10:41 the verb procheirotoneo is used of God "choosing before" those who should witness Christ's resurrection. I am sure that no one would want to insist that God held a popular election to determine who those people would be! He simply selected them Himself. The significance of cheir ("hand") may be more of pointing than voting. The verb simply indicates that Paul and Barnabas themselves (in this case) appointed elders in every church.
Tenure of Service
The Scriptural passages involved indicate that the appointment to eldership is a permanent one: nothing is said to limit the appointments to a particular tenure of service. God equips the man for service, and the man, in turn, gives his life to it until, for whatever reasons, he is no longer able to perform the duties required.
Conclusion
Elders-pastors-bishops are called of God to their task, sovereignly gifted to fulfill the obligations of their office, and appointed to their work by those currently in rule. The New Testament knows of no other method. There is no need to search for a direct succession of elders back to the early church, but this is the pattern of elder-placement that is given to us.
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