THE NORTHERN KENTUCKY SEARCHER
"Search the scriptures: for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. " (John 5:39)

VOLUME 3, NUMBER 25, JULY 20, 2003

DUTIES OF ELDERS

            In last week’s bulletin article we addressed the subject of how members in this local congregation should view and treat the elders.  This article will be devoted to a brief examination of the duties the elders have.

            Let me begin by stating that the eldership (the plurality of elders overseeing a local congregation) is an executive body, not a legislative body.  We are under the “law of faith” (Rom. 3:27), and the responsibility of the elders is to see to it that every law of the Lord Jesus Christ is carried out.  The elders do not have the power or authority to make laws.

            In Hebrews 13:17, we read, “Obey them that have the rule over your, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.”    Two of the duties of the elders are set for in this verse.  They are to “rule”.  The word “rule” means “to lead, to go before; to have authority over.”   1 Peter 5:3 points out that this is not to be a tyrannical rule.  It is not as though Christ made the elders “Lords” over the flock.

            Hebrews 13:17 also points out that the elders have the responsibility of “watching” on behalf of the soul of each member in the congregation.  While the nature of this article precludes a thorough examination of the passage, Ezekiel 33 sets forth in a powerful way some of the responsibilities of a watchman, including warning and exhortation.   We know as well that they must watch for false teachers entering into the flock and that they must also watch their own lives (Acts 20:28-31).

            1 Peter 5:1-2, tell us, “The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly: not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind:”   The word “feed” is from the Greek “poimaino”, meaning “to act as a shepherd”.  That is a responsibility of the elders that encompasses many things. 

            First of all, shepherds lead, they do not drive their flocks. Elders are to be examples to the flock, they are “out in front”, leading the congregation.  An elder should live in such a manner that he would be able to ask the congregation to “Be followers of me, even as I also am of Christ” (1 Cor. 11:1).  The bible indicates several areas in which they must be exemplary.  For instance, in their personal conduct and character, their habits and their speech.  They should be examples in attendance at all services, in personal evangelism, in visiting the sick, in their family relationships, in making peace.  In every day activities in the community, in their jobs, recreation, and so forth, they must serve as good examples.

            As shepherds, elders must protect the “flock” in the face of all danger, including false teachers (Acts 20:28-31).  They must care for the people that they oversee, knowing each member and watching to see that none stray from the flock (Hebrews 13:17).  They must see to it that the congregation is fed, and that what they are fed is the unadulterated, full counsel of  God (Acts 20:27-28).

            One of the qualifications for a man who is appointed as an elder in the Lord’s church is that he be “apt to teach”, (1 Tim. 3:2).  That means he must be skilled in some form of teaching.  Why?  “That he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers” (Tit. 1:9). 

            Additionally, elders are charged with the responsibility of admonishing the church.  In 1 Thess. 5:12, we read, “And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labor among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you.”  To admonish is to warn of a fault, to reprove gently but seriously, to exhort, and even to remind someone of something they may have forgotten.  A faithful elder must be no respecter of persons in this duty.  He is to uphold truth and right regardless of who, when, or where; even as he knows that some will not take it very well.

            Another qualification of a man who would be appointed as an elder also indicates another of his duties.  1 Tim. 3:2, tells us that he must be “given to hospitality”.  The home of an elder should be a place of hospitality, where all are welcome.  It is easy to see the wisdom of God in also requiring that an elder be “the husband of one wife”.  His faithful wife will have a large part to play in the hospitality of his home. 

            Elders are to oversee the financial matters of a congregation.  This is clearly demonstrated in Acts 11:29-30, when the brethren in Antioch sent relief to the brethren in Judea who were suffering from a famine.  They sent the relief into the hands of the elders.

            Elders also have the responsibility to see to it that discipline of all required forms is carried out.   Faithful elders, acting according to the Law of Christ, have the full authority of Christ to lead the congregation in discipline of the disorderly.  They are to do so according to the pattern given by the Lord in such passages as Matthew 18:15-18, 1 Cor. 5:4-5,  2 Thess. 3:6, 14-15, Tit. 3:10.  It is a fearful responsibility and it takes true courage on the part of elders to enforce the will of God in such matters.  They must keep themselves free of bias, prejudice, or personalities in problems that may arise.   The Lord’s will must be carried out.

                                                                                    Greg Litmer