Jeremy Hoover

This continues my series on biblical leadership. To read more in this series, start with my most recent post, Do You Lead "From Above" or "From Below"?

[Note: In this post, I use the terms "elder" and "elder-candidate" interchangeably.]

Elders, and elder-candidates, must be spiritual leaders in their own households. As Paul writes to Timothy, "If anyone does not know how to manage his own family [household], how can he take care of God's church?" (1 Timothy 3:5, TNIV).

Looking at the instructions about elders in 1 Timothy 3:2-5 in terms of "household responsibilities" provides a fresh perspective on how to understand these instructions. In the ancient world, the responsibility to lead and direct a household fell to the males, and, in particular, the father. Households included both males and females, children and slaves. The father was over all and responsible for moral instruction and making sure that members of his household did not bring disgrace upon the household. Fathers would rule their households by authority and discipline.

Paul gives attention to this cultural norm but also subverts it in his instructions to Timothy. He begins by stating that an overseer is to be "above reproach" (1 Tim. 3:2). This is the leading thought for the entirety of the instructions about elders; the remainder of the teaching (1 Tim. 3:2-7) describes what it means or how it looks to be "above reproach."

For good reason, the first block of teaching (there are three blocks, each detailing an area of character) is devoted to household relationships. Being above reproach means, first of all, leading one's family well.

But how is the elder to be above reproach in his family? He is to be "faithful to his wife" (1 Tim. 3:2). Here, the original language refers to a "one-woman-man." To translate it as "husband of one wife" is to interpret the phrase, and a better understanding of the phrase is seen in the TNIV, "faithful to his wife."

Thus, the elder is above reproach in his family by being faithful to his wife. Theologically, this carries more freight than the legal question about marital status. It recalls the Old Testament teaching about faithfulness to God and the covenant, seen, in particular in the prophetic book of Hosea, where faithfulness in marriage is a sign of faithfulness to the covenant.

But faithfulness in marriage contains a lot more than sexual faithfulness. This is clear by Paul's emphasis to Timothy that elders are to be "temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money" (1 Tim. 3:2-3). The key is to see these things evolving out of the elder's responsibilities to his household.

These instructions tie together Paul's teaching about faithfulness to one's wife within the household context by linking instructions about how the elder is to treat his wife with instructions about his children. The emphasis on "managing" the household in 3:4 is intentional. The word sometimes translated as "family" in 3:4-5 should be translated as "household." How an elder deals with the entirety of his household responsibilities is what's important. How he loves, leads, cares for, manages, and handles anything that comes up in the household, from relationships to business arrangements, pertains to his leadership of the church.

The principle is this: the household is a microcosm of the church, which is the macrocosm. Thus, "If anyone does not know how to manage his own [household], how can he take care of God's church?" (3:5) The character traits Paul lists in 3:2-5 pertain to oversight of the household.

We do not fully understand this passage when we appoint elders based on whether a man has been divorced and whether he has "good" kids. This passage teaches us to probe deeper, that we ought to get into an elder-candidate's life, to see how he really is around his family. We need to see how he loves his wife, how he treats his children, how he handles his finances, how he acts towards friends of his children, how he contributes to household chores and business. It's in these concrete and visible things that we see the true (spiritual) leadership of an elder.

This is a continuation of my series about biblical church leadership. Read the most recent article, What is Oversight?, and follow the links to read the rest of the series.

In his book, The Myth of a Christian Nation, Gregory Boyd points out that the kingdoms of this world are built on power and control and that wherever a group of person exercises power over another, there the kingdom of the world is in operation.

[Caveat: He does not consider the exercise of power over others to be wrong at all times. Neither do I. But the danger exists for abuse.]

The kingdom of this world operates "from above," from a position of power and control over others. Jesus, in contrast, represents the kingdom of God, and operates "from below," in service.

Biblical leaders must be continually aware of the ways in which power can take hold in our ministries and lives. Do we look down on people? Do we press for "our way" in church services? Do we assume we know better than others? Do we teach and expect respect and obedience to us as leaders?

Or do we model a better way? a kingdom way?

Jesus repeatedly taught against power from above. In Mark 8-10, he corrected his disciples three times because they overreached for power and control. In one case, pride was in the way of true, genuine service (Mark 8:31-38). In another, they were arguing among themselves about which one had the highest degree of power with Jesus, who influenced him the most (Mark 9:30-37). On the third occasion, two of them bartered with Jesus for what they believed were the highest positions of honor with him; this later led to an argument among the disciples (Mark 10:35-45).

Jesus countered these power-grabs by reminding them that the path to greatness is a path that will never be understood that way by the world. It requires us to serve, to become last if we want to be first.

Biblical leaders will do well to continually remind ourselves to serve others, to operate "from below" them, rather than from above. True leadership follows first, and leads as others follow us in our imitation of Jesus.

What are your thoughts about this?

In this bible study, based on my sermon, The Baaaaad Shepherds, I compare and contrast bad and good shepherding as seen in Ezekiel 34:1-16 and 1 Peter 5:1-4. I included study questions to help us process the material.

This is an expanded bible study based on my earlier post, What is Oversight? I learned a lot from Ron Clark's book, Emerging Elders, and this bible study is based on material from that book.

Church leadership books typically take one of two tracks. The first track discusses the senior pastor's leadership of the church. These books examine leadership techniques, sometimes from a theological perspective and sometimes not, that the senior pastor can use to lead a congregation. This may or may not include elders or deacons, who, if considered, are extensions of the senior pastor. This type of leadership book is the prominent of the two types.

The second track of leadership books discusses congregational leadership. Exemplified by Alexander Strauch's Biblical Eldership, these books discuss a team approach to leadership, where congregations are led by a group of multiple elders who are co-equals in the congregation. There may be a preacher, but he is a co-equal with the rest of the elders, not a sole leader.

Emerging Elders fits into this second track of books. Emerging Elders, by Ron Clark, a minister with the Agape Church of Christ in Portland, Oregon, is even more unique because it is written from a Restoration Movement perspective, which means it includes particular concerns that matter to those within the Churches of Christ.

The title is interesting and indicates what Clark's main idea is for the book: that congregations ought to continually develop men to be elders. In this way, elders "emerge" over time, through regular study and identification. (In Clark's vision, men serve as elders but also serve with their wives; husband-and-wife teams mentor, minister to, and serve members of the congregation together.)

There are three sections in Clark's book. In section one he examines the concept of developing elders and why this is crucial to the long-term ministry of the church; in section two he looks at good shepherding; and in section three Clark offers his reflections on "issues facing today's good shepherds."

Section two is well-supported with scripture study. Clark visits all of the main passages of scripture that deal with elders and leadership, paying special attention to God's modeling of leadership in the Old Testament, God's criticism of the bad shepherds in Ezekiel 34, and the traditional texts on elders in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1.

One special note that I found particularly insightful was Clark's description of what "oversight" actually means. Typically, we would say that elders are charged with the oversight of the congregation. This plays out many times such that elders make decisions about who may or may not teach classes, what material will be taught, what the Sunday morning worship style will be, how much the preacher will be paid, and what the overall congregational budget will be.

Drawing from the Old Testament, Clark points out that oversight has a relational element to it. Oversight includes paying attention, both individually and organizationally, to who or what is being overseen. It requires accountability to both God and the church (Ezekiel 34:10; 1 Peter 5:4), awareness of what is going on among congregants (Acts 20:28, 31), visitation of church members to aid awareness (Acts 20:28), and empowerment of church members for ministry and maturity (Ephesians 4:11-16). Much different than what often passes for oversight. ;)

In section three, Clark discusses some issues that are vital to the future of our churches, from promoting unity, to dealing with dysfunction and abuse, to why and how elders needs to shepherd ministers, to who the real predators are in churches.

In this final topic, he examines our history (in the Churches of Christ) of interpreting the phrase "sound doctrine" in a doctrinal-teaching sense. We have labeled those who teach differently (erroneously or not) "false teachers." Clark correctly demonstrates that "sound doctrine," in both the ancient world and the New Testament, corresponds to moral living. We are to lead others by our moral example. The real predators in churches, then, are not those we might label false teachers but those who abuse members (and non-members) sexually, mentally, physically, or doctrinally (through control). This chapter alone is worth the price of the book.

Clark concludes this book with recommendations for training elders. He suggests six modules which include scripture study and study of books on leadership, coinciding with a theme. This appears to be a sound strategy for identifying and training candidates for elders. Coupled with solid mentoring from existing elders, this system will go a long way towards maintaining a cycle that produces "emerging elders."

I cannot say enough good about this book. It lays a biblical foundation for elders and shepherding and covers topics that are vital to today's church. Because if focuses on areas of interest that are unique to Churches of Christ, it is set apart from many leadership books that are useful but must be adapted to our particular circumstances. I highly recommend it.

Update (4/6/2010): Sermon MP3 -- The Baaaaad Shepherds
(click on the link to download or stream)

Good church leadership (shepherding) is godly, flock-focused, and selfless. On Sunday, we'll examine good and bad models of shepherding as seen in Ezekiel 34:1-16 and 1 Peter 5:1-5. In Ezekiel, God became disgusted with the bad shepherds who oversaw the scattering of his sheep. He took charge, and in doing so, showed how we are to lead and not lead. Peter builds on these thoughts in his letter.

At the end of the day, we are all shepherds to someone else. We may not be "elders" in the church, but we influence others. Let us learn from these passages how we may influence others in godly ways.

Use this sermon outline and the slides to help you prepare for Sunday. Please leaves some feedback.

This post continues my look at biblical leadership. Previous articles include Must All Elders Teach? and Biblical Leadership is Exclusive.

One of the words used to describe biblical church leaders in the New Testament is "overseer" (1 Tim. 3:1). Traditionally, we've understood the word "oversight" to refer to physical matters (the legal, financial, and operational concerns of the church) sometimes referred to as the ABCs--attendance, buildings, and cash.

While this emphasis has truth behind it, is has also led to an over-emphasis on physical things, meetings, and the "order" of/within the congregation. Relational shepherding has taken a backseat, sadly, in many of our churches. Sure, we may refer to our leaders as shepherds (instead of elders, overseers, pastors, or bishops), but they typically do less shepherding and more overseeing.

But what is oversight? In his excellent book, Emerging Elders, Ron Clark states that the role of the elders is to tie together both oversight and relational shepherding. Oversight is much more than administration; it is modeled on God's oversight of his people, Israel (in the OT), and seen in Jesus' leadership of people (in the NT; John 10).

Clark discusses four categories of oversight that he draws from God's and Jesus' examples of oversight: accountability to the God and the church (Ezekiel 34:10); awareness of people and movements within the congregation (Acts 20:28); visitation of members to identify problems and build awareness of ministry needs (Acts 20:31); and empowerment of members to grow in maturity and ministry (Ephesians 4:11-16).

Oversight is relational. Certainly, physical needs and administration are part of oversight. Sometimes administrative tasks can be delegated to competent people within the congregation (deacons, perhaps) as an act of empowerment. Sometimes meetings are useful to discuss how to bring greater awareness of people's needs to the elders.

But oversight must begin and be maintained relationally.

What do you think? Do you agree or disagree? How else can elders engage in relational oversight?

On Sunday, we'll be moving into 1 Timothy 3:1-11 in our bible study. Below are two audios, each about 10 minutes long, where I introduce some of the main topics we'll discuss along with my ideas on some of these. They're off the cuff without notes, so cut me a little slack if parts of them sound a little disorganized!

Click here for some study questions for 1 Timothy 3:1-11.

Click here for a recent post I wrote about whether all elders need to be able to teach.

This article continues my look at biblical leadership. The first article in this series, Biblical Leadership is Exclusive, is found here.

One common reason men give for not serving as elders in a congregation is their inability to teach.

In 1 Timothy 3:2, in a list pertaining to elders, Paul tells Timothy than an elder "is to be...able to teach." This verse has commonly been used to disqualify men from serving as elders who are deemed to be not capable of teaching. It has also been used to disqualify men who are newer to the faith--they are not yet ready to be teachers because they don't yet know enough. Sadly, some men disqualify themselves from serving as an elder by viewing themselves as unnable to teach.

But what does this passage mean? Does it require elders to teach?

To answer the second question, we need only look later in 1 Timothy. In a set of instructions about the congregation's obligations to elders, Paul says, "The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching" (5:17, TNIV). This passage describes two possible functions for elders, one primary, the other secondary. The primary task of elders is to direct the affairs of the church well. The secondary task is preaching and teaching.

Paul makes this clear by the word "especially." This clearly implies that not all elders preached and taught. There is a clear distinction in scripture. Ephesians 4:11-12 discuss the evangelists, the pastors, and the teachers; all different functions. Timothy and Titus were evangelists. In the church it's mainly (though not always) the evangelist who preaches and teaches corporately. This task does not fall to all elders. We go beyond scripture when we make it a requirement for all elders to preach and teach.

Paul's letter to Titus sheds further light on this perspective. In the list of "qualifications" for elders, Paul does not say directly that elders must be able to teach. Indirectly, one can infer from Titus 1:9 ("He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine...."; TNIV) that teaching is required, but that is an inference only. The clearer sense of that verse is that elders need to know the core aspects of the faith in order to communicate it to and encourage others.

So what "teaching" is Paul referring to in 1 Tim. 3:2? Obviously, on one hand, he is referring to the corporate preaching and teaching. This is made clear by 1 Tim. 5:17, though it is not a requirement for all elders. On the other hand, elders, in directing the affairs of the church, will be engaged in pastoral care. They will need a knowledge of the faith, through their personal walk with Jesus, and they will need to be able to share that perspective with others, most often in a one-on-one or small group setting.

Two points come to mind:

First, Why are we so quick to want to disqualify men from serving as elders?

Second, if being able to teach publicly and corporately is not a requirement for being an elder (as 1 Tim. 5:17 makes clear), then perhaps we can lighten up a little with our view of elders' "qualifications." Perhaps Paul's list is a general outline of a godly man and not a specific checklist?

What do you think? What questions do you have? Do you agree or disagree with my interpretation?

This week, some of our men met together to discuss biblical leadership. Our discussion centered around a few open-ended questions that were intended to uncover the range of thought we had on these questions.

Obviously, not every line of discussion was included and there are some gaps. Overall, it was a good discussion that highlighted several positive areas of understanding and agreement, as well as several areas that we will study further.

Below are the questions and discussion answers. What do you think? What should be added?

This is a summary of a 45 minute discussion about biblical leadership, involving men from the Horton Road Church of Christ (where I work). Obviously, not everything is included and our discussion was limited around a few open-ended questions. The purpose of these questions was to discover what range existed in our thinking on these questions.

I'm posting them here to solicit feedback. What do you think? What would you add?

1. What does a godly leader look like?

* we can see many traits of godly leaders by looking at leaders in the bible that God chose (Abraham, Aaron, Moses, etc.)
o Abraham exemplified self-sacrifice; Moses and Aaron exemplified meekness
* obedient to God; unquestioningly so
* respected by people inside the church and outside the church
* constantly praying (lifestyle)
* willing to step out in faith to follow God

2. What do godly leaders do?

* they are people of action
* they help others in and out of the church (not just their own)
* they are people-focused; selfless, not selfish
* what is right, even when doing right is difficult and/or unpopular
* encourage and rebuke--they teach through actions and words
* one scripture brought up was Proverbs 9:8 and the maturity godly leaders operate with

3. What is an elder? What is a deacon?

* elders are spiritual leaders; deacons are service leaders
* this is explained in Acts 6:1-6--the apostles showed wisdom in appointing service leaders to lead in serving so they could remain devoted to teaching and prayer

4. Which scriptures come to mind when you think about godly leadership?

* Acts 6:1-7
* Acts 7--Stephen's speech, where he outlines biblical history by focusing on key leaders that God used
* 1 Timothy 3:1-13
* Titus 1:5-9
* 1 Peter 5:1-5