“Church” has never been an easy topic for me to reconcile. Typically, it always comes back to two truths. God created the church, and I am commanded to be a part of it. Should the church be led by a single elder, or should a group of elders lead it?
Titus 1:5-9 –
This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you— if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers5 and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. For an overseer, 6 as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.
Titus 2:1-8 –
But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine. Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled. Show yourself in all respects to be ya model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us.
Most of the time, I answer this question too quickly without considering the whole issue. I have wrestled with the idea that you can lead without a title. A leadership position does not automatically equal influence. Just because you do not have the title elder does not mean you have no obligation to lead.
When we stand before God, we will be surprised to find that we led far more in areas we shouldn’t have and neglected areas requiring our leadership.
When the apostles sought to appoint elders within groups of believers, it was not an infinite position but a starting point. The idea was to teach others how to bushwack a path, not feed them milk for eternity while they walk behind you. This is kin to the old saying, “you can give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day, teach a man to fish, and he can feed himself and his family.”
The fundamental ingredient for serving as an elder is you must already be one. At face value, this may sound rather silly.
However, the moment you take a wife, you have taken on the responsibilities of an elder. You are solely responsible for shepherding your wife. When your first child emerges from the womb, your responsibility grows as God has added one more to your flock—an arrow to your quiver.
In the book of Titus, the call to be an elder is to every husband and father because to be a husband and father, you must shepherd your household. A family shepherd is the number one prerequisite for eldership.
How many elders do we need to feed the congregation? Just one preaching every Sunday service should suffice. But if the question is, how many elders should we have? My answer is every husband and father should be in the process of becoming an elder or discipling a future one.
Sometimes we are misled by the titles inserted throughout the Bible. These qualifications are not just for elders but for husbands and fathers.
Nos & Rehtaf, Dnabsuh 