5 Smooth Stones

Chapter Seven

BIBLICAL ELDERSHIP

A s we will see, the church in Ephesus was called a church for the fi rst time in the same scripture that notes there were elders present (Acts 20:17). As we will also see, it is not possible to have a true biblical church without recognized or ordained leaders, which the bible calls elders or bishops or overseers. You may fi nd it impossible to locate a copy of the New Testament which has the word pastor in it. Each of the common versions of the New Testament has one use of the plural word pastors in it, and only in one signi fi cant verse, which has been reviewed. Let’s now look at the form of government found in the early churches of the New Testament. These churches existed in Jerusalem, Antioch, Ephesus, and other cities where the church of Jesus Christ was established. There was a form of local rulership under leaders called “elders” or “bishops” who were in relationship with apostles and came together to direct the church on major issues, and at speci fi c times. The early church met mostly in homes, but very early on also met in the temple and in synagogues, and, in at least one case in Ephesus, at a school. As the Messianic Jewish and Gentile Christians began to meet separately from the other Jews, it is reasonable to assume that they continued a form of government similar to what was already in use in the synagogues. At any rate, as the early church met more and more in private homes, there were leaders who directed each one of the various churches, which we can identify as congregations for clarity, always in close relationship with the leaders of other congregations. Some of these leaders may have emerged on their own or out of necessity, as in Antioch (Acts 11:20), but the clearer pa tt ern is that they were chosen by apostles and set in place. Titus 1:5 “For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders in every city as I commanded you.” It is often reported that elder, bishop, and overseer are the same term biblically as a shepherd or pastor. However, this cannot be the case. 38