BIBLICAL LEADERSHIP

The Eldership In
The Body
Of Christ
Lesson 5

WE HAVE ALREADY EXAMINED

THE FOLLOWING:
The Kind of Man the Elder must
be!
His Reputation Among Outsiders
His Spiritual Experience
His Ability To Teach!

NOTE:
Every Disciple of Jesus Should Try
To Be The Same Kind of Person
Develop That Kind of CHARACTER
Be a GOOD EXAMPLE To The
OUTSIDER
Grow To SPIRITUAL MATURITY
Learn The Word Of God And TEACH
OTHERS

NOW:
The Elders DOMESTIC
CIRCUMSTANCE
IT IS RECOGNIZED:
It is NOT NECESSARY for a
Christian to BE MARRIED and
REAR CHILDREN
This

IS NECESSARY for the

ELDERS!

SCRIPTURES THAT APPLY:

Therefore an overseer must be
above reproach, the husband of
one wife, sober-minded, selfcontrolled, respectable,
hospitable, able to teach,
(I Timothy 3:2)

He must manage his own

household well, with all dignity

keeping his children

submissive,
for if someone

does not
know how to manage his
own household, how will he
care for God's church?
(I Timothy 3:4, 5)

if any man is blameless, the

husband of one wife, having

children that believe, who

are not accused of riot or
unruly.
(Titus 1:6 ASV)

NOTE:

GOOD LEADERSHIP
COMES OUT
OF:
GOOD FAMILIES!
Lesson 11, and 12 of Booklet

WHAT IS THE IMPORTANT

QUESTION?

IF HE HAS NOT MANAGED

HIS OWN FAMILY WELL,
HOW CAN HE CARE FOR
GODS CHURCH?

FIRST, IS HE ABOVE
REPROACH, BLAMELESS?
Does He Belong to Only One
Woman?
Are His Children Well-behaved
and NOT Rebellious?
Are His Children Submissive To
His LEADERSHIP?

Does He RULE His Own House

Well?
This Word Means To MANAGE!
It Is NOT a DICTATORIAL RULE!
He Is A Loving Father!
NOTE:
This is the SAME GREEK WORD
as found in I Timothy 5:17

Let the elders

who rule
() well be

considered worthy of double

honor, especially those who labor
in preaching and teaching.
(I Timothy 5:17)

ELDERS DO NOT LORD IT

OVER THE FLOCK!

not domineering over

those in your charge, but
being examples to the
flock.
(I Peter 5:3)

COMPARE I TIMOTHY 3:4

He must manage
() his own
household well, with all
dignity keeping his children
submissive,
NOTE ALSO TITUS 1:6

NOTE ACTS OF SERVICE:

the one who exhorts, in his
exhortation; the one who
contributes, in generosity; the

one who leads,

() with zeal; the
one who does acts of mercy, with
cheerfulness.
(Romans 12:8)

THE VERB HISTEMI

To STAND
Now Jesus

stood before
the governor, and the

governor asked him, "Are you

the King of the Jews?" Jesus
said, "You have said so."
(Matthew 27:11)

NOTE:
The NECESSITY of being
MARRIED is seen in the NEED to
HAVE EXPERIENCE in

MANAGING HIS OWN

HOUSE so that he can CARE
FOR GODS CHURCH!
DOES HE HAVE THAT

EXPERIENCE?

DEFINITIONS:
Children Not Accused of RIOT
means NOT LIVING AN
ABANDONED, IMMORAL

LIFE
NOT UNRULY means that
they are subject to
CONTROL

HAS THE POTENTIAL

ELDER REARED
CHILDREN TO KNOW
THE LORD?
DOES HE HAVE THAT
EXPERIENCE OF
HELPING CHILDREN
BECOME CHRISTIANS?

if any man is blameless, the

husband of one wife, having
children that believe (
), who are not
accused of riot or unruly.
(Titus 1:6)

HOW MANY BELIEVING

CHILDREN MUST AN ELDER
HAVE?
HOW MUCH EXPERIENCE
SHOULD HE HAVE?
DOES HE HAVE ENOUGH
EXPERIENCE TO MANAGE
GODS CHURCH?

COMPARE:
HOW MUCH EXPERIENCE
SHOULD HE HAVE IN
TEACHING?
ABLE TO TEACH
HE MUST HAVE ENOUGH TO
CARE FOR GODS CHURCH!

NOTE:
In the Scripture, the word
CHILDREN is used in a
GENERIC SENSE! That is, it can
be used for BOTH a

SINGULAR as well as a
PLURAL CIRCUMSTANCE

CONSIDER:
And she said, "Who would have
said to Abraham that Sarah
would nurse children? Yet I
have borne him a son in his old
age.
(Genesis 21:7)
HOW MANY CHILDREN DID
SARAH HAVE?

CONSIDER AGAIN:
saying, "Teacher, Moses said, 'If a
man dies having no children, his
brother must marry the widow and
raise up children for his
brother.'
(Matthew 22:24)

CONSIDER AGAIN:
Fathers, do

not provoke your

children to anger, but bring
them up in the discipline and
instruction of the Lord.
(Ephesians 6:4)
WOULD IT BE ALL RIGHT TO
PROVOKE ONE CHILD TO
ANGER?

CERTAINLY, THE MORE

EXPERIENCE, THE BETTER!

CONGREGATION must
decide whether a man has
ENOUGH EXPERIENCE

The

NECESSARY so that HE CAN

MANAGE GODS
CHURCH!

PLEASE
PRAY
ABOUT
FUTURE ELDERS!