**  Even for churches that do not subscribe to a form of church governance that could be described as a "plurality of pastoral elders", it can still be a powerfully positive move to enhance if their staff actively works toward the balancing of gifts, sharing of responsibilities, and mutual accountability among the leadership.

Also we highly recommend the following books for further study:
- Wayne Grudem, Ph.D., Systematic Theology [Thorough and practical, 1260 pages]
- John MacArthur, D.D., Shepherdology. ["A master plan for church leadership"]
- John MacArthur, D.D., Rediscovering Pastoral Ministry [Practical application of biblical mandates]
- Alexander Strauch, Biblical Eldership: Restoring the Eldership to Its Rightful Place in the Church.
- Alexander Strauch, The New Testament Deacon: Minister of Mercy.

It is curious that when it comes to "secular" government policies and qualifications for secular leadership Christians are so passionate about the principles they believe are best. But when it comes to Church government and leadership, so few carefully and prayerfully study our Father's Word in order to establish and implement His design for His glory. Instead we "naturally" tend to simply carry along traditionally "good" policies and practices that may not be our Father's Biblical "best". At the very least, I hope this brief look at church government will stimulate the iron sharpening reforms that we as humans, who "see in a mirror dimly" and only "know in part", so frequently need.

The Son of Our Father (Elder Brother - Shepherd - Head) (1 Cor 15:27-28).
God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ is the ultimate authority under whose hand all things are responsible. His Son, our elder brother, the Lord Jesus is the head and Chief Shepherd of this local expression of His church family. It is before Jesus that all other leadership must bow. He communicates His will for the church through His Word, the Bible. He also shepherds the flock through the leaders of the church to whom He has given specific gifts and delegated authority. (Matthew 23:8-11; 1 Cor 11:3; Ephesians 1:1-14; 22-23; 3:14-21; 4:11-13; 1 Peter 5:4-9)

Biblical and Historical Background of the Government of the Local Church.
The Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God, as presented in the New Testament, is not to be conceived as a kingdom of this world, i.e., a political kingdom. The kingdom of God is one of a King who sets out to establish primarily a spiritual kingdom. His kingdom is sovereign and does not depend on the acceptance or rejection of the general populace. His kingship is not dependent on believers who acclaim the Lord Jesus Christ as King, but on the Lord Jesus Christ who came into this world to bring His kingdom, His rule within the human heart, and finally His outward rule in the world. Therefore, faithful submission to His hand of authority is the key to intimacy, harmony, and abundant life both individually as well as corporately.

The Foundation of The Church. Christ left a small body of disciples under the direction of the Apostles with a charge to preach the Gospel to the world; but He gave nothing which can be called a Church "Constitution", "Bylaws". However, He did give certain general and specific principles for us to follow. The New Testament, especially the Pastoral Epistles and Third John provide the guidelines for a cohesive and disciplined set of principles in view of the fact that the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ was not to be immediately realized and therefore local churches needed to be organized to serve as the most effective and efficient stewards possible. Our Lord is a not a God of chaos, but of order (1 Cor 14).

The Priesthood of All Believers and the Rulers of a Local Church. The priesthood of believers is an established fact in the New Testament (I Peter 2:5,9; Revelation 1.6, 5:10; 20:6). The church is made up of the elder brothers, deacons, and the individual believers. The local church made up of all believers accepts the elders as their overseers appointed by God - not to represent them before God but to rule (Heb 13:7) among them with God's unction, having been endowed with specific gifts (Ephesians 4:7-16), and exemplary family character (1 Tim 3; Titus 1). All Christians, however, are priests alike before God in the sense that they have direct access to God and are ultimately responsible to Him apart from human intermediaries (1 Timothy 2:5).

Elder Brothers (Greek terms used interchangeably in the N.T. - presbuteros, episkopos, poimen) [Acts 11:30; 14:23; 15:2-23; 16:4; 20:17-20; 21:18; 22:5; 1 Tim 3; 5:1, 17, 19; Titus 1; Heb 13; Jam 5:14; 1 Pet 5]

In its operation, the church will be governed by a group of godly, mutually submissive men of equal authority called Elders (1 Pet 5). These shall be men in whose lives the working of the Holy Spirit is evident, who have given a worthy witness of the authority of Christ in their lives and who have met the qualifications given in the Scriptures. Authority for the day-to-day ministry matters will reside in the hands of the elders whether in full-time compensated service or otherwise. The responsibility for final decisions therefore also rests on the elders.

Qualifications of Elders. The qualifications of elders are spelled out in 1 Timothy 3:1-9 and Titus 1:6-9. In addition, elders of Family Bible Church must be in full agreement with our Statement of Doctrine/Practice, and Covenant/Bylaws. Since the church is the family of God the Father, with Jesus the first-born Son as its Head, the qualifications for eldership are those of family leadership in order to glorify God the Father. For a more detailed explanation of these qualifications see our suggested reading lists.

1. Modeling Our Father's Family Character
a. Personal Life (Characterized by self-sacrificial soul-control and hospitality).
b. Family Life (Characterized by Christ-like rulership that has produced faithful submission and peaceful harmony among his wife and children - "children in submission (hypotage) with all reverence" 1 Ti 3:4).

We believe the important phrase "husband of one wife", literally in Greek "one woman man", refers to marital faithfulness and sexual morality, not necessarily all divorce.  This phrase is identical in its usage in the parallel reference to the qualifications of widows who are eligible for aid (1 Tim 5:9).  Note that few if any churches reject divorced widows who are in need.  [For an exegetical analysis please see the section from John MacArthur's, SHEPHERDOLOGY, pp. 189-190, on "The Husband of One Wife".]  We believe that, in many churches, non-biblical tradition has replaced the biblical principle intended in this passage of "no marital unfaithfulness", with a blanket policy "no certificate of divorce".  For example, many churches will ordain men who have committed adultery as Christians, yet reject all men who have been divorced.   We believe, for example, that it is inconsistent with God's Word to reject a faithful man, who  was divorced because of his wife's adulterous behavior relative to Jesus' teaching in Mat 19:5. We believe that each man's history, regardless of a certificate of divorce or not, must be examined carefully and prayerfully regarding marital faithfulness and sexual morality. [For more details on this increasingly important issue, see our  recommended reading lists]

2. Ministering Our Father's Word
(A qualification unique to elders, which is not required of deacons, is to be capable of effectively wielding the Sword of the Spirit. This of course involves both the personal ministry of the Word as private counsel to individuals and families, as well as publicly in the manner of preaching or teaching to groups)
(Pro 15:1; 18:13, 17; Acts 6:4; 20:17-20; Gal 6:1; Col 4:4-6; 1 The 5:15; Tim 3:2; 2 Tim 2-4; Titus 1:9-11)

The sufficient, efficient ministry of God's Word is delineated in 2 Timothy 3:16-17,
a. Teaching - Explaining doctrine and its practical application.
b. Convicting - Lovingly confronting error in belief or behavior.
c. Correcting - Pointing them in the right direction again.
d. Training - Coming alongside (as paracletos) as a counselor/coach, until mature in Christ.
(Gal 2:20; 4:19; 5:16-25)

The Scripture says that a man who "desires" the office of elder, "pursues" a good thing.  We reject much of the modern meaning and methods associated with what is commonly described as a man being subjectively or experientially "called" to pastor.  Since Scripture does not present such a qualification, and since the average stay of a Baptist man "called" to pastor is sadly only about 18 months, we believe there is insufficient evidence for using such a subjective "call" as a primary criterion for eldership.  Determination of a man's eligibility should be made on the basis of the demonstration of scriptural qualifications.  Existing elders should prayerfully depend on the Holy Spirit's use of His Word and their intimate examination of each candidate, rather than the man's claim to a subjective "call". 

A "Church" is not a Biblical church family until those believers are committed to one another so that they obey our Lord by practicing the essential, discipleship counseling ingredients that will

© L.E.A.D. to Restoration & Maturity in Christ
       (Gal 2:20; 4:19; 5:16-25; 6:1-3; 1 Ti 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-11)
     - L oving (Mat 22:36-40; Joh 13:34-35; Rom 13:8-10; 1 Co 12-14; Gal 5:14; 1 Jo 3-4)
          - E quipping (Rom 1:12; Col 2:2; 1 Th 3:1-2; 5:14)
               - A ccountability (2 Tim 2:1-4; Titus 2:3-5)
                   - D iscipline (Mat 18:15-20; 1 Co 5:9-13)

     These are the ingredients of true discipleship, the personal ministry of the Word adapted to the unique needs of each individual and family (Col 4:6). This is the full scope of biblical counseling - assisting one another toward maturity in Christ, the fruit of the Spirit, through disciplined discipleship.

Please remember, all of the following categories of discipleship training are necessary to bring God's sufficient counsel down to earth, producing a "practical" theology that should be lived out in the hearts, lives, and family relationships of God's people - soli deo gloria.

"Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done,
on Earth as it is in Heaven"

1. Biblical Authority -           (The Canon of Scripture and God's "convincing proofs". Isa 41-48; Act 1:3)
  2. Hermeneutics -                      (How to interpret God's Word as He delivered it: normally & simply. Mat 18:1)
    3. Exegetical Exposition -       (Drawing out God's principles in context, without injecting our own. 2 Ti 2:15)
      4. Topical/Doctrinal Studies - (Understanding major subjects from God's viewpoint. Joh 5:39; 14:6)
        5. Systematic Theology -       (Fitting related topics together into the Big Picture: His/story. 1 Co 15:27-28.)
          6. Practical Theology -             (How to live out God's image in relationships. Heb 5:12-14)
            7. Glorifying Our Father -       (and His Son, our Lord & Savior . . . to the World. Eph 3:10)

In order for pastoral elders to accomplish this vital "ekklesia" responsibility, all believers must work hard to support the elders in this task.  This is especially important regarding the senior teaching pastor's need for time to prayerfully study the Word and minister it to the flock. The plan is for elders to train each of the heads of household, who in turn will train/disciple/counsel their own wife and children personally and individually. Then, the older women can train the younger women, especially single mothers (Titus 2). Additionally, homes should be used for evangelistic and disciple-making hospitality for friends, neighbors, co-workers, and extended relatives. God's biblical design emphasizes intimate personal relationships, over even good things like activities, buildings, business, and entertainment.

We believe that Christ's Spirit, Word, and Church relationships are sufficient for the non-organic needs of the soul (psyche), and that it is both unnecessary and unbiblical to mix psychotherapeutic theory and therapy for the explanations or treatment of the psycho-dynamics of family relationships or the progressive sanctification of individuals. Family Bible Church embraces and supports the positions of The National Association of Nouthetic Counselors, The International Association of Biblical Counselors, and The Southern Baptist Association of Biblical Counselors, all of whom reject the modern practice of integrating (mixing) psychotherapeutic theory with Scripture.

A Training Plan for Pastoral Elders in Family Bible Church
To L.E.A.D. men toward service as biblical, pastoral elders.

A. Accountability partnership with an existing elder in the church.

B. Evaluation of each man's past and present personal and family character.

C. Time frame varies, adapted to the needs of each man.

1. Biblical Authority - (The Canon of Scripture and God's "convincing proofs". Isa 41-48; Act 1:3)

Bible Basics: Know the 66 books, the message of each, & a general outline of His-story.
Books to Study on Biblical Authority, Before Becoming a Pastoral Elder:

* More Than A Carpenter, by Josh McDowell

2. Hermeneutics - (How to interpret God's Word as He delivered it: normally & simply. Mat 18:1)
3. Exegetical Exposition - (Drawing out God's principles in context, without injecting our own. 2 Ti 2:15)
4. Topical/Doctrinal Studies - (Understanding major subjects from God's viewpoint. Joh 5:39; 14:6)
5. Systematic Theology - (Fitting related topics together into the Big Picture: His/story. 1 Co 15:27-28.)

Books to Study on Handling Scripture, Before Becoming a Pastoral Elder:

* How To Study The Bible, by R. A. Torrey.
* Know What You Believe, by Paul E. Little.

6. Practical Theology - (How to live out God's image in relationships. Heb 5:12-14)

Books to Study on Progressive Sanctification, Before Becoming a Pastoral Elder:

Level 1 - Relationship of Counseling (BDC 101)
* BDC 101 Workbook, by Sid Galloway
Level 2 - Principles of Counseling (BDC 201)
* Self-Confrontation, by John Broger

7. Glorifying Our Father - (Using God’s Word to change lives, families, & churches. Eph 3:10-6:4)

Books to Study on The Church, Before Becoming a Pastoral Elder:

* (A gospel presentation) - each candidate must demonstrate the ability to evangelize.
* (Article) "What Makes a Church A True Ekklesia?", by Sid Galloway.
* (Articles) Our church doctrinal statement, constitution, & bylaws.
* Life in the Father's House, by Wayne Mack.
* (Booklet) Biblical Eldership, by Alex Strauch.
* (Booklet) The New Testament Method of Church Government,
    by the staff of Emmanuel Baptist Church of Edmond, OK.
* (Chapter 1 of) Minister of Mercy: The New Testament Deacon, by Strauch.
* Each candidate must demonstrate competence in the personal ministry of the Word:

Level 3 - Observing real counseling sessions.
Level 4 - Assisting the L.E.A.D. counselor.
Level 5 - L.E.A.D. Counselor (Minister of God's Word).

Evaluation of a candidate’s qualification will consist of 
both oral and written examination, by the elder team.

Books for Continuing Education After Becoming a Pastoral Elder:

* Diligent, ongoing study of God's Word in each of the above areas, including Church History, Creation, Eschatology, etc., will be determined by the elder team.   

    *  See the Soulcare Reading Lists for examples of possible additions:
        http://www.soulcare.org/resources.htm

For more details on church function, please see our article, "What Makes a Church A True Ekklesia?"
http://www.soulcare.org/Church_A_Church.html