Bagian 15

Elders and the Congregation

For the local Christian congregation that sincerely desires to follow the New Testament
church model, Jesus Christ is Chief Shepherd, Scripture is the final and sufficient guide, and the
elders are Christ’s undershepherds. Using a different but compatible imagery, Paul refers to the
elders as “God’s stewards” (Titus 1:7). According to this model, the authority to govern and
teach the local church resides in the plurality of elders—Christ’s undershepherds, God’s
household managers. As Christ’s undershepherds and God’s stewards, the elders are under the
strict authority of Jesus Christ and His Holy Word. They are not a ruling oligarchy. They cannot
do or say whatever they want. The church does not belong to the elders; it is Christ’s church
and God’s flock. Thus the elders’ leadership is to be exercised in a way that models Christlike,
humble, loving leadership. In the local church, there are no rulers who sit above or subjects
who stand below. The same biblical writer who commanded the elders to shepherd and
oversee God’s flock also warned against lordly, controlling leadership practices (1 Peter 5:3).
All are equally brothers and sisters in the church family, although some function as Spirit-
placed overseers to authoritatively guide and protect the church family.

Because the elders bear greater responsibility for the spiritual care of the entire
congregation than other members, Scripture teaches that the congregation is to highly esteem,
love, and honor its pastor elders (1 Thess. 5:12,13; 1 Tim. 5:17). Scripture also expressly
commands the congregation to obey and submit to its spiritual leaders (Heb. 13:17; cf. James
5:5). Submission is always difficult. Our hearts are stubborn, prideful, and rebellious. Yet we
are called to submit, even in trying and disagreeable situations. Children must submit to
imperfect parents, wives to difficult husbands, and employees to demanding employers.
Likewise, the congregation is required to submit to and obey its elders, even if the elders have
weaknesses and faults. Indeed, most elders are quite imperfect, so those who are disobedient
can always find reason to revolt. Of course the things we consider to be the elders’
misjudgments or errors may well be our own errors, so we should not be too hasty to disregard
the judgment of those God has chosen to provide for our spiritual care. The requirement to
submit, however, is not meant to suggest blind, mindless submission. Nor does it suggest that
elders are above questioning or immune from public discipline (1 Tim. 5:19 ff.).

The elders are most assuredly answerable to the congregation, and the congregation is
responsible to hold its spiritual leaders accountable to faithful adherence to the truth of the
Word. As we saw in chapter 14, the congregation is to be directly involved in the public
examination and approval of prospective elders and deacons (1 Tim. 3:10). All members have a
voice in assuring that what is done in the church family is done according to Scripture. So there
is a tightly knit, delicate, and reciprocal relationship between elders and congregation. Through
the power of the gospel, every redeemed child of God is indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God, is
placed in living union with Christ and made an heir with Christ, is gifted for ministry in the
body of Christ, is constituted a priest to God and holy saint of God, and is a blood-bought son or
daughter of God. Thus every member has a unique, high standing and must share in the
responsibilities, privileges, ownership, obligations, and building up of the local church. This is
why the New Testament authors always address the whole church—not just the elders—when
they write to a local church. Neil Summerton’s insightful comments on “the high position
accorded in scripture to the congregation itself” deserve repeating: Despite the existence of
priestly and Levitical castes, and later of kings, that position can already be perceived in
shadow in the Old Testament. The old covenant was with people rather than simply with
leaders and under it a certain egalitarianism can be perceived in the relation between people
and their covenant God: the superior status, as distinct from authority, later accorded to the
monarch in Israel obviously derived from the hardness of the people’s heart rather than the
primitive purpose of God (see 1 Samuel 8:10-18; Hosea 8:4, 13-14).

The promise is comprehensively fulfilled in the New Testament. There we see a new
covenant with a new people which embraces the youngest to the oldest. All receive the sign and
guarantee of the covenant— the Holy Spirit; from that Spirit all have knowledge of God and all
have the heart of flesh to obey God; all are kings and priests to God; and each receives (from
young to old) spiritual gifts, severally according to the will of God, for the mutual upbuilding of
the church. The old Israel was dependent usually on a few leaders; in the new, spiritual insight,
spiritual power, spiritual character and spiritual standing are now much more widely
disseminated through the whole body. Consistent with this teaching, the New Testament
accords a much higher status and role to the congregation at large than has often been accepted
and practised in the experience of the church—though it should be noted that in times of
revival and renewal there has been a constant tendency to rectify matters.

Christ’s presence is with the whole congregation, not just the elders. Christ ministers
through all the members because all are Spiritindwelt, but all members do not function as
shepherds to the whole community—the council of elders does that. The congregation governs
itself through the congregational elders. It is not governed by any external person or group. The
New Testament does not indicate that the congregation governs itself by majority vote, and
there is no evidence that God has granted every member one equal vote with every other
member. Rather, the New Testament congregation is governed by its own congregational
elders. The elders, according to the express instruction of the New Testament, have the
authority to shepherd the congregation. Of course there are matters of congregational business
and debate that require the involvement and decision of the whole congregation. Jesus taught
that the discipline of an unrepentant, sinning member (after individual efforts to correct the sin
had failed) requires the collective wisdom, action, and discipline of the whole congregation
(Matt. 18:17-20; 1 Cor. 54,1 1; 2 Cor. 2:6). Paul also instructs the whole church to examine
prospective elders or deacons (1 Tim. 3:10). When issues are brought to the congregation, the
elders, as Spirit-placed shepherds, take the lead in guiding the congregation in orderly and
prayerful decision making. As the congregation looks to its elders for wise leadership, the
elders also look to the congregation—their brothers and sisters—for wisdom, counsel,
inspiration, creative ideas, help, and prayer. Elders who understand the sacred nature and
dynamic energy of the Spirit-empowered congregation know the necessity of congregational
participation in all major decisions. The goal of the elders and congregation should always be to
speak and act as a united community. Both the leaders and the led should take the time and
make the effort needed to work and pray together to achieve this oneness of mind. This means
that elders must inoculate themselves against aloofness, secrecy, or independently seeking
their own direction. Godly elders desire to involve every member of the body in the joy of living
together as the family of God. This requires a great deal of free and open communication
between the elders and congregation.

The first Christian congregation provides us with some examples of a leadership council
and congregation working together in decision making and problem solving. In Acts 6, when
conflict broke out between the Hebrew and Hellenistic widows in the congregation over the fair
distribution of funds, the Twelve (the leadership council) immediately devised a plan for
resolving the problem. They called the congregation together and presented their plan. The
congregation approved the plan, which called for their participation in choosing seven men to
take responsibility for the care of all the church widows. After the seven were chosen by the
congregation, the apostles officime placed the seven men in charge of the poor by the laying on
of hands and prayer. In Acts 15, the congregation in Jerusalem was confronted with serious
doctrinal controversy. The account shows that the whole church was involved in resolving the
controversy but that the apostles and elders took the lead in all the proceedings (Acts 15:4,6).
The apostles and elders permitted public debate, including the presentation of the opposing
view (Acts 15 25,7). The chief leaders within the leadership council brought the matters to a
conclusion so that all the leaders could “become of one mind” (15:25). The final decision was
the decision of the apostles, the elders, the whole church, and the Holy Spirit: “Then it seemed
good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them to
send to Antioch. . ..‘For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater
burden than these essentials’” (15:22,28). From these two examples, it is clear that the
leadership body takes the lead for the congregation, and that the congregation participates.
Depending on the circumstances, the leaders wisely use different procedures and strategies to
help the congregation solve problems and make decisions. The New Testament does not
prescribe detailed rules and regulations regarding the elder-congregation relationship or
decision making process. The New Testament is absolutely clear, however, that Christlike love,
humility, and prayer are to guide all our relationships and all our deliberations. As the
Scripture says: But we [church leaders] will devote ourselves to prayer (Acts 6:4a). These all
[the first congregation] with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer (Acts
1:14a).

Make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in
spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility
of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself; do not merely look
out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in
yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not
regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-
servant, and being made in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He
humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross (Phil. 2:2-
8).