Jeremy Hoover

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

Biblical leadership is exclusive.

In the Pastoral Letters, Paul lists several character traits that must be present in the life of someone who is a candidate to become an elder or deacon. He also mentions some things that would disqualify someone from becoming an elder or deacon.

For example, Paul states that an elder must be “above reproach” and “gentle” and must “have a good reputation with outsiders” (1 Tim. 3:2-7). Presumably, a candidate for eldership who is a laughingstock in the community or is a violent man would not be considered further.

However, Paul also limits the eldership to those with spiritual experience. He says a candidate “must not be a recent convert” (1 Tim. 3:6). Deacons “must first be tested” (1 Tim. 3:10). If they pass the test, then they may serve. Elders are to be family men (1 Tim. 3:4-5; Titus 1:6), which cautions against younger men, many of whom lack the wisdom that comes from experience guiding a family unit.

In a biblically functioning church, elders and deacons lead the church into deeper spiritual growth even as they continue to grow spiritually themselves. But not everyone is included. The eldership and deaconship are exclusive—limited to those men who distinguish themselves in a godly manner in several ways.

Other passages attest the exclusivity of biblical church leadership:

• In Acts 1:23-26, the apostles needed to select another man to join the apostleship. There were at least two men who met the qualifications, but only two were nominated. Of the two who were nominated, only one was selected—and this after prayer and spiritual discernment.
• In Acts 6:1-6, the apostles learned about a problem where food was not being distributed throughout the community in a godly way. Their solution was to delegate this task to godly men. Rather than simply gathering all the men together and asking them to handle it, they asked the congregation to choose only seven men who were full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom. These men would handle the food distribution.
• In Galatians 2:1-10 (esp. 2, 6), when Paul went to Jerusalem to share his gospel with the believers there, he did not meet with all the men but with “those who were held in high esteem.” Why? Didn't this leave some out? Yes, it leaves some out, but it reinforces the principle that biblical church leadership is not inclusive of everyone but exclusive—according to God's word.

Biblical church leadership is not inclusive of everyone; it is exclusive. It is not for everyone. There is a high standard set for those who would lead God's people. It's not for us to worry about how people might feel or to impose a democratic voting situation on top of the church, such that eligible folks have the “right” to vote in a meeting.

There are no “rights” in the church. We give up our rights for other people. Godly leaders know this and exemplify it.

What objections do you have to this? What other scriptures would you use in this discussion?

Here are some questions for you to work and pray through as we finish up 1 Timothy 2 and move into chapter 3.

1 Timothy 1 Study Questions

1 Timothy 2 Study Questions

Church Leadership: Elders

1. Why does Paul consider the saying in 3:1 about desiring the overseership/ eldership "trustworthy"?
2. Look at 1 Timothy 1:15; 4:9; 2 Timothy 2:11; and Titus 3:8. How does the use of this phrase in those passages influence your understanding of this verse?
3. Why is being an overseer (or elder) a "noble task" (3:1)?
4. Is someone arrogant or prideful to "aspire" to be an overseer? Why or why not?
5. Are all the traits listed in 3:2-7 required? Are they applications of what it means to "be above reproach" (3:2)?
6. Must a candidate for eldership excel in every area? Is there room for an elder to continue to grow spiritually or must he have topped out already?
7. Read this passage in several translations. Do they all read "husband of one wife" (3:2)? What does that phrase mean?
8. Must an elder have multiple children (3:4)? Must the children believe?
9. How can we gauge these traits in a candidate (3:7, for example)?

Church Leadership: Deacons

1. What does "in the same way" mean (3:8)?
2. Why does it mention "testing" for deacons (3:10) but not for elders?
3. Read several translations of 3:11. Do they all read "their wives"? What other options exist?
   
4. Why does the phrase "in the same way" repeat in 3:8 and 3:11?
5. If we interpret 3:11 to refer to deacons' wives, why are character traits listed for deacons' wives but not for elders' wives?
6. What is the result of good service (3:13)?