The Role Of An Elder

We’re in week number two of a three part message serious where we are looking at the different role’s within the church...

Last week we talked about deacons. We saw that deacons are the ultimate example of servants. And that their role is to come along side of the elders and help carry out the mission of the church.

They are servants and they help take care of the physical needs of the church.

Next week, we’re going to look at our role as a church. As a body of believers, as a congregation, what is our role in the body of Christ.

Today, we’re going to shift our focus towards the shepherds of the church as we look at elders. We’re going to look at a couple of different passages from the Apostle Paul.

But before we do that I want you to notice something. I want you to notice that most of the qualifications involve character, not knowledge or skill, but character.

A person’s lifestyle and relationships provide a window into his or her character. So let’s look at the words of Paul in 1 Timothy chapter 3 starting in verse 1…

This is a trustworthy saying: [This is a saying or some information that you can trust and count on] “If someone aspires to be an elder, he desires an honorable position.” 

2 So an elder must be a man whose life is above reproach. He must be faithful to his wife. He must exercise self-control, live wisely, and have a good reputation. He must enjoy having guests in his home, and he must be able to teach. 

3 He must not be a heavy drinker or be violent. He must be gentle, not quarrelsome, and not love money. 

4 He must manage his own family well, having children who respect and obey him. For if a man cannot manage his own household, how can he take care of God’s church?

An elder must not be a new believer, [why] because he might become proud, and the devil would cause him to fall. 

7 Also, people outside the church must speak well of him so that he will not be disgraced and fall into the devil’s trap. 1 Timothy 3:1-7 NLT

Slide Look at what else Paul has to say in Titus chapter 1. Again notice the emphasis on character and integrity here: An elder must live a blameless life. He must be faithful to his wife, and his children must be believers who don’t have a reputation for being wild or rebellious. 

7 An elder is a manager of God’s household, so he must live a blameless life. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered; he must not be a heavy drinker, violent, or dishonest with money.

Rather, he must enjoy having guests in his home, and he must love what is good. He must live wisely and be just. He must live a devout and disciplined life. 

[Question…do you know your leaders enough to know if they are these things or not? If not, what can you be doing to know them better and to help them live these things out. What can you do?]

9 He must have a strong belief in the trustworthy message he was taught; then he will be able to encourage others with wholesome teaching and show those who oppose it where they are wrong. Titus 1:6-9 NLT

So there are few things that you need to understand. First of all, elders are men. We know this because of the number of times Paul uses the pronoun, ‘he,’ ’his,’ or ‘him.’

Some churches have gotten into the habit of allowing women to serve as elders. And that’s just not Biblical…Men have been called to lead the church. And that’s why we have male elders.

Also, you’ll find in the New Testament that elders have different names that are used interchangeable but mean the same thing. Sometimes they’re called overseers, they’re called shepherds, they’re also called pastors and of course elders.

And what else you need to understand is that elders are seasoned men. They’re men that have been in the faith for a while. They’re spiritual mature. Their faith has been tested. They have had time to grow and deepen their spiritual roots.

Paul also tells us that being an elders is something that a man desires. It’s not a title that has just been given to him. You don’t just walk up to a guy and say, “Hey, we have an opening and we’re going to make you an elder.”

Slide that might be how its starts. But look at what Paul says, This is a trustworthy saying: “If someone aspires to be an elder, he desires [what] an honorable position.”

That word aspires literally means to set one’s heart on something.

And so Paul is saying, “Man it's wonderful when a man has a desire to be a leader within God’s church!”