Elders
The Introduction to Co-Mission’s manual on Elders provides the following background on elders:
The Apostle Paul regarded the appointment of good “Elders” (the original term is “presbyters” and meant “senior men”) as vital to the healthy gospel witness of any church (Titus 1). The “Elders” were to be a team, to take advantage of complementary gifts, wisdom and energy. They were to be senior, to benefit from the experience, wisdom and authority that comes with age. They were to be
men, because every church is God’s household with men to provide loving leadership.
Paul explains in his letters that those appointed as Elders must excel in three characteristics: personal godliness, skill in teaching scripture and ability to manage the congregation. Such men were not to be self-appointed or elected but chosen by other senior Christians (1 Tim. 3, 2 Tim. 2, Titus 1 and Acts 13-14). They were to be publicly commissioned (“ordained”) by senior Church
leaders and recognised by their own congregations as having God-given authority to “shepherd” (i.e. “pastor” the church cf.vs28) and “oversee” (i.e. “bishop” or govern) the congregation. This was a leadership pattern in continuity with Old Testament patterns of synagogue leadership.
The following extract from Titus sets out the characteristics of an elder:
6 An elder must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. 7 Since an overseer is entrusted with God’s work, he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. 8 Rather he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. 9 He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it. (Titus 1:6-9)