The mission of our church is:
To develop mature disciples who follow, serve and proclaim Jesus as Messiah.
As the elders developed that mission statement at our retreat almost two years ago, we also began to develop a Biblical structure for the organization and leadership of our church that would facilitate the carrying out of our mission. As part of that process we have spent over a year studying that Biblical structure and working to implement it here at TFC.
But our church will never be effective in our mission if it is only the elders who understand and “buy in” to what the Bible teaches about how a New Testament church is to operate. So for the next four weeks, we’ll be sharing some of the things that we have learned during this process so that together we can all work to put these principles into practice in order to be more effective in doing what God has called us to do.
We’ll begin this morning with an overall principle that is the key to everything else we’ll look at for the next few weeks:
1. Pastoral oversight of the church is to be a team effort
There are a number of different church leadership structures that exist today. Many of them are top-down authoritative models similar to what one might find in a business organization that has a board of directors which sets policies and overall direction for the business and then a Chief Executive Officer who is responsible for carrying out the wishes of the board, usually through numerous levels of management. In this kind of structure there is a clear distinction between “clergy” – those who govern the church - and “laity” – those who are subject to the governing authority of the “clergy”. But as we’ll discover this morning, that kind of leadership model is certainly not Biblical.
What we’ll find this morning is that there is a great deal of consistency in the New Testament when it comes to the leadership model that Jesus has established for His church. And since it is indeed His church, it seems like the best place to begin is with…
• The example of Jesus
During his three year ministry here on earth, one of the most important things that Jesus did was to develop a group of leaders who would be able to carry on His work after His death and resurrection. And it is clear that Jesus entrusted that responsibility to a group of men rather than just one individual. And among that group of twelve apostles we see no evidence of any kind of structure in which one of those men was elevated to a role similar to a CEO in which he was in authority over the others.
To be sure, as we’ll see in a moment, there were those who rose to a more prominent and public leadership role within that group, but there is absolutely no evidence that any one of the twelve was an authoritative leader among that group. In fact, when the mother of James and John came to Jesus and asked Him to elevate her sons to a position of authority, Jesus responded with these words:
You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.
Matthew 20:25-28 (ESV)
• The example of Paul
Although Paul was instrumental in planting many churches, especially among the Gentiles in Asia Minor, we find that one of the most important parts of his ministry was to develop teams of leaders in those local churches. In Acts 14 we read the account of how Paul and Barnabas ministered among the churches in Derbe, Iconium, Lystra, and Anitoch. At the end of the account, we see that Paul and Barnabas appointed a group of elders in each of those churches:
And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.
Acts 14:23 (ESV)
We don’t have time to look at all of them this morning, but both in the accounts of his ministry in the Book of Acts and in several of his letters, we find that Paul’s consistent practice was to develop a group of elders to lead each local church. There is absolutely no evidence that there was ever a single authoritative leader or “senior pastor” in any of these congregations. That is confirmed by the fact that Paul always refers to “elders” (plural) and never to “an elder” (singular).
• The example of Peter
Among those who would try to justify a single authoritative leader within the church, Peter is the one who is most often cited as an example. That is usually based on a complete misunderstanding of the words of Jesus in this passage that we looked at a couple of weeks ago:
And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Matthew 16:18 (ESV)
As we discovered then, it is clear that the rock upon which Jesus is going to build his church is Jesus Himself, not Peter. And if we look at Peter’s own words, we can clearly see that was also his understanding of what Jesus said.
So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder…
1 Peter 5:1 (ESV)
Here Peter refers to himself as a fellow elder – not as “the pastor”. And the way he addresses his fellow elders – with an exhortation, not a command – also demonstrates that he is part of a team of leaders, not a single authoritative leader. And note once again that “elders’ is plural, not singular.
• The operation of the early church
The best example of team leadership in the early church is probably the account of the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15. We don’t have time to read that entire account this morning, so I encourage you to do that on your own this week.
What we find in that account is that when a doctrinal dispute came up, the apostles and the elders of the local churches got together and discussed the matter and came to a consensus on how to handle that issue. While it is clear that several like Peter, Paul, Barnabas and James certainly had great influence among all the men, the final decision was made by the entire group – not by one individual.
Not surprisingly, we once again find that every reference to elders in that passage is in the plural. There is not even one reference to a singular elder or pastor.
The clear evidence of Scripture is that in the early church, local bodies were governed by a team of elders. There is no evidence whatsoever of a single authoritative pastor who governed the local church on his own. So the question that fact raises is this: Is there any justification at all for the role of a pastor who takes a public leadership role in a local church? As you can imagine, I was particularly interested in the answer to that question. Based on what we find in the New Testament, the answer to that question is this:
2. The concept of shared leadership allows for a “first among equals”
Although the concept itself certainly wasn’t new to me, I was first introduced to this term – “first among equals” – in Alexander Strauch’s book, Biblical Eldership, that the elders used as a starting point for our study on Biblical church leadership. Since that term really does describe this principle very well, I’m going to use that term this morning. It is a concept that we find demonstrated throughout the New Testament. Once again, we’ll begin with the group of men who had direct contact with Jesus and then work our way from there.
• The example of the apostles
Although Jesus spent time developing all twelve disciples, it is clear that He had an “inner circle” of three – Peter, James and John – who alone got to witness things like the Transfiguration of Jesus and some of the miracles He performed and to spend time with Him in prayer. And even among that inner circle, Peter obviously was a first among “equals”. He alone among the apostles is the one who identifies Jesus as the Christ. And after His resurrection, Jesus takes Peter aside to restore him and prepare him for the leadership role that he is going to have among his fellow apostles.
• The example of Peter
Throughout the Book of Acts we find that Peter ministers along with his fellow apostles. But it is also clear that he has been gifted by God as a teacher. So when the church is gathered together for the purpose of receiving the Holy Spirit, it is Peter who rises to teach:
But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words.
Acts 2:14 (ESV)
Notice that Peter is with the other eleven here. He is not ministering on his own. But because he has been gifted by God for that particular purpose, he is the one who does the public teaching.
But Peter’s leadership role among the apostles was not just limited to public teaching. Earlier we talked about the Jerusalem Council. In that account, we find that Peter has an important leadership role in the process of making a decision:
The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter. And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them…
Acts 15:6-7 (ESV)
Here we find that Peter also had a tremendous amount of influence among his fellow apostles and elders. But it is instructive how he used that influence. He waited until everyone else had a chance to express their opinions before he spoke. And even then, he certainly doesn’t demand his way.
• The example of Paul
Because of his role in establishing many of the early local churches, Paul certainly had an influential role among the elders in those churches. We find one example of that influence when Paul understands he is probably not going to be able to return to the church in Ephesus to minister there.
Now from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church to come to him. And when they came to him, he said to them…
Acts 20:17-18 (ESV)
As Paul speaks to the elders of the church in Ephesus, it is clear that he has a great deal of influence among those men. But as one reads that account, we are struck again by the fact that Paul never lords it over those men or acts in an authoritative manner. We find that is consistently how Paul dealt with the elders in the churches he had helped establish.
• The teaching of Paul
Paul writes his first letter to Timothy to provide some guidance on the operation of the church in Ephesus. We’ll spend some time in the third chapter of that letter in a couple of weeks when we discuss the qualifications of church leaders. But near the end of that letter, Paul addresses the concept of a ‘first among equals”.
Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching.
1 Timothy 5:17 (ESV)
As we’ll see in a couple of weeks, one of the qualifications of an elder is that he must be able to teach. But Paul recognizes here that there will be some among the elders who are particularly gifted at teaching and who will therefore be able to devote more time to preaching and teaching the Word of God. And because of that role they will have a more visible leadership role within the body and usually a greater degree of influence within the elder team.
That does not mean, however, that those men do all the thinking and decision making for the group. It also doesn’t mean that they are the pastors and that others are merely elders or that they are in any way superior to the other elders.
While I may have a more public role than the other elders here at TFC, I am certainly not their “boss.” As we’ll discuss more fully next week, every one of the elders has the same role of shepherding the flock here in this local body.
3. The New Testament uses three different words to describe the same leadership position:
This is such an important idea to understand. It is the failure to properly comprehend this principle that has led to all kinds of unbiblical models of church leadership throughout history.
• “presbuteros” = elder
This Greek word is used 67 times in the New Testament. It literally refers to one who is older than another. So it is used frequently in the New Testament merely to describe one who is older than another person. It is also used frequently, especially in the gospels, to refer to the Jewish elders. We’re going to explore their role in some more detail during our “Connections” Bible Study this morning.
But, as we have seen repeatedly this morning, when this term is used to refer to church leaders, it is always used in the plural. By using this particular word for church leaders, the New Testament writers are emphasizing the spiritual maturity of these church leaders. We’ll explore that idea further in a couple of weeks when we look at the qualifications for an elder.
• “episkopos” = overseer or bishop
This term is used 5 times in the New Testament. In 1 Peter 2:25, Jesus is called the “overseer” of our souls. The other 4 uses all refer to leaders in the church. In most translations, including the ESV, it is rendered “overseer”.
But the KJV renders it “bishop”, most likely using a term that was well known at that time because it referred to a particular office within the Church of England. In the Church of England the position of a bishop had evolved over time into that of a “supervisor” of a group of churches under their authority. Unfortunately, that particular translation is still used today to justify similar positions among a number of denominations even though, as we have clearly seen this morning, that kind of position and structure is clearly not Scriptural.
• “poimen” = pastor or shepherd
This word is used 18 times in the New Testament and in every case it is rendered “shepherd” except in Ephesians 4:11, where most translations render it “pastor”. However the ESV keeps it consistent with the other 17 times it is used and renders it “shepherd”.
And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers…
Ephesians 4:11 (ESV)
Although the ESV does translate it “shepherds” you will see a footnote that says “or pastors”.
Although we use the term “pastor” today as a title, Biblically it is certainly more of a description of the role of an elder than a title.
There are a number of places in the New Testament where all three terms are used together in a manner that makes it clear that they all refer to the same leadership position. We’ll look at just a couple of them.
Probably the clearest connection of the three terms is found in 1 Peter 5:
So I exhort the elders [presbuteros ]among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd [verb form of poimen] the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight [verb form of episkopos] , not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly;
1 Peter 5:1-2 ESV)
As Peter addresses the elders here, he reminds them of their roles as shepherds and overseers of the flock.
When Paul addresses the elders of the church in Ephesus in Acts 20, he also ties all three terms together.
Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers [episkopos], to care for [verb form of poimen] the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.
Acts 20:28 (ESV)
Once again, those who are called elders by Paul are reminded of their roles of being overseers and shepherds of the flock.
4. Biblical church leadership does not distinguish between “clergy” and “laity”
We need to return one last time to a verse that we have already looked at several times this morning:
So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder…
1 Peter 5:1 (ESV)
Notice here that the elders are “among” the body. Again, it is quite instructive that the one church leader who is often cited as an example of some kind of hierarchical church leader, Peter, is the one who makes it clear that there is no distinction in position between the elders and the rest of the church body. The elders are not “over” the body. They are among it. They may have a different role in the body, but they are part of that body just like everyone else. The elders have a very interesting role within the body of Christ because while they are shepherds who watch over the flock, they are also a part of the flock – they are both shepherds and sheep at the same time.
In the Bible, there is absolutely no distinction between “clergy” and “laity”. Every Christ follower is a royal priest who has direct access to God through their faith in Jesus.
I’m convinced that this manmade distinction between clergy and laity is one of the greatest tools Satan has in making the church impotent in our culture. This division perpetuates the idea that we can somehow pay someone to do ministry on our behalf when the clear teaching of Scripture is that we are all to be ministers.
Let me end this message this morning on a personal note. Having been a pastor and church planter in a couple of churches that did not follow this Biblical model of church leadership and where I was either expected to be the single authoritative leader or where I was forced into that role by default, I can tell you that I never want to be in that position ever again.
We are very blessed as a body and I am very blessed personally to be part of a leadership team here at TFC that consists of some very godly men who have a shepherd’s heart. Each one of them is committed to carrying out our mission of developing mature disciples who follow, serve and proclaim Jesus as Messiah. All five of us stand ready to do whatever we can to assist you in that process.
But it is a role that we can only carry out with God’s help. We can’t do it on our own. So this morning, we as elders are here among you to ask you to do something for us. We’d like for you as a body to pray for us this morning and ask that God would equip and guide us as we lead this church body.
[Prayer time]
