Should the Minister Be One of the Elders?

by Christian Standard | 16 November, 2008 | 0 comments

By Darrel Rowland

“The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching” (1 Timothy 5:17).

Does this verse mean the preacher could/should be a pastor and regarded as an elder? Three of the four churches examined this week because they have a well-functioning leadership team believe so.

Bob Russell was an elder at Southeast Christian in Louisville. Robin Hart in Ohio and Eddie Lowen in Illinois are elders today. Greg Marksberry is not, although he acknowledges that a “fly on the wall” at elders meetings of his Atlanta-area church likely would believe otherwise.

Hart says he is an elder because he does the work of a pastor-teacher and evangelist (Ephesians 4:11, 12), has been at the church longer than any of the elders and is older than some, has believing children, and meets the other qualifications.

His minister of administration, Ernie Graf, also is one of the church”s six elders. Graf joined the staff after retiring from his secular job and serving as an elder for about 10 years.

“Why should he have to resign as an elder because he is now doing the work of an elder full time?” Hart wondered. “It didn”t make sense to me.”

COOPERATIVE SPIRIT
At Lowen”s church the senior minister is one of eight elders (down from 16 when he arrived eight years ago).

“He”s not the chairman, but the chairman has a cooperative spirit toward the senior minister,” Lowen said. “No competition. No powering up. No tendency to nitpick. All elders are instructed not to entertain complaints or comments about the senior minister from other staff, unless a major moral or ethical failure has been committed.”

The director of ministries and the director of operations, both senior staff members, attend elders meetings to give their reports but can”t vote. The other elders meet without Lowen when discussing his compensation or semiannual review.

Since senior ministers have the most at stake, they should “serve as leaders of leaders,” Lowen said.

“That doesn”t mean the elders are pushed out, but that the minister is allowed to heavily influence until he proves he shouldn”t be trusted to do so. Too many elder teams invite ministers to “˜come lead” and then spend a lot of energy reneging on the invitation. Elders should hire the right ministers, then give them as much room as their giftedness and spiritual maturity allow.”

Russell was the only staff member among the 11 elders at Southeast (a number intentionally downsized from as many as 26 for efficiency). He says he likes a setup where the senior minister is considered a “paid elder.” He is accountable to the other elders, “but he is not their hired hand.”

Russell said he deliberately tried not to dominate elders meetings. He said relations were so good that the other elders could joke about his latest idea being his most stupid yet, and he could retort that they were wrong, he”d presented ones much more stupid in the past.

Southeast”s elders oversee the staff; then much of the “hands on” shepherding and discipleship are carried out by the staff or small groups, Russell said.

NO VOTE NEEDED

Although his title is senior pastor, Marksberry said he”s never felt the need to be one of the seven elders at Heritage Christian.

“There”s always been such a mutual trust, and I”ve always felt heard by the elder team in terms of perspective and vision that I don”t feel like I”ve ever needed a vote, so to speak.”

Still, he considers himself a “functioning elder, fully part of the team as a visionary leader on the team.”

He says the elders should concentrate on large strategic issues, such as how to reach the lost in their community over the next 20 years, and let the staff determine if next year”s budget should increase 8 percent or 9 percent. Marksberry said the elders didn”t even vote this year when the staff decided to scrap Vacation Bible School and hold a church camp instead.

A PROBLEM TODAY

While not minimizing the matter of whether preachers should be elders, a couple of these ministers perceive a much more serious doctrinal leadership issue today for Christian churches and churches of Christ””especially in newer congregations.

Marksberry, a church planter himself, finds it disturbing when churches turn 9 or 10 years old and still haven”t selected elders. He notes that leaders were chosen much more quickly in first-century churches Paul planted, even those springing up in pagan cities. Marksberry said he fears the emphasis on “ministry teams” or other groups overseeing the church is a sign of either “elder phobia” or a power-hungry pastor.

Russell is worried about the same thing.

“It does seem to me that we have more and more situations where the preacher is a domineering force in the church, and there really isn”t the kind of mutual involvement and shepherding from the lay leadership.”

Having elders around sometimes can prove bothersome for the preacher, especially when it comes to change, so the church quietly renames biblical functions and revises the biblical leadership structure, Russell said.

After all, he pointed out, the most efficient form of government is a dictatorship: “They don”t have to worry so much about accountability.”

Or about leading a biblical church.Â

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Darrel Rowland is public affairs editor of The Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch and an adult Bible fellowship teacher at Worthington Christian Church.Â