The Appointment of Elders: A Deeper Look

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The Appointment of Elders: A Deeper Look

Introduction: A few weeks ago the elders told me they wanted to see if we could find more men in the church to serve as elders, and therefore they thought it a good idea for me to preach on the subject. At first, I was hesitant thinking that most here had a fairly good idea of what an elder/shepherd ought to be. And besides, who doesn’t know the list of qualifications in 1 Timothy and Titus?

However, as the time has come closer, I have heard many comments that indicate to me the importance of looking again at what the Bible says about the work of shepherds and how we are to think about finding and appointing such men.

We usually talk about the qualifications, and our reference point is simply Timothy and Titus. However, I would like to point out that there are actually two groups of qualifications. We can label them this way:

• Qualifications for the character of a shepherd
• Qualifications for the work of a shepherd

• Qualifications for the Character of a Shepherd (1 Timothy/Titus)
  1. My experience is that there has been an over-emphasis on character qualifications. I have repeatedly prepped a church for the appointment of elders by talking about shepherding as the primary work of elders. And it seems that in every instance Christians go back to placing character qualifications as the primary test with little consideration to what the work actually is! Remember, “elder,” “overseer,” and “shepherd,” are descriptive terms that define the work. “Elder” implies maturity and years of experience. But “overseer” and “shepherd” are what truly tell us about what the actual work of an elder is.
  2. If the qualifications of Timothy and Titus are the main point, please consider that except for being married and having a family, all the qualifications are required for every member. We could appoint nearly everyone in the church. That is why we should first consider whether this man fits the “descriptive titles” of elder, overseer, and shepherd before we look at the listed qualifications.
  3. When Paul gives character qualifications the assumption is that the man is truly shepherd-like. Therefore, the qualifications are secondary to the work. Once it is proven that a man has the ability to shepherd, Paul’s instructions are making sure that the man has the character and life experience to do so, summarized by “blameless” or “above reproach.”
  4. Further, we tend to read the qualifications and concentrate primarily on the parts that we can quantify: husband of one wife (one woman man), children that are in submission, faithful, and not unruly. But there are other qualifications to which we often do not give enough thought or define properly:
     1. First, begin with the first words of Paul in 1 Timothy 3:1, “If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task.” We have often made the terrible mistake of interpreting this as, “Does he want to be an elder?” That is not what Paul is saying. The word “aspire” means, “to extend, stretch out; to stretch one’s self out, to read forward to, to desire earnestly, long after; to indulge in, be devoted to.” Clearly, the idea is that this person has worked for years toward this goal. Those of you in your twenties and early thirties should be working for this goal now. 
     2. Another poorly defined qualification is evidence of “managing and guiding his household well with all dignity.” This is not a simplistic test of whether the children have been baptized or whether they do something like “drink and drive.” Our prime directive as parents is to raise our children to maturity, first spiritually, but then also to be able to succeed in the real world. Those two aspects of maturity are a direct result of how fathers raise their children. 
     3. Other qualifications that are often not considered very carefully: self-controlled, disciplined, gentle, not quarrelsome or quick-tempered, above reproach.
     4. One of the most important qualities is stated by Jesus: “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you” (Mark 10:42-43). If there is in the mind of any man that this is an “authority” position, he should step away and not be considered.
  5. Finally, before we transition away from the secondary qualifications, another downgraded consideration is, Wives! Wives are given a short list: “dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things.” Therefore, here is the first principle that is often violated by wives of elders or prospective elders:
     1. You know your husband better than anyone. You know better than anyone whether he is qualified. You know what he is like behind closed doors, and sisters, that’s who he really is. 
     2. You know whether he is quick-tempered. You know whether he has a problem with outbursts of wrath and anger. You know how he handles stress.
     3. You know about his morality and about his purity.
     4. You know how he has treated his children.
     5. You know whether he is a good Bible student, whether he can do the work, and whether he can handle the stress in a godly fashion. 
     6. And, you know if it would be better if he waited and matured more and practiced the skill of shepherding before actually becoming a shepherd. 
     7. Therefore, if you are going to be “faithful in all things,” your first job is to be faithful to tell your husband that he is not ready and that you object. And if he refuses to listen to you, that is all the more proof he cannot be a shepherd. You must report your objections to the elders. Remember Achan’s wife? She knew of his theft and did not report it. Do not be complicit in allowing your husband to be appointed when you know better than anyone that he should not.
        Just as no man should be a preacher who does not have the 100% agreement and support of his wife, so no man should be a shepherd without the 100% agreement of his wife. Wives who first and foremost faithful to God and his word are critical to the success of shepherds!
• Primary Qualification: Shepherding
  1. Ezekiel 34:1-24
     1. Verse 2: “Ah, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep?” These shepherds were all about their agenda. They are not considering that God is the Chief Shepherd and these are God’s sheep. Their prime concern was to be the spiritual welfare of the sheep God had committed to their charge.
     2. Verse 4: “The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the injured you have not bound up, the strayed you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought, and with force and harshness you have ruled them.” The key here is how carefully they shepherded prior to their trial. 
     3. Verses 5-7: “So they were scattered…and there was none to search for them…surely because the sheep have become prey for all the wild beasts…” Sheep scatter when they are not fed. Sheep scatter when there is no one who cares about them and watches out for them. The result is that these sheep end up becoming a “prey” to every “wild beast.” In other words, we all can become like these sheep without the gentle, watchful care of good shepherds. When that happens, we become vulnerable by all of Satan’s wiles and false teachings.
  2. Verses 11-16 are the qualities of our Chief Shepherd and therefore the qualities that are to be imitated by shepherds in a local church:
     1. He “searches and seeks for those who have been scattered.”
     2. He “rescues them from all the places where they have been scattered on the day of clouds and thick darkness.” He rescues, especially in dangerous times. Remember what the shepherd did in Jesus’ parable when one sheep went astray? Leaves the 99 and seeks until he finds.
     3. Brings them back out of all the dangerous places.
     4. Keeps moving his sheep so that they are always fed in the best places: “good grazing land and rich pasture.” 
     5. “I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep and I myself will make them lie down.” A good shepherd personally takes care of his sheep so that he is personally aware of what is needed. For sheep the “lie down” they must be well fed and watered and free of parasites and fear of attack by predators. If they cannot lie down, they will die. The most important result of leadership in a church, whether shepherds, evangelists, or teachers, is for the Christians in the body being able to “lie down.”
     6. Unlike the bad shepherds, he will “seek the lost, bring back the strayed, and bind up the injured. He will strengthen the weak.
     7. 16b–22 Notice also how the shepherds handle those who are within the flock that harm the sheep. “The fat and strong” will be destroyed and he will “rescue” his flock. Sometimes elders sacrifice the whole flock because they are afraid to confront a member who is harming the flock.

Conclusion: Therefore, please remember, it is God who is doing the appointing through what he has taught us in his word. It is not up to us to play favorites or politics with this appointment. Therefore, we come back to two considerations:

• First, is he a shepherd-like person? The idea isn’t that he might become a shepherd, but does he already exhibit a shepherd character. Is he already pursuing and caring for souls?
• Second, has he demonstrated his character to be above reproach, blameless? But we do not need to answer this second question until we’ve answered the first. 

Berry Kercheville