Where Shall we Find Elders?
Where Shall We Find Elders?
Acts 14.23
Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.
Elder is a loaded word. Through casual familiarity with the Word of God most people recognise that the term refers to a position of authority. However, far too many are ignorant of the purpose for elders and of the criteria for appointment of elders. Churches routinely elect men and women as elders, choosing whomever they please on the basis of popularity, position in society, or possessions held. Can we justify such actions by the Word of God? Can such actions please Him?
Nowhere in the Word of God are elders elected to pastoral office, however! Throughout the Word of God elders are appointed by God and accepted by the believers. Something strange and startling has transpired in these last days—the sheep have assumed to themselves the right to overrule God in His appointment of shepherds. Few conditions guarantee an anaemic church as does the competition between pulpit and pew for oversight of the Body such as witnessed within the contemporary church.
Just as the Jewish high priest was appointed by God in the days before the First Advent of our Lord, so the shepherds of the flock are appointed by God in this day prior to His Second Advent. No one takes this honour upon himself; he must be called by God [Hebrews 5:4]. The message today is a study of the appointment process. The purpose is to instruct us so that we will be whole as a church, pleasing to God and effective in our labours offered up to Him. We will consider the consequence of ignoring God’s teaching and seek how we may correct our attitudes so that we may insure His glory among us.
The Role of Elders — The term elders sounds archaic or perhaps even stilted to our ears. If we are remotely familiar with the term we likely associate it with a hierarchical system of church government. We think of presbyteries and sessions as forms of church polity with complex divisions between teaching elders and ruling elders. However, the concept of elders is biblical. Furthermore, throughout the most of the history of Baptists their pastors were referred to as elders. It is only within the past century that elder ceased to be a common title for the minister of a Baptist congregation.
I fear that many Christians are unaware that in the New Testament literature at least three terms are used interchangeably in referring to the settled minister of a church. Of course we are all familiar with the term pastor. The Greek word behind this title [poimhvn] points to the shepherding work of the New Testament minister. The term pastor reminds us that the leader of the flock is responsible to provide spiritual nourishment and refreshment for the flock of God. In the New Testament pastors were sometimes referred to as a bishops or overseers. The term which was translated overseer [ejpiskophv] refers neither to a pastor to pastors or to a denominational official, but it is rather the common term which recognises the authority resident within the office of the pastor. Pastors are to protect the flock and to oversee the work of God. Paul’s instructions in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 addressed the qualification of overseers. In Titus 1:5-9 Paul used overseer and elder interchangeably, which introduces the term elder for our study this morning.
Elder [presbuvtero"] is used synonymously with overseer and pastor. Elder focuses attention on the dignity of the office and the honour which should be accorded those occupying the office of a pastor. As evidence of this, consider that the verbal form of the word is translated ambassador in the New Testament. The Apostle Paul declares that We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors ( JUpe;r Cristou` ou\n presbeuvomen) in 2 Corinthians 5:20. Literally the Apostle claimed to be an elder on behalf of Christ. Similarly, when Paul wrote the Ephesian encyclical he would declare of himself: I am an ambassador in chains (presbeuvw ejn aJluvsei) [Ephesians 6:20]. Literally, he said I am an elder in a chain. In a sense an elder is to be an ambassador of Christ, representing Christ to the people and representing the people to Christ. There is to be sufficient maturity that the elder presents the ministry of Jesus in a compassionate and even-handed manner to all the flock of God.
Though the terms may seem strange to our ears, it is not wrong to address the pastor of the church as elder or as bishop, provided we know what we are saying and are not attempting to create a hierarchy within the Body of Christ. The titles are ancient and honourable. However it is true that commonly we simply refer to the pastor as Pastor. These three terms are used interchangeably in speaking of the one office as Peter writes in 1 Peter 5:1-4 and by Paul when he spoke in Acts 20:17, 28-31. Elders are, strictly speaking, the shepherds of the congregation or the pastors of the church. What seems apparent from even casual study of New Testament Scripture is that the churches usually enjoyed a plurality of elders. The text before us states that Paul and Barnabas appointed elders in each church. The language makes it clear that multiple elders were appointed in each church. A large number of verses throughout the Word make reference to the elders [see Acts 11:30; 15:2; 16:4; 21:18; 1 Timothy 5:17; James 5:14].
The Divine Model for Appointment to Oversight of the Church — The churches of the New Testament were presided over by elders. In our text we see the missionaries giving organisational structure to the nascent churches through the appointment of elders in each congregation. This leadership structure seems to have been normative for the churches of the New Testament era.
The church at Ephesus evidently had elders appointed to provide oversight and guidance [see Acts 20:17-35]. Titus is commanded to appoint elders in each congregation established on the island of Crete [see Titus 1:5]. In his instruction to Timothy, Paul provides direction for how to treat the elders of the congregation [1 Timothy 5:17-19]. Indeed, Timothy himself was set apart for service by the imposition of hands by the body of elders [presbutevrion 1 Timothy 4:14]. Early in the history of the Jerusalem church we discover elders directing the affairs of the church [Acts 11:30; 15:2, 4, 6, 22, 23; 16:4; 21:18]. What is apparent from even a casual reading of the Word of God is that the earliest model of the church included elders to provide oversight of the churches. The New Testament model is that which encourages pastoral oversight. In the New Testament there is provided no model of a church which is run by a board or ruled by deacons.
Tragically, though virtually all Christians will concede that churches may be led by the elders, many still attempt to impose a form of leadership which denies this biblical polity. Some may argue that the church may choose whom it will to serve as an elder. Such arguments are based more upon contemporary politics than upon the Word of God, however. I would simply challenge any who feel they are correct in choosing whom they will to demonstrate the validity of their position through appeal to the Word of God.
The first church chose seven men to serve as the first deacons [cf. Acts 6:5]. However, after choosing these men the disciples presented them to the Apostles for their approval. The Apostles authenticated the decision of the church when together they prayed and laid their hands on those chosen by the church [Acts 6:6]. The Apostles were responsible to approve what the church did, and they demonstrated their approval by praying for those chosen and by laying their hands on them. In effect, the Apostles set the deacons apart to the ministry to which the church had appointed them.
When the Jerusalem church wished to communicate to the Antioch church the conclusions drawn as result of the Jerusalem conference, the Apostles and elders acted in a similar manner. The church selected two men who were among the leaders to accompany Paul and Barnabas back to Antioch [Acts 15:22]. The Word makes it clear that those chosen were themselves from among the eldership.
Paul is very clear in stating that he was appointed to the position he occupied [Acts 26:16]. Repeatedly the Apostle makes it clear that his appointment was from God and not from man [cf. 1 Corinthians 1:1; 2 Corinthians 1:1; Galatians 1:1; Titus 1:1-3]. Paul claimed that he was appointed a herald and an apostle … and a teacher [2 Timothy 1:11]. All the Apostles, in fact, were chosen by Christ Himself [Acts 1:2] and consequently, at the first elders were chosen by the Apostles. There is continuity here which is foundational for New Testament faith and practise. I do not claim apostolic succession, but I do note that God appoints leaders and usually that divine appointment is either through or under the oversight of those gifted men whom He has placed in leadership.
Focus on the passage under scrutiny in this message. The missionaries had just concluded the first missionary journey. They had preached the Good News in several towns with the result that souls were saved in each town. Now, as they return, retracing their steps through each of the cities where they have previously won converts to the Faith, they encourage the disciples. Those converts, united in their common faith and covenanted together, are designated as churches. Here is a vital definition which you should grasp well. A church is an autonomous congregation of baptised believers covenanted together to fulfil the Great Commission through evangelism and discipleship, administration of the ordinances of the church, and worship of the Risen Son of God.
Multiple truths leap out at us from the text. First, every church had its elders. The office of these elders was to pray with the members of the church, to preach to them in their solemn assemblies, to administer all gospel ordinances to them, and to take the oversight of them. Elders, according to various passages of the Word of God, must instruct the foolish, warn the idle, encourage the timid, and refute those who oppose sound doctrine. It is requisite that every particular church should have one or more such God-approved individuals to preside in it as elders. Those who are elders are expected to exercise oversight over the churches. They are leaders appointed to direct the work of the church.
Elders are to be men of God who labour for the welfare of the Body of Christ. Elders are to be seen as those who build up the congregation and strengthen the people of God through correctly handling the Word of God and through serving the needs of the flock. The elders are to be men of prayer and men thoroughly familiar with the Word. There should be no surprise that the people of God are called to respect those who occupy the office of elder. The elders are due such respect because they have been placed in a position of authority within the church and because their work reveals their love both for the church and for the Master who gave them to the church [1 Thessalonians 5:12, 13].
You will perhaps recall the admonition found in the closing words of the Hebrew letter which teaches us: Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith [Hebrews 13:7]. From this we would conclude that the elders are to be men whose lives are worthy of emulation. Elders are to so live that they can say with conviction, follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ [1 Corinthians 11:1]. The people of God should have confidence that they can follow in the steps of their elders, knowing that they will not betray their confidence.
The hard work of elders includes giving an account to Christ for their service. This is the foundation for the admonition in the Hebrew letter for Christians to obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you [Hebrews 13:17]. The elders must lead and they must be willing to speak with authority as they direct the work of the church. The people must willingly obey in so far as the elders lead according to the Word of God.
Those appointed to be elders must meet the qualifications demonstrated by wisdom and gravity of seniors. Their commission includes the authority and command expected of leaders, but it does not permit the making of new laws. It is the prerogative of the Son of God, the great Lawgiver, to set the rules for His church. Understand that the government of the church is an absolute monarchy under Christ the King and legislative power resides entirely in Christ Jesus the Lord. Elders are responsible to ensure the observance and execution of the laws which Christ has given to His churches. Only in so far as the elders act according to the revealed will of the Lord Christ are they to be obeyed and submitted to.
There is a tendency among the churches of God to create a political structure and then to endeavour to staff that structure with those who are willing to be part of that manmade building. Incredible energies are expended in trying to find people to fill the positions we have created. Ultimately, the structure becomes so important that we serve the structure instead of the structure serving us. Underscore in your mind this startling truth: the church is not an organisation; it is a living Body. Therefore the positions within the church are to be those which God creates and equips men to fill.
We decide that we will create a committee. It is immaterial what type of committee we form—we created that committee. We then decide that five people must sit on the committee we created. Soon we find ourselves struggling to find five people willing to serve. Nevertheless, we have a committee, so we must fill the five positions which we have created. At the Annual General Meeting we make such ridiculous statements as, “Will you let your name stand? Will you serve on our committee?”
Instead of permitting God to raise up someone with a heart for seeking out servants or with a heart for overseeing the social activities of the church, we create our own position and then we discover that we must continually keep that position filled through appeal and even through coercion. We then create artificial criteria for service, such as not more than two members of one family may serve on our committee. We create a political organisation and we become politicians instead of Christians. What we do at the level of committees we also tend to do with elders and servants of the church. We have determined that we need five elders and therefore we must find five new elders each year who will let themselves be elected. Isn’t it better to permit God to equip and appoint whom He wills and discover what He would have us do?
You understand that what we are doing is redefining the positions of leadership. Instead of permitting Scripture to dictate whom we should search out we decide that anyone is qualified to occupy any position we have created. Elders, however, are to hold the deep truths of the Faith, having received them from faithful men of God. The things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others [2 Timothy 2:2]. We appoint whom we will, even recent converts to the Faith, despite the fact that such is pointedly prohibited. The elder must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgement as the devil [1 Timothy 3:6].
In this day we have exchanged the glory of God for the wisdom of man. God stresses the need for character and calling in those wishing to be recognised as leaders. We have convinced ourselves that credentials and connections are of greater importance. Consequently, the school an individual graduated from is of greater importance than the individual’s trustworthiness. The recommendation of denominational leaders is more valuable to us than is the evidence of the man’s calling. We seek those who give evidence of earthly wisdom and we receive all that goes with our choice.
Those who are to be appointed to leadership are to meet certain qualifications. Those qualifications without exception speak of the character of the minister of God. Think carefully with me. How will you know an elder is above reproach unless you know that man? How will you assess marital fidelity except you have opportunity to witness the man’s relationship with his wife? To identify temperance, self-control, respectability, hospitality and the ability to teach it is necessary that we know the individual and we have assessed him as meeting these criteria. Each of the characteristics which are listed in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and in Titus 1:6-9 demands that the church invest time in observing the individual’s life who is being considered for the position of an elder. Recommendations—however respected those individuals may be who provide the recommendations—can never replace confidence rooted in personal knowledge.
The elders were appointed. The qualifications of those who were proposed or who proposed themselves (whether the apostles or the people put them up) were judged by the apostles as most fit to serve. Having accepted the task they had received they were solemnly committed to the work of the ministry. This observation iterates a point which was previously made as we assessed the verse. Elders are not simply elected; the congregation is to seek out those meeting the qualifications listed in Scripture. The process is tantamount to accepting that which God has appointed.
To Titus, Paul wrote these instructions: The reason I left you in Crete was that you might straighten out what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you [Titus 1:5]. Among the churches of the Lord in this day we have neither apostles nor apostolic envoys able to tell us the mind of the Lord. We have that which is even more reliable and which is even better—we have the Word of God.
Peter asserted in 2 Peter 1:19: We have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it. Therefore the appointment process is even simpler than it was in the days of the Apostles. The Apostles were required to identify those men equipped for and chosen to holy office and then they were to appoint them. In doing this the Apostles acted as divine emissaries. Always it was God appointing to office through the Apostles, however. We believe that God yet appoints, and the method by which He appoints is through revealing His work to the church as we prayerfully seek out those who are appointed and who meet the divine qualifications.
The model for divine appointment is firmly founded upon the divine right of God. God warned Moses concerning appointment of a king long years before Israel asked for a king. You will no doubt recall the words Moses wrote in Deuteronomy 17:14, 15. When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, “Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us,” be sure to appoint over you the king the LORD your God chooses. He must be from among your own brothers. Do not place a foreigner over you, one who is not a brother Israelite. He chose the kings of Israel, beginning with Saul [1 Samuel 10:24]. Later, the prophet Samuel was dispatched by God to anoint David as King of Israel. As Samuel prepared to go to Bethlehem, God spoke this word of warning. You are to anoint for me the one I indicate [1 Samuel 16:3].
God chose the Levites to serve Him [1 Chronicles 15:2]. The priests also were chosen by God to serve in His Temple [2 Chronicles 29:3-11; Hebrews 5:1-5a]. God chose even the craftsmen who designed the Tabernacle [Exodus 35:30-36:1]. God chooses those who will be saved and added to the Faith [2 Thessalonians 2:13]. The Lord appointed those who would precede Him in the towns of Israel [Luke 10:1]. Jesus called and appointed whom He willed to be apostles [Mark 3:13-19]. Likewise, those whom God wills to serve in capacities of leadership He appoints [1 Corinthians 12:28]. The church may only recognise that which God has done. Those whom God has appointed to the office of an elder are to be accepted by the church and set apart to that service with prayer and fasting.
These elders were set apart to the disciples in each church—to their service, for their good. Those that are in the Faith have need to be built up in it, and have need of the elders’ help therein—the pastors and teachers, who are to build up the body of Christ. Objections are frequently voiced to this divine model. Some object that since we know those appointed they are no better than anyone else. That argument has no merit since no Christian is superior to another. Appointment is simply recognition of those whom God has equipped to fill a particular niche within the Body of Christ. Those who function as leaders in the church are no more important than are those who serve to direct the ministries of mercy to members who are hurting. No one member is better than another, but each differs as God desires so that together we form the Body of Christ.
This is the Apostle’s plea in 1 Corinthians 12:4-7, 12. There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good… The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.
Others argue that since the responsibility of elders is so grave no one will want to serve. If God equips and appoints an individual he will willingly serve at the request of the church. Refusal to serve is mute, though powerful, evidence that the individual is unsuited for this office. There is no place for either false humility or for reticence in this service. That is the underlying issue when the Apostle writes to his young theologue Timothy, If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task [1 Timothy 3:1]. Only two people will set the heart on being an overseer—those called of God and those who see the office as a route to power over others. The church is responsible to know the character of those under consideration and resist any individual whose motives are impure and who sees godliness as a means to gain [see 1 Timothy 6:5].
The Deadly Menace of Misappropriation of Divine Office — A glaring example of an individual who misappropriated divine oversight is provided in John’s Third Epistle. Listen to John’s stinging assessment and warning given in 3 John 9-11. I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will have nothing to do with us. So if I come, I will call attention to what he is doing, gossiping maliciously about us. Not satisfied with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers. He also stops those who want to do so and puts them out of the church.
Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God.
Diotrephes must stand until the end of time as an example of one who abused holy office. Clearly this man was unfit to serve and appears to have been self-appointed to congregational oversight. Certainly there is no evidence of divine equipping for church office. The hurt experienced in that ancient church must forever provide pause to saints who choose to remain silent in the face of self-promotion for shameless purposes.
I briefly pastored a church cursed with a Diotrephes. Though his name was Frank and not Diotrephes, he was a church boss—a tyrant of the first order within the Body of Christ. At one time this particular church had been influential and enjoyed the blessing of a powerful youth ministry, but the church had dwindled in influence and effectiveness. The church roll indicated well over 250 members, but less than 50 were in service; the remainder was either inactive or non-resident. Inactive and non-resident is a strange condition for the members of a body.
They were an inventive congregation, creating a number of offices and officers. One man informed me shortly after my coming that he was “chairman of the church.” When he said this I chuckled and told my wife that I would henceforth refer to him as Chairman Frank. Soon after that informative session he told me that there were five people in the church who controlled everything. Whatever those five individuals wanted happened. Whatever those five individuals opposed didn’t happen. Therefore, I needed to just let them conduct business as usual and everything would be fine.
Later in a deacon’s meeting that same church dictator informed me that I was violating the constitution. I happened to have a copy with me and held it out to him with the request that he show me where I had violated the constitution. The church boss informed me, however, that he had the only official copy of the constitution and his copy demonstrated that I was in violation on some point.
Astonished at this turn of events and at the naked power mongering I was witnessing in a Church of the Lord Christ, I asked if I had violated the Word of God in any way. He grudgingly acknowledged that I had not violated the Word of God.
Armed with this reluctant admission I gently probed by asking him that if there was a conflict between the Word of God and the constitution which would he recommend the church obey. To my utter astonishment he said, “We must obey the constitution. We are a Canadian church and we have a constitution and we must obey it.”
I waited for the remaining six deacons to voice their strenuous objection to this horrifying blasphemy. To my surprise they were dead silent. I polled the deacons, asking it they accepted this position. To a man they hung their heads and quietly agreed that they had to do what Frank told them to do.
I haven’t always been sweet and tempered in my speech. Certainly I wasn’t gentle in my remarks that night. Upon reflection after more than seventeen years I am certain that I would say again what I said to those toadies on that night.
“Gentlemen,” I declared, “I owe you an apology. I believed you to be spiritual leaders and accepted you as such. Now, I owe each of you an apology. You are nothing but a bunch of spiritual imbeciles and not one of you is suited for spiritual service.”
Several of those deacons later informed me that all they wanted was peace and so they went along with what they knew to be error. Dear people, peace at any price is peace purchased at too dear a cost. Each church is responsible to seek out those whom God has equipped and appointed. To fail discover what God has done in our midst is to ensure that the vineyard of the Lord is ruined. It has been well said that intellectual arrogance [proavgwn 2 John 9] and personal aggrandisement [filoprwteuvwn 3 John 9] were the twin tempers plaguing the New Testament church. These dreadful sins yet menace the continued health of the congregations of our Lord and the advance of the work of God through His churches.
When a church falls into a routine of filling an office because the church created that office, injury and hurt must ever result. It is the person whom God equips and appoints who will authenticate the office. The church is responsible to seek out those individuals whom God raises up to provide leadership instead of creating a mere organisation to conduct business. Though we accept Ottawa’s designation that we are a charity, we are first and foremost a church … the Body of Christ. We forget this truth, or ignore it, at the peril of our continued spiritual health as a congregation of the Lord.
The Drastic Means Necessary to Restore Effectiveness in Service — Someone has aptly said that the seven last words of the church are, “We have always done it that way.” Error unaddressed is certain to be compounded with the passage of time. I do not say that restoring a congregation to effective service can be accomplished without pain, but I do say that the results will honour God and enable the congregation to glorify His Name. I do say that the courageous church which seeks to right the wrong, however well meaning the intentions were when that past wrong was introduced, will prosper. When we do right we lay the foundation for unity and harmony in the work of God.
If the foundation for faith and practise is Jesus Christ [cf. 1 Corinthians 3:11-15] then it must follow that we are responsible to ensure that we do not try to build the Church with the wood, hay or straw of human ingenuity. Instead, we are responsible to build with gold, silver and costly stones which are those elements which glorify God and exalt His Name. We are to look to the Word, rejecting mere cleverness as unworthy of Him. When we do this, relying on the Word of the apostles and the prophets, the whole building will then be joined together to rise to become a holy temple in the Lord. Then, as a congregation we will have been built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit [see Ephesians 2:20-22]. When we look to that Word as the authoritative guide for building the Body we will rejoice in the church of the Living God which will be revealed as the pillar and foundation of the truth [see 1 Timothy 3:14].
What do I recommend? I recommend that we cease to see the church as an institution or a mere organisation. The church is so much more than that. The church is a living entity—the Body of Christ. Christ Himself is the Head of the Body. We do not organise the church to do what we think best, but we submit to Him and to His direction to accomplish all that He wills and to bring glory to His Name. As members of the Body we seek to discover through the Word what God has revealed and endeavour to see Him at work even now in our midst, and then we do what He directs through His Word.
This is so much more than mere rhetoric. This is nothing less than a call to honour God through living with radical abandon. This is a call first to the people of God to submit themselves to His Word, refusing to permit themselves to become mere pawns in a political contest. This is a call to the people of God to dare live as though God were truly among them. This is a call to the Body of Christ to be distinct from the world about us and to dare to be holy and righteous.
That early church was a holy church, seeking the mind of Christ and daring to do what He directed. The impact on the watching world was considerably different from the relationship between the churches of this day and the world about us. That church was holy and godly. When the Lord revealed His presence, striking pretenders dead, we read that great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events. We also discover that no one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people [Acts 5:11, 13]. It has been well said that though no one is so foolish as to plunge his hand into live coals, no one fears ashes. I long for this church to be burning and alive so that only those who are called of God dare join themselves to us.
This is not a rebuff to you who are yet outside the Faith; it is rather a call to commitment to Christ. Why have you not confessed Him as Lord of life? God now commands all men to believe Him. How can you hold yourself aloof when the True and Living God calls you to repentance? Have you trusted Him? How can you refuse to obey His Word and follow Him in baptism? His Word is clear and He now calls you to obedience. How can you keep yourself from uniting with that church where He has placed you? This church, if it is where you worship and where you draw spiritual benefit, is the congregation which God would have you call home.
We invite all who will confess Him to come today. If you have never confessed Christ as Lord, come and let this be the day in which you openly acknowledge your faith. If you have never trusted the Risen Son of God, come now and we will pray with you and endeavour to lead you into life eternal as you confess the Lord Christ. If you have trusted Him but refused His call to obedience, come now and request baptism as He commands. If you have yet to unite with this congregation and it is the church in which God would have you serve, come now that together we may rejoice before the Lord our God. If you simply need to confess your own failure to honour Him in life, come and make things right with the Son of God. Come now, and angels attend you in the way. Amen.
A church is an autonomous congregation of baptised believers covenanted together to fulfil the Great Commission through evangelism and discipleship, administration of the ordinances of the church, and worship of the Risen Son of God.
Elders, according to various passages of the Word of God, must instruct the foolish, warn the idle, encourage the timid, and refute those who oppose sound doctrine.
The model for divine appointment is firmly founded upon the divine right of God. God warned Moses concerning appointment of a king long years before Israel asked for a king. You will no doubt recall the words Moses wrote in Deuteronomy 17:14, 15. When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, “Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us,” be sure to appoint over you the king the LORD your God chooses. He must be from among your own brothers. Do not place a foreigner over you, one who is not a brother Israelite. He chose the kings of Israel, beginning with Saul [1 Samuel 10:24]. Later, the prophet Samuel was dispatched by God to anoint David as King of Israel. As Samuel prepared to go to Bethlehem, God spoke this word of warning. You are to anoint for me the one I indicate [1 Samuel 16:3].
God chose the Levites to serve Him [1 Chronicles 15:2]. The priests also were chosen by God to serve in His Temple [2 Chronicles 29:3-11; Hebrews 5:1-5a]. God chose even the craftsmen who designed the Tabernacle [Exodus 35:30-36:1]. God chooses those who will be saved and added to the Faith [2 Thessalonians 2:13]. The Lord appointed those who would precede Him in the towns of Israel [Luke 10:1]. Jesus called and appointed whom He willed to be apostles [Mark 3:13-19]. Likewise, those whom God wills to serve in capacities of leadership He appoints [1 Corinthians 12:28]. The church may only recognise that which God has done. Those whom God has appointed to the office of an elder are to be accepted by the church and set apart to that service with prayer and fasting.