When Preaching on Elders

In my preparation to begin preaching on elders in the book of Titus last year, I reached out to a few friends of mine who are faithful pastors and asked them the following question:

From your perspective, what is one thing that is often under-emphasized when preaching on elders? 

Below are their answers (I’ve also included the location of where they serve):

“It is good to contrast the world's choosing of leaders with Biblical leadership.  The humble, selfless, servant leader is not going to be CEO of the company.  It is important not to put too much weight on outward human abilities and skills versus character, faithfulness, and a selfless heart desiring to "present everyone mature in Christ". The outward skillset can be easily and quickly evaluated.  The character piece takes time and patience to evaluate.” – Florida

“It’s hard to say - I think we focus a lot on the qualifications, which I wouldn’t alter. Obviously, that’s huge. But I do always think it’s helpful to spend time on the work of the shepherd, what that oversight and shepherding actually might look like.” – Florida

“[Because] we live in such an antiauthoritarian culture right now, I feel like you have to clear a lot of ground, acknowledge that this hasn't been done well without trying to make it sound like, "praise God I'm here so we can do it right!"--while you're saying, let's do it right…The problem isn't authority, the problem is lack of proper authority given to godly leaders.” – California

“Tested and proven character (not just get in the door characteristics but why the elder qualifications are what they are); tested and proven doctrine and philosophy of ministry so that an elder does not yank the church around chasing every new fad and doctrine.   I also think there we don’t talk about how plurality works and why God says appoint elders.  This is loving care and protection for the church and individuals.  Because there is so much unbiblical leadership and authoritarianism and so many people have had bad leadership there is a natural distrust of leadership.  Others don’t understand or want the accountability that shepherd elders bring.  Helping people see God’s beautiful design and protection for the church is helpful.” – Florida

“Good question—probably an expansion of 1 Timothy 3:2, “it’s a fine work he desires to do.”  Explaining the nature of “the work” and the amount of labor involved. Many elders view themselves only as decision makers.” – Arizona

“The equality in the office. The elders may have differing gifts and areas of expertise, but as they shepherd the church there is equality.” – Georgia

“The congregation has an important job to pray for their elders. Because elders are not naturally what they must be qualified to be, [they] need grace.” – New York

“Character trumps ability/giftedness. Trustworthiness. Implied authority...true authority is Christ and His Word. Responsibility of body to meet physical needs...this is probably the most overlooked because it seems self-serving.” – Florida

“I think a common misconception that many sheep have is to think that these are standards for shepherds only. Neglecting to note that these is a list of attributes which elders are to be examples of for the flock, meaning that these are attributes for which everyone should be striving, regardless of if you’ll be an elder or not.” – Massachusetts

“Tie selection…Friendliness/gentleness.” – New York

“The need for elders to be “hospitable” is commonly overlooked. I might add, watching many well-known or public pastors respond to various crises over the last year has reminded me of the need to persevere in all the qualifications. I have seen faithful men start to fall apart or become lax in certain areas. For example, there is a pugnacious spirit with many that diverts attention away from God and His Word and makes “issues” the central feature of their ministry. This is compromise.” – Alabama

“I'd say that many in our circles overemphasize the qualification of teaching. In other words, many think that if an elder can't "preach" he can't serve as an elder. But I've found that if you have a strong preacher as the pastor, then that qualification need not be magnified. It is after all only one among the more important character qualities listed with it. Also, the teaching qualification will look different regarding the size of the church, opportunities to preach, and gifting. One on one teaching or small group discipleship can fit under that qualification, not necessarily public teaching before the masses.” - Florida

“One thing that immediately comes to mind:  the elder is a member of the body and sheep too in need of the ministry of the body even though responsible for its shepherding which is so contrary to the celebrity pastor motif.” – Florida

“On what I've read regarding eldership, I'd like to see more on the parity that there should be amongst elders. I hear/read that elders are biblical and good for the flock, but I don't see as much on the importance of communicating to the church that they are all pastors of the church. Elders aren't just a board to help the "senior pastor". They are all shepherds of the flock, some with different focus (like on preaching) then others.” – New York

“The one thing I think about in our context…is that we don’t emphasize that elder qualifications are about direction and not perfection. Frankly this is still hard to work out – it seems there should be some minimum standard of maturity, reliability, faithfulness – but coming from an established church with significant resources and history…to a place where people are for the most part first generation believers, recognizing how the objective elder qualifications work out is challenging.” – Croatia

“I sincerely don't know what's under-emphasized. What's crucial to emphasize, I think, is what Paul emphasizes: their character. That's where he spends so much of his ink--more than on what they actually do. Why? Because what they ARE is crucial to what they DO. They ARE exemplary Christians--pattern setters for every Christian. They DO, then, set patterns. That's central to the work: saying, "follow me as I follow Christ." IOW: they're not a different "class" of Christians. They are not aristocracy with blue blood. The work is always to get people to be like them and do what they do, like when you say to your kid, "Watch me play the piano scale or shoot the hoop. Now you do it." That's the work: "Watch me share the gospel, endure suffering, grieve a loss, give sacrificially, love the church, love my wife and kids, work hard for my unkind non-Christian boss. Now you do the same." A second thing to emphasize is not just THAT the Bible offers us the pattern of the plurality of elders. It's WHY it offers us that pattern: because it builds a discipleship trajectory into the very structures of the church for all the men in the church.” – Washington, DC

 I found all of the above answers very insightful, convicting, and encouraging. I hope it has done the same for you!

In Christ,

Joey.