Apostles Establish Elders

Young Titus was sent out from his local church to accompany the great apostle Paul on mission trips. So, Titus was an apostle too, like Paul. Titus stayed behind after one missionary trip on the island of Crete, a place where Paul had started churches. Paul assigned Titus the role of remaining on the island to establish elders in the churches there.

Elders are appointed by apostles.

The reason I left you in Crete was that you might put in order what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you (Titus 1:5).

God wants authority to be transmitted by the laying on of hands in the Church. Apostles should establish elders; and elders, in turn, should establish other men in the ministry. How do elders establish other men in the ministry? Through the simple but powerful gesture of laying on of hands. The laying on of hands is much more than a ceremony—it is the transfer of the anointing of the Holy Spirit from one man to another, and it is the recognition that a man has authority in the Church.

Responsibility

Christian elders administer the anointing of the Holy Spirit, establishing other men in leadership. Paul reminded Timothy of this here:

Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of  elders laid their hands on you (1 Timothy 4:14).

Elders establish accountability among one another through this same laying on of hands. For example, if the elders put an unprepared man in the ministry, and that man sins, the elders share responsibility for that sin. God will call them to account because they made the decision to place an immature man in the ministry.

Do not lay hands upon anyone too hastily and thereby share responsibility for the sins of others; keep yourself free from sin (1 Timothy 5:22; NASB).

Authority

Due to their experience and wisdom, elders have special authority in the Church. They work together in brotherly love, sharing the burden of leadership. No one man should be responsible for the teaching, training, or care of the flock. The team of elders shares that burden.

Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord (James 5:14).

To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder and a witness of Christ’s sufferings who also will share in the glory to be revealed: Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care… (1 Peter 5:1-2)

Accountability

Even Peter, the man Jesus personally established as the Rock upon whom Jesus would build his Church, served the first Christian congregation along with a group of elders. Far from being autocratic or dictatorial, Peter was kept in check by the Jerusalem board of elders, a board which consisted of other apostles. John, Matthew, Paul, and Barnabas all shared authority with Peter as elders. They were on the same team.

We know that Peter didn’t have an indispensable position of leadership because by the time the First Council of Jerusalem convened, the group of elders wasn’t led by Peter anymore—it was led by James. You can tell by the way James had the last word in Acts 15 in the Council of Jerusalem.

The apostles and elders met to consider this question [the issue of whether to circumcise Gentile converts]. After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: ‘Brothers, you know that some time ago [referring to Cornelius’ conversion] God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the Gospel and believe …’

The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them. When they finished, James spoke up. ‘Brothers,’ he said, ‘listen to me. Simon [Peter] has described to us how God first intervened to choose a people for his name from the Gentiles… It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God (Acts 15:6-7, 12-14, 19).

You can see in this passage that Peter was part of a board of elders, and that Peter didn’t have the final word on how to steer the ministry of the Church at that juncture. James did. Peter’s decisions were subject to the Jerusalem church board of elders. The elders prevailed, and leadership shifted through them. They successfully acted in love with wisdom.

Peter Challenged

On another occasion, Paul rebuked Peter in front of the entire assembly in Jerusalem, pointing out Peter’s hypocrisy. Now, Paul wasn’t trying to disgrace or humiliate Peter; nor was Paul vying for preeminence. There was no fighting among the elders of the church in Jerusalem—no battle for prestige. Rather, elder rebuked elder as a brother—and in public. Call it “plain dealing.” Call it being frank. It was love! They were blows from friends.

Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but deceitful are the kisses of an enemy (Proverbs 27:6; NASB).

Every elder is duty-bound to assure that the Church will not be misled by another elder. This is the responsibility of an elder.

When Cephas [Peter] came to Antioch, I [Paul] opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For… he [Peter] used to eat with the Gentiles… But… he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group…

I said to Cephas in front of them all, ‘You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?’ (Galatians 2:11-12, 14)

Brotherly Love

Because Paul spoke on God’s behalf for the good of the Church, and because he was right, Peter accepted Paul’s correction. We know that Peter accepted it because Peter went on to call Paul a dear brother. Notice how highly Peter spoke of Paul in his second epistle:

… as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. He writes the same way in all his letters… (2 Peter 3:15-16)

This kind of environment, one in which any church leader who is in error or sin can be confronted before all, is the mark of a true church. A true church is where leaders can deal with each other man-to-man. A true church has freedom of expression and courage.

As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another (Proverbs 27:17; LEB).

… stand firm in the Faith, act like men, be strong (1 Corinthians 16:3; NASB).

The Fear Factor

As we’ve seen, a team of elders sets the standard of holiness for the Church. Through them, every member of the Church is assured that leadership is kept in check. The duty of elders confronting one other is a labor of love. Their diligence in church discipline gives believers the confidence that they’re not going to be misled—but it does something else. It also infuses fear in believers.

Any time an elder is rebuked before the congregation, it is a warning for all. What does that warning say? It says: “The leaders of this congregation show no partiality. There is no bias or favoritism. Everyone is subject to discipline.” When an elder is rebuked, it shows that we are God’s saints, his holy people.

Now you should understand the tone of Paul’s command in the verse below. Paul set down the rule for the correction of an elder. Paul wanted Timothy and all other men who pastored with him to be ready to rebuke one another in front of the congregation, if necessary. If a pastor is corrected in private and will not repent, then he must be corrected in public.

Those [elders] who are sinning rebuke in the presence of all, that the rest also may fear (1 Timothy 5:20; NKJV).

So, men in Church leadership are supposed to be frank with each other. They are accountable to each other and their accountability instills fear in the rest of us. A team of elders is God’s tool for keeping the Church in line.

Elders interact for the good of the entire congregation, whether there is friction between them or not. Whether there is pugnacity or peace, whether they agree or disagree, their interactions become a challenging example for everyone who observes them. Are you willing to follow the example of plain dealing? Are you ready to imitate the behavior of bold and fearless men?

Remember your leaders, who spoke the Word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith (Hebrews 13:7).