Last week we looked at the office of elder and saw that the terms “elder, overseer, and shepherd (pastor)” all refer to the same office.

Today I want to ask the questions, what do elders do? Understanding this will help us to have proper expectations of our elders.

Next week I want to answer the question, “Why and how should we pay pastors?” Included in this will be a discussion of why we pay some and not others.

But for today, let’s look at what elders do. There are 3 main texts that we must understand in order to know this. The first comes out of Acts and is actually the passage where the church first begins to understand the needs for deacons. From there we will look at the lists of qualifications in 1 Timothy and Titus.

There is a lot of overlap in the lists of qualifications in 1 Tim. and Titus, so in an effort to streamline these texts let’s look quickly at the character of an elder, followed by the work of an Elder. I will essentially give these to you in lists with minimal commentary and then sum them up at the end.

The Elder’s Character

There are many character qualities that are required of elders, but interestingly these 3 texts only reveal 3 activities that an elder must be involved in. Let’s look first at his character. I will combine characteristics across passages if they are similar.

Desire-It is not wrong for a man to desire the office of elder, in fact he should. 1 Tim. 3:1
Above reproach- This does not mean perfect, but it does mean that he is able to be an example in holiness. 1 Tim. 3:2; Tit. 1:6, 8
A one woman man- There is not separate words in Greek for “man” and “husband”, nor “woman” or “wife”. Some understand this to refer to marital status, some don’t (ie- not divorced), but either way his character is to be that of a one woman man. 1 Tim. 3:2; Tit. 1:6
Sober minded- this is a reference to temperance of disposition, another way to say this would be “able to show restraint.” 1 Tim. 3:2; Tit. 1:7
Self controlled- able to show restraint over one’s passions and desires. 1 Tim. 3:2; Tit. 1:8
Respectable- appropriate and modest. 1 Tim. 3:2
Hospitable- welcoming of outsiders and strangers. 1 Tim. 3:2; Tit. 1:8
Not a drunkard- this word literally means “by wine.” Not given to alcohol. 1 Tim. 3:3; Tit. 1:7
Not violent but gentle- kind. 1 Tim. 3:3; Tit. 1:7
Not quarrelsome- inclined to peace and not argument. 1 Tim. 3:3
Not a lover of money- not greedy or seeking satisfaction in worldly treasures. 1 Tim. 3:3; Tit. 1:7
Managing his own household well- This involves many aspects of leadership and discipline. A man whose home and life are out of control will not be able to lead the church well or do some of the more difficult aspects of the job where courage is required. 1 Tim. 3:4-5; Tit. 1:6
Not a recent convert- New believers are prone to fall for the snares of the devil. 1 Tim. 3:6-7
Well thought of by outsiders- This one must be weighed carefully because some of Paul’s instructions in 2 Cor. indicates that at times those who herald the Word of God will not be liked. This is certainly true in Acts. But his conduct must be such that those outside the church should/could think well of him. 1 Tim. 3:7
Not arrogant- in other words he doesn’t think of himself too highly or too often. Tit. 1:7
Holy- morally pure and upright. Tit. 1:8

You can see that this is a tall list of character traits. No one except Jesus embodies them perfectly. But an elder must be one who is able an example in life and godliness to those who will follow his example.

The Elder’s Work

But what about the work of an elder? I’m glad you asked!

This is much simpler. The reality is that there are only two activities that the elder is called to…teaching and praying. There are several sub categories under teaching that we will briefly examine. But the elders main role is to pray and teach, teach and pray.

Prayer

We see the call to prayer mostly by example in the New Testament. Paul is constantly referring to his prayers for the saints in the various cities and churches in which he ministered and to whom he wrote. He also commands us to be in constant prayer, certainly a reality that the elders must model ( 1 These. 5:17)

Similarly James tells people who are sick to call the elders to pray. This means that the elders must be able and willing to pray for those in the church who are in need of prayer.

Teaching

In Acts 6, the text where we see deacons begin to emerge in the life of the church, the deacons are appointed because the disciples, who were the original elders in the Jerusalem church, knew that “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word…” Acts. 6:2. They then call for the appointment of deacons so that they can “devote ourselves to prayer and the ministry of the word” Acts 6:4. Here we see both of the priorities in the life of the elder.

In the lists of qualifications of elders in 1 Tim. 1 and Tit. 1 we see that there is only one skill given among all of the other qualities that are listed, “able to teach” 1 Tim. 1:3, Tit. 1:9.

There are other sub categories of teaching that are included in the Scriptures as a role the elder must play. He must…

“give instruction in sound doctrine” Tit. 1:9
“rebuke those who contradict it (sound doctrine)” Tit. 1:9
“Teach what accords with sound doctrine” Tit. 2:1
“exhort and rebuke with all authority” Tit. 2:15
“be…able to teach” 1 Tim. 1:2
“Command and teach these things” 1 Tim. 2:11
“Keep a close watch on yourself and the teaching” 1 Tim. 2:16
“Persist in this” 1 Tim. 2:16
“Preach the word” 2 Tim. 4:2
“reprove, rebuke, exhort” 2 Tim. 4:2

There are more than these verses on the matter of the elder/pastor’s relationship to teaching truth, but I think you get the point.

Don’t get me wrong. An elder must do more than just pray and teach. He is commanded in 1 Peter to shepherd the flock of God that is among! Pastors must care for the flock, love the flock, be among the flock, etc. But he also must feed the flock! James 5:14-15 shows that elders/pastors must be available for visitation and prayer.

A church will never rise above it’s view of the Word of God and it’s understanding of the importance of the right preaching of the word.

So What Do We Do?

So how can churches play a role in making sure that elder is doing what is best for the church? Here are a few ideas…

Hold your pastors and elders accountable to having a ministry of prayer and preaching/teaching. If they are not doing that, demand it. If they are, encourage them to keep going.
Serve. If your elders are so busy “waiting tables” as in Acts 6 that they never has time to study and teach then you might have to step up in your willingness to serve so that they can do what they are required to do.
Submit yourself to the word of God. The word will at some point step on your toes. It will offend you. It’s supposed to. When it does, welcome it as part of God’s refining of you. Don’t shoot the messenger (this isn’t permission for pastors to be bullies).
Pay them salaries that free them to serve up the word. We will look more at this next week.