Elders are primarily called to pastoral ministry; they are the pastors of the people of God. As the pastors (or shepherds) of our church they are required to protect, feed, and lead the flock, as well as meet the flock's many practical needs.

The following list, while not exhaustive, gives a good overview of the biblical, pastoral responsibilities of the elders.

• "Prayer and ministry of the word" (Acts 6:2-4)
• Protect against false teachers and heretical doctrines (Acts 20:28-31; Titus 1:9)
• Teach sound doctrine (1 Tim. 3:2; Titus 1:9)
• Pray for the sick (James 5:14)
• Enact church discipline and admonish improper behavior (1 Thess. 5:12)
• Lead, supervise and manage/steward the church, the household of God (1 Tim. 5:17; Titus 1:7; 1 Pet 5:1-3)
• Preach and teach (1 Tim. 5:17)

In order to accomplish the above responsibilities, the elders of the church must also:

• Be prayerful and watchful over the whole church
• Be aware of changing issues in our church and society
• Be courageous in his defense of the people and doctrines of our church
• Be able to clearly articulate the mission, vision, values and goals of our church
• Be able to make decisions, give direction, motivate people, and evaluate processes
• Be willing to work hard for the benefit of others

Perhaps above all, an elder must possess a deep, self-sacrificial love for God's people. As a shepherd, an elder is called to lead for the sake of the church.

Shared Leadership
The Scriptures clearly point to a plurality of elders in each local church.

• "Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust." (Acts 14:23 NIV)
• "The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching." (1Tim 5:17 NIV)
• "The reason I left you in Crete was that you might straighten out what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you." (Titus 1:5 NIV)
• "To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder, a witness of Christ's sufferings and one who also will share in the glory to be revealed:" (1Pet 5:1 NIV)
• "Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord." (James 5:14 NIV)

Thus, in our understanding of shared leadership, a plurality of elders is a collective (or collegiate) form of leadership, in which each elder shares equally the authority and responsibility of the office. Our elder board is to be a council of equals.

However, there may be distinctions according to function among the elders.

• "Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: "Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say." (Acts 2:14 NIV)
• "The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching." (1Tim 5:17 NIV)

These functionally distinct elders are typically called "pastors" in most American churches, including our own.

Qualified Leadership
The office of elder is not an honorary position for those who have faithfully attended or generously given to the church. Nor is it an office that we reserve only for those who attended a Bible college or seminary. The office of elder is open to all men in our church who meet the biblical requirements.
When it comes to elders, the primary concern of the NT authors is their qualifications. The overriding concern of the NT authors is that the right men be selected for eldership. (In fact, there are more passages about the qualifications of elders than about the Lord's Supper, baptism or spiritual gifts.)
Elders must meet these qualifications because they are the ones who are entrusted with God's most dear and costly possession, His children (Titus 1:7).
The three primary texts which list elder qualifications are 1 Timothy 3:1-7, Titus 1:5-9, and 1 Peter 5:1-4. From these passages, we determine the following qualifications for eldership at our church:

• Moral and Spiritual Prerequisites: An elder must morally be above reproach, especially in his marital and sexual life. He must be a man of integrity, self-control and spiritual maturity. He must be self-controlled particularly with respect to money, alcohol and the exercise of authority. He must consistently demonstrate hospitality, humility, balance, gentleness, stability, and sober-mindedness. He must not be a man who seeks controversy or confrontation, but rather be prone to peace making and reconciliation.

• Abilities: As the role of an elder is to be a steward of God's household, an elder must manage his own household and family well (1 Tim. 3:4-5). He must be a godly role model - an "example to the flock" (1 Peter 5:3). He must be able to teach and defend the faith so that he can "exhort in sound doctrine and refute those who contradict." (Titus 1:9) He must be committed to continual study of the Word of God so that he may be equipped of every good work (2 Tim. 3:17).

• Motivation: An elder must possess the Spirit-given desire to serve our church in this pastoral office.

Servant Leadership
The elders of our church are called to be servant-leaders. Thus, each of our elders must be committed to self-sacrificial love and humble servanthood in the power of the Holy Spirit. Our elders agree to live and lead as Christ would have them do so - with patience, forgiveness, humility, oneness and love.
The elders of our church will not practice abusive, heavy-handed leadership (1 Peter 5:3), but will clothe themselves in humility just as Jesus clothed Himself in humility (Philippians 2:3-7).

Amongst themselves, the elders of our church must humbly and lovingly relate to one another as they patiently seek wisdom and consensus. They must practice mutual submission and mutual accountability. When necessary, they must also practice confession, repentance and reconciliation with one another. Elders must be willing to listen, persuade, compromise, receive, rebuke, correct, and appreciate the wisdom and diversity of the other elders.

Male Leadership
All passages in the NT, whether descriptive or prescriptive, universally refer to elders as men. However, we hasten to emphasize that the principle of male eldership in no way diminishes the significance and necessity of active female involvement and leadership in our church.

The gifts of the Holy Spirit are given irrespective of gender, but the office of elder is reserved for men. We believe that this understanding of male pastoral leadership is in accordance with a biblical, complementarian view of gender roles within the family of God.