Last week we looked at Paul's gospel-rich beginning here in his letter to Titus and to the churches in Crete.
And after that beginning, he moves directly into the main body of his letter
by addressing first the task that he had given to his young colleague.
Titus's purpose in Crete was very practical.
He was responsible for setting things in order so that the churches there would move forward,
strengthened in gospel doctrine, and faithful in godly living.
That's the practical nature of what he's doing. That's the big picture.
He is to set things in order that were lacking in the churches in Crete
so that moving forward, after he and Paul and the other apostles have moved on,
the churches would then, in great strength by the power of God's word and God's spirit,
be able to move forward with gospel fidelity and as fruitful Christians that reflect the kingdom of God.
And crucial to this particular task was the establishment of faithful pastors
who would shepherd their particular congregation.
Bill Mounts describes it this way,
Titus's job was twofold,
to complete the organization of the church in Crete
and preserve it from doctrinal contamination.
The former being the first step to the latter.
And that's helpful for us.
The main objective here that Paul is giving to Titus
is make sure the churches are faithful to the gospel,
that they're sound in doctrine,
that they are refuting heresies that will inevitably begin to creep their way in
and turn people away from Christ.
But the first step in being able to do that
was the organization of the church,
particularly as it related to its leadership.
So Titus's task was practical.
It's also necessary for us to know that Titus's task was temporary.
It was temporary.
Now, contrary to what some Christian traditions have supposed,
Titus did not fill a permanent office as a bishop
who would be responsible for overseeing groups of churches
or cities or regions of churches.
That's not what Titus was doing.
In fact, nothing in the New Testament teaches that style of episcopate
or that order of church government.
It's just not there.
Titus was better understood as an apostolic delegate.
That is what the term that scholars would most often use for he and Timothy.
He was an extension of the apostle Paul.
He was acting temporarily on behalf of the apostle Paul in Crete.
And his duty to establish elders in the churches there
reflects the transitory nature of his role.
It was never meant for him to be the bishop of Crete
where he would then fill an office.
And then after his death,
someone else would then be elevated from one of the churches
to then serve as bishop of Crete or bishop of whatever region.
That's not what Titus is doing.
That's not what he was meant to do.
His role was temporary.
The age of the apostles,
we have mentioned this many times through our study in Titus already,
the age of the apostles was coming to an end.
Paul's going to be martyred very soon.
Many of the apostles have already been martyred at this point in church history.
Eventually, John would be the last one.
And what we would call apostolic succession or what would follow the apostles,
the succession did not come in the form of their office,
but in their doctrine.
It's important for us to understand as we think about church government,
how is the church actually supposed to be structured?
This is a significant difference between a Protestant church and a Roman Catholic church.
is the apostolic succession does not come in the form of an office that someone like a pope would feel.
Apostolic succession came in the form of doctrine.
And that doctrine was then passed on to these churches.
And those churches had leaders.
So that's what Titus is doing.
That's why he's doing it.
What eventually led to the development of the papacy
or the hierarchical episcopate of the Roman Catholic church,
was vastly different than what Paul actually called for in these New Testament letters.
In the centuries that followed the completion of the New Testament,
the place of Christ and his word was slowly diminished.
And the place of man and man's authority was slowly exalted.
So that the church really historically entered a very dark time,
even along with the dark ages, culturally speaking,
the church went through a very dark age as well,
where human authority was put on the level of,
or even supreme to,
the authority of the Bible.
Which is why Alistair Begg says,
that is why the responsibility of the church throughout history
is to be reformed and reforming.
Constantly taking note of who it is,
and what it's made up of,
and what it's doing,
and why it's doing it.
And every local church needs to be careful in this respect as well.
Because it didn't take very long for the early church to get this wrong.
And as they veered away from what Paul was actually teaching,
that introduced all kinds of problems.
Into the churches themselves.
And what they needed, ultimately,
was a reformation.
A reformation that would return the thoughts of the people
to the word of God
as the supreme authority of their lives.
Well, that's our responsibility as well.
That in each age,
it's our responsibility as a church
to continually come back to the word
and say,
what does the word actually say?
What is it that God in his authority
has actually told us to do?
What is the patterns that he has given us?
And we need to make sure that
whatever human element we bring to that
is subservient to what the Bible actually teaches.
So my aim for this morning
is to examine the role of elders.
Next week, we'll get into
the qualification of elders.
But today, we'll look at the necessity of them in the church.
Why was Paul so concerned
that Titus fulfilled this task?
And what does this task have to do
with Lakeside Bible Church?
So we'll look at the necessity
of elders and pastors today.
Next week, we'll look more practically at
what are we supposed to be looking for
when it comes to recognizing elders
even in our own congregation here?
Even as small as it is,
what is it that we're supposed,
what's our guide for that?
And Paul gives that to us here.
And in other places, the New Testament.
That's how we're going to spend
the next two weeks of our study, okay?
Let me point this first out to you.
Point number one,
let's see the presence of elders in the church.
The presence of elders in the church.
Look back again with me at verse five.
Paul says in the first phrase,
this is why I left you in Crete.
This is why, Paul writes.
Now, Paul and Titus' visit to Crete
probably came between Paul's first imprisonment
and his final imprisonment.
No doubt they had had
an itinerant preaching ministry on Crete.
Certainly, they probably established
maybe a few churches,
fledgling churches in the process of doing that.
But as I mentioned a few weeks ago
in our introduction,
Acts chapter two says that
there were some Jews from Crete
in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost.
That day that Peter preached that great sermon
and the apostles were speaking in tongues
and the people were hearing
the gospel preached in their own language.
And it wouldn't be out of place
for us to assume that some of the Cretans
that were there heard that gospel message,
were converted to Jesus Christ,
probably lingered at least for a time
there in Jerusalem,
learning at least the basics of gospel doctrine
from the apostles as they met together
day by day in the temple,
and eventually went back to Crete
and established churches in their hometowns.
This seems actually very plausible
as we understand the history of the church in Crete.
So rather than assuming that
Paul is giving Titus instructions here
about overseeing Paul's church plants,
it's very likely that upon visiting Crete,
Paul just discovered many struggling churches.
And they were struggling,
not because they did not have the gospel,
but because they did not have strong leadership.
They didn't have leaders who were discipled
in sound doctrine.
They were beginning to be influenced
by the worldly culture of Crete.
They were faithful to the truth of Jesus,
but they were not very strong churches.
They were struggling.
And Paul knew that congregations
without faithful shepherds were doomed to fail.
So his pattern in the New Testament
was to establish elders or pastors
to lead the churches that he established
and the churches that he had influence over.
And let me show you that in the scripture
and other places.
Acts chapter 14 is one place.
I think this is on the screen for you.
Acts chapter 14, verse 21.
This is Paul and Barnabas together.
When they had preached the gospel to that city
and had made many disciples,
they returned to Lystra and to Iconium
and to Antioch,
strengthening the souls of the disciples,
encouraging them to continue in the faith
and saying that through many tribulations,
we must enter the kingdom.
Now, here's the point I want you to see.
And when they had appointed elders for them
in every church with prayer and fasting,
they committed them to the Lord
in whom they had believed.
So this is not a singular instance
that's unfolding here.
This is a pattern that Paul has,
not just for Titus,
but he's now at least in Acts done it in Lystra,
he's done it in Iconium,
and he's done it in Antioch
and probably in all the other places as well.
He has come in,
he's encouraged the Christians there,
he's discipled a few men
that could serve as faithful shepherds.
And then once through prayer and fasting,
he had established those elders,
he moved on to his other mission endeavors
and the churches were encouraged for it and by it.
And we see in Philippians chapter one,
just in the greeting,
Paul and Timothy,
servants of Christ Jesus
to all the saints in Christ Jesus
who are at Philippi
with the overseers and the deacons.
Philippi was one of Paul's church plants.
You'll remember when he began that
and he and Silas spent the night
in the Philippian jail
singing praises to the Lord.
That was the beginnings of the Philippian church.
Paul eventually established his elders in that church.
And he writes back to them,
emphasizing these overseers.
He does the same thing in Colossians.
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus
by the will of God,
Timothy, our brother,
to the saints
and the faithful brothers
in Christ at Colossae.
Now, faithful brothers and saints
are not the same thing.
Faithful brothers must be
a nod toward the leadership
that Paul had helped to establish
in the church at Colossae.
So we see this as a pattern.
But if we're going to understand
the presence of elders
and the necessity of them
to the life and health of the church,
we need to understand exactly what they are.
What are elders?
elders.
Well, there's three words
the New Testament uses.
The first one is presbyteros.
That is what is typically translated as elder.
Okay.
Sixty-six times in the New Testament,
this word is used for church leadership
and we translate it as elder
or elders in the plural.
The second one is episkopos.
This is overseer.
Overseer.
This is used five times
in the New Testament
referring to pastors in the church.
The third word is poimen.
Poimen, this is translated typically
as pastor or shepherd
or some form or tense of that word.
Eleven times this one is used
in the New Testament.
Okay.
Presbyteros, elder, episkopos, overseer,
poimen, pastor, shepherd.
Now here's the point that I want
to bring to the surface here.
It doesn't matter if you remember those words.
Okay.
Here's what I want to say about it.
These three terms are used interchangeably
in the New Testament.
They do not refer to three different types of people.
The reason that we're using elders so much
even in the language of our own church
is because the New Testament uses it
so much more than the other words.
We use pastor more than anything.
Culturally speaking,
the New Testament uses elders 66 times.
It only uses pastor 11.
So there's a huge difference here
and it doesn't matter what you call it,
but that's the point.
That's why we're using this term.
But these terms are interchangeable.
They don't refer to different offices in the church.
They refer to different functions
of the same office.
So elder recognizes the spiritual example of the pastor.
Spiritual maturity is the indication there.
Overseer recognizes the spiritual authority of the pastor.
And shepherd recognizes the spiritual care of the pastor.
Same person, same function, or same office,
but three different functions
that are fulfilled through that office.
Okay?
Spiritual leadership, spiritual care, spiritual example.
Now, let me just show you this in a couple of places
where these terms are used interchangeably
so you don't think I made that up, okay?
Because there's some denominations
that are gonna separate all those words out.
I want you to understand
why we don't separate those words out, okay?
Titus chapter one, you're right there in your Bible.
Verse number five that we just read,
Paul says, appoint elders, presbyteros,
appoint elders in every town as I directed you.
Now, I want your eye to go down to verse seven.
This is where Paul is describing
what the elders are to be in character.
But he doesn't use presbyteros.
He says, overseer, for an overseer, episkopos,
so even right here in Titus,
we see an interchanging of these terms.
It's not referring to two different people.
It's referring to the same office, different function.
Let me show you a better one.
First Peter chapter five, you can flip there if you want.
I think it's on the screen, actually,
if you want to see it there.
First Peter chapter five, verse one,
Peter says, I exhort the elders,
presbyteros, among you as a fellow elder
and a witness of the sufferings of Christ,
as well as a partaker in the glory
that is going to be revealed.
Shepherd, poimen, okay?
Shepherd, the flock of God that is among you,
exercising oversight, episkopos,
not under compulsion, but willingly.
And so on he goes in Peter's letter.
Just another example.
Peter understood these three terms interchangeably.
Paul understood these three terms interchangeably.
So we're not looking for multiple offices in the church.
We're just looking for elders.
So let's define it then.
What is an elder according to the scriptures?
Here it is.
An elder is a pastor who is responsible
for the spiritual care and oversight of a local church.
An elder is a pastor who is responsible
for the spiritual care and oversight of a local church.
Two important emphases in that description I just gave you.
First is responsible.
There is a burden of responsibility
in which those who shepherd God's church
are responsible to Jesus Christ
for the way that they care for your souls.
This is not a position
in which you sit around a boardroom table
and you make decisions
so that you can kind of manipulate
the direction of the organization.
That is not what an elder is.
It's not the mindset that an elder is to have.
An elder carries the responsibility
of the souls of the congregation.
That's a weighty responsibility.
The second emphasis in my definition
is local church.
I am a pastor at Lakeside Bible Church,
not any other church.
I'm not responsible for people
outside of this congregation.
And if you belong to this congregation,
you're not responsible to any other pastor.
There is a working through the local church
that is emphasized all throughout the New Testament
that we cannot ignore.
I have a responsibility for you.
You have a responsibility for me.
And it's a mutual soul care
that we have for one another.
Titus' task for the long-term health
of the churches in Crete
was to appoint men
who would faithfully lead them.
That's what Paul had left them in Crete to do.
Before we move on,
let me just mention
the conspicuous absence
of any mention of deacons here.
Paul doesn't say anything
about establishing deacons.
His first and primary concern
was for the establishment of pastors.
elders.
Now, that's not to diminish
the role of deacons in the church.
It was to emphasize,
rather,
the utter necessity
of elders in the church
from the very beginning.
And we must first be concerned
with our spiritual needs
before we are concerned
with our physical needs.
Something that I'm afraid
a lot of churches
have upside down.
How many churches do you know of?
How many friends that you have
when they're going through
a pastoral search
are more concerned
about who will serve them
than who will shepherd them?
Who will teach them?
Who will lead them?
Okay?
A lot of churches
get this upside down.
We gotta make sure
that we get it right side up.
Bill Mounts again says,
in the young churches,
Paul appointed only elders.
Perhaps the assumption
was that as the churches grew
and the workload increased,
deacons would be appointed to help.
A process paralleling
the growth of the Jerusalem church
in Acts chapter 6.
And that makes sense there,
doesn't it?
A young church can get along
for a little while
without deacons,
but it won't get very far
without the presence
of faithful pastors.
Paul and Titus
understood this to be true,
and it was something
that we need not overlook
as a young church ourselves.
Okay?
The presence of elders
in the church.
Okay, I know you've had
enough of that.
Let's move on.
Number two,
the purpose of elders
in the church.
The purpose of elders.
Look back at verse 5.
This is why I left you in Crete,
so that you might put
what remained into order.
Now, Paul doesn't describe
what things remained
to be put in order,
but the letter clarifies it for us
as we go through.
Clearly, what he had in view
was structures
to promote gospel fidelity,
sound doctrine,
and godly living.
But setting those things
in order began
with appointing elders
who would continue that work
after Titus leaves Crete
because Titus isn't going
to stay there.
We get to the end
of chapter 3,
and Paul's already telling him,
I'm going to send
some folks to you,
and when they come to you,
I want you to come
to where I am.
And then we get
to 2 Timothy,
and we see that
Paul sends Titus
on to Dalmatia.
And who's left behind
in Crete?
The faithful elders
that he appoints
in the churches there.
That was the purpose.
They were to continue
this work
of setting things in order.
This was as much
a succession plan
as it was anything else,
and the purpose
that these men
had in the church
was the same purpose
carried out
by the apostles
from the very beginning.
But let's take a moment
to dig a little deeper.
What does a pastor
actually do?
What is he responsible
for under God
in the church?
Generally speaking,
elders are to oversee
the church
by providing
a godly example,
teaching sound doctrine,
and confronting heresy.
It's an office
of the word
executed by men
who faithfully live
according to the word.
And we see this
right here
in Titus chapter 1.
Look at verse 6.
If anyone is above reproach,
the husband of one wife,
his children are believers.
He's not open
to the charge of debauchery
or insubordination.
He is above reproach.
He must not be arrogant,
quick-tempered,
or drunkard,
or violent,
and so on.
It continues on.
Look at verse 9.
He must hold firm
to the trustworthy word.
He needs to know his Bible.
And he needs to be able
to communicate the Bible
so that he may be able
to give instruction
in sound doctrine
and rebuke those
who contradict
the sound doctrine.
Generally speaking,
a pastor serves
as an example
to the congregation
and he teaches
the congregation
sound doctrine
and he confronts
the heresies
that may inevitably
creep their way
into the church as well.
But I want to give you
four specific responsibilities
that the scriptures give us
for biblical elders.
Here's what they do.
Number one,
elders lead the church.
They lead the church.
eldership in a local church
does not allow
for passivity
or lethargy.
It requires
that an individual
carefully
and passionately
exercise
biblical leadership
among God's people.
You shouldn't have to
talk somebody into this.
That's what I mean.
There is a
God-ordained passion
to not only love
the Lord
but to love his people
and to help them
and to edify them
and encourage them
and to lead them.
And just as God
calls a man
to actively
lead his family,
so does God
require elders
to actively
oversee
the members
and ministries
of the church.
It's a stewardship
for which each elder
gives an account
to the Lord Jesus.
It's a responsibility
that must not
be taken lightly
by those who are called
to fulfill it.
Let me show you this
in the scriptures.
In Acts chapter 20
and verse 28,
this will be on the screen
for you so you don't
have to turn
unless you just want to.
Paul tells the elders
in Ephesus,
pay careful attention
to yourselves
and to all the flock
in which the Holy Spirit
has made you overseers
to care for the church
of God
which he obtained
with his own blood.
What's he telling the elders?
Be faithful to lead
because the Spirit of God
has called you
and has enabled you
to this end.
So fulfill it.
First,
taking careful watch
of your own life
and then of the lives
of the people
to which you have been
given responsibility.
Lead the church.
How about 1 Peter chapter 5?
We read it a minute ago.
Let's slow down on it
this time.
Peter says,
shepherd the flock.
That's among you.
Exercising oversight.
There's authority there.
Not under compulsion.
You shouldn't have to be
strong-armed into this
but do it willingly
as God would have you.
Not for shameful gain.
Don't do it for money.
Don't do it for prestige.
Don't do it for honor.
But do it eagerly.
Not domineering
over those in your charge
but being examples
to the flock.
There is authority here.
It is not the kind of authority
that domineers
over the people of God.
It is the kind of authority
given by God
to serve the word of God
to the people of God.
What do elders do?
They lead the church.
Exercise oversight.
Number two,
they teach the church.
They teach the church.
So oversight of the church
is not for the sake
of a man's preferences
or his ego.
The way that elders
lead the church
is by faithfully
teaching the Bible.
In fact,
the only gifting
required for an elder
is an ability to teach.
Every other qualification
given in Titus
and given in 1 Timothy 3
are all character based.
It's all about who he is
as a believer,
not about his gifting
except for the fact
that he has to be able
to teach the word.
Now that doesn't mean
that he has to be
particularly suited
for regularly delivering
the main sermon
on a Sunday morning.
But at the very least,
he needs to be able
to sit down at a table
at a coffee shop
or in somebody's kitchen
and be able to open up
his Bible
and help them understand
what it says
for their life.
Counsel them according
to the word of God.
Constantly point them back
to the gospel of Jesus.
Constantly refute the errors
that may be coming in
to their life.
He has to at least
be able to do that.
It's a gifting
and an empowerment
that comes by God
for a man to serve
the church.
Ephesians chapter 4,
we talk about this passage
all the time.
And he gave the apostles,
the prophets,
the evangelists,
the shepherds,
shepherds and teachers
to equip the saints
for the work of the ministry,
for building up
the body of Christ.
How are elders
to equip the saints
with the word of God?
You gotta be able to teach.
On some level,
they gotta know the Bible.
They gotta be able
to communicate
biblical truth.
1 Timothy 5, 17,
Let the elders
who rule well
be considered worthy
of double honor,
especially those
who labor
in preaching
and teaching.
2 Timothy 4,
preach the word,
Timothy.
Be ready in season,
out of season.
reprove,
rebuke,
exhort
with patience
and teaching.
What does an elder do?
He leads the church,
teaches the church.
And through teaching
is ultimately
the way that he exercises
his leadership
and oversight.
Thirdly,
an elder
protects the church.
Lead the church,
teach the church,
protects the church.
So just like a father
has the responsibility
of protecting his family
against dangerous people
and behaviors,
so an elder
has the first responsibility
of protecting
the congregation
against dangerous doctrines
and practices.
which is precisely
why a church
must only recognize
elders
who are clearly
knowledgeable of the Bible
because they need
to be able to spot
error
that is easily missed
by most people.
There's a reason
Jesus said
that the grieving
of wolves
look like sheep
because they're deceptive.
Their doctrines
are deceptive.
And if we're not ready,
we'll miss them.
And we need to at least
make sure
that our shepherds
are equipped
and suited for
spotting the wolves
to protect the church.
Here in Titus chapter 1,
just look at verse 9.
He must hold firm
to the trustworthy word
as taught
so that he may be able
to give instruction
and also to rebuke
those who contradict it.
You say,
well, that's not very nice.
Well, it doesn't matter
if it's very nice.
It doesn't matter.
Because the elder
has a responsibility
for your soul.
And if he's going to
shortchange his responsibility
to confront error,
he's shortchanging
his responsibility
to truly exercise
love for the congregation.
I know I quote him
all the time,
but Alistair told his church,
he tells him all the time,
he says,
you'll know that
I've stopped loving you
when I stopped caring
about giving you the truth.
It's a responsibility.
What does he continue on with?
Verse 10,
for there are many
who are insubordinate,
they're empty talkers,
they're deceivers,
especially those
of the circumcision party,
the Jews.
They must be silenced
since they're upsetting
whole families
by teaching for shameful game
what they ought not to teach.
What does the burden
of responsibility fall on?
The shoulders of the elders.
Not them alone,
but them first.
Back to Acts chapter 20,
speaking to the Ephesian elders,
Paul says,
I know after my departure,
fierce wolves
will come in among you.
But then he says,
they won't spare the flock,
but then he says,
even among your own selves
will arise men
speaking twisted things
to draw away
the disciples after them.
You say,
well,
what kind of elders
do we need?
We need elders
that can spot error
outside the church
and elders that can spot error
inside the church as well.
Even amongst themselves
as elders,
they need to be able
to spot the error,
confront it,
protect the church,
lead the church,
teach the church,
protect the church.
Fourthly,
they care for the church.
They care for the church.
Now,
an elder may be
a gifted overseer
who knows their Bible well,
but if they don't display
a genuine love
and concern
for the people of God,
they're not fulfilling
their responsibility
to the church.
I've known pastors
that you would think
after having lunch with them
that the last thing
that they want to spend
their lives doing
is shepherding people
in a church,
and yet it's their vocation.
That's not right.
If a man doesn't seem
to love God's people,
how's he going to care
for them?
There's a reason
that I have
a unique care
for the life
that Ashlyn and Harper
live
because I have
a unique love
for them.
And in the same way,
an elder will have
a unique care
for the people of God
because of a unique love
that God puts
in his heart
for them.
When recognizing
potential elders
in the church,
we need to be sure
that we don't ignore
a lack of care
for people.
In fact,
when the day comes
for us to recognize
more elders
in our church,
we need to be able
to spot the people
who are already
doing eldering work.
They're already
shepherding people.
They're already
doing these things
and it's made evident
in their life.
And part of that
is that they just love
the people of God.
They care
to serve them.
An elder is to be
a faithful counselor,
a prayer warrior
who rejoices
with the joyful
and weeps
with the discouraged.
He must be willing
to sacrifice time
and energy
for the people
He's been called
to lead.
Shepherds smell
like sheep.
And there may be
a man in our church
who is gifted
in the Word,
qualified in His character,
but if He doesn't
smell like sheep,
if He doesn't smell
like sheep,
you should be concerned.
James 5.14
is a pretty good
example of this,
isn't it?
Is anyone sick
among you,
James writes?
Let Him call
for the elders
of the church.
Let them pray
over Him,
anointing Him
with oil
in the name
of the Lord.
Why would they
call the elders?
Why couldn't they
just call other people
in the church?
Well, they could.
But why would He
call the elders first?
Because they care
for the church.
Care for the church.
The responsibilities
of elders are
a serious
and weighty matter.
And lest,
we'll talk about
this more next week,
but we shouldn't
hold expectations
that are,
that any human
is incapable
to actually fulfill
either.
We're not looking
for perfect men.
We're just looking
for men who will
be faithful.
faithful.
Church needs
to guard
against those
who desire
authority of the office
but not the
responsibility of it,
which is the reason
Paul instructed
Timothy not to be
too quick
to recognize elders.
He needs to prove
that he has the
call of God
on his life
because ultimately
the church
doesn't call
the elder.
God does.
The church
just recognizes
the call
through the way
that the Lord
is using him.
Okay?
So we see
the presence
of elders.
We see
the purpose
of elders.
Thirdly,
we'll be finished.
We see
the plurality
of elders
in the church.
The plurality
of elders
in the church.
Verse 5,
this is why
I left you
in Crete.
You might put
what remain
into order
and appoint
elders
in every town
as I directed you.
So two things
to point out
in the language
here.
The plural
use of elders
with the singular
use of town
suggests that
Paul's vision
was for multiple
leaders
in each
church.
So he's not
referring to a
group of elders
that he's then
going to disperse
among the churches.
He's talking about
groups of elders
within each
church.
Brian Chappell
says this about it.
The plurality
of elders
in each place
alerts us
to the need
for multiple
persons in our
churches
who will assume
responsibility
for the
spiritual care
of others.
And before I go
much further
it needs to be
acknowledged
that the Bible
doesn't prohibit
a singular
pastor in a church.
It's also true
that there's
no example
of a singular
pastor in the
New Testament
either.
The New Testament
references to
church leadership
are almost
exclusively
plural.
The fact
is that the
Bible just
doesn't know
a form of
a church
leadership
that doesn't
exist in
some type
of plurality
multiple
leadership.
Now let's
address the
elephant in the
room on that.
That doesn't
mean our church
is in sin.
I truly believe
that.
There are unique
settings in church
planning where
it takes time
to recognize
the people that
God is raising
up and training
and fashioning
into this.
I don't think
we're in sin
but it does
mean that we
need to be
consciously moving
toward multiple
leadership.
We need to be
thinking about it.
I hope you pray
about it.
That you pray for
God to raise up
men in our church
that will come
alongside us and
help serve the
church and lead
it well.
Let me give you
a few reasons
why.
Plurality guards
against pride and
an abuse of power.
guards against pride
which we are all
prone to and the
abuse of power
which we are all
also prone to.
John Murray said
this,
Plurality is a
safeguard against
the arrogance
and tyranny to
which man has the
most characteristic
proclivity.
Now let me
interpret that with
Alistair Begg's
words.
The New Testament
provides all the
safeguards necessary
to prevent the
kind of tyranny
that is easily
exercised in a
local church
where one man
with a fat head
and a big mouth
runs the operation.
That was a
less special way
to say what John
Murray said.
And it's true,
isn't it?
We know this.
We've experienced
these things before
where a godly man
is rightly
exercising leadership
in the church
but because there
aren't the right
safeguards that God
has provided
around him
over time
through temptation
and pride
he can get a
fat head
and a big mouth
and think he's
responsible to run
everybody's life
and what he says
goes.
And that's not
the picture that
we see in the
New Testament.
I'm not saying
that our disposition
toward leaders
should be
suspicious.
In fact,
I don't think
it should be.
If you don't
trust someone,
don't appoint
them.
So we shouldn't
constantly just
evaluate to see
what is this guy
doing wrong
and how can we
fix him.
That's not the
disposition that we
have.
But we should care
to put the Bible
safeguards in place
to prevent the
church from having
to deal with a
huge mess down
the road.
And plurality is
the first step
in this kind of
protection.
Number two,
plurality provides
consistent,
long-term
leadership.
Let me just ask
you a very
practical question.
What happens
to a church
that is served
by a singular
pastor
and then loses
that pastor?
What happens?
You've been in
churches like this.
You know what
happens.
Unfortunately,
the burden of
responsibility falls
on a group of
men who are
well-meaning
and love the
Lord and love
their church.
And now the
weight of
choosing a
pastor falls
on them and
they don't have
pastoral
responsibilities
themselves.
But they're
supposed to
choose the next
guy.
So they do it
the best way
that they can
and the best
way that they
can is with
the mindset
of the
business
framework
that they're
used to.
So they have
a search
committee and
they sit
around a room
and they ask
guys to come
in and they
look at their
resumes and
they see,
does this guy
have some
skills?
Like, is he
capable of
doing things?
And let me
tell you something,
it's pretty easy
to convince somebody
that you got the
skills when you
don't have the
skills.
It's not that
hard to do.
Every preacher
has one good
sermon and if
you're going to
let him preach
on one Sunday,
he's going to
preach that one
good sermon,
isn't he,
Terry?
You know
what it's
like?
And then you're
going to invite
him to come
be your
pastor and
you're going
to realize
he only had
one good
sermon.
Well, what
happens to
the church?
They have to
go on an
extensive church
for a new
pastor who
undoubtedly
will come
in with his
own agenda
that may or
may not be
consistent with
the church's
mind and
mission.
But if a
congregation is
led by a
healthy plurality,
it will
surely be
consistently
shepherded
for many,
many years.
If we have a
plurality of
faithful pastors
in our church
and something
happens to
Jared, who
do you turn
to?
The other
pastors in
the church.
The other
men who are
already shepherding
you.
Your spiritual
life doesn't
rely on me.
and if I
leave this
church to
where you're
dependent on
me instead
of the Lord
Jesus and
the gifts that
he gives in
multiple leadership,
then I have
failed in doing
what I should
do to lead
you according
to the Bible.
Something
happens to me
or if you
find me to
be in sin,
who's going to
point it out?
Who's going
to have that
kind of access
to my life
as a senior
pastor?
Well,
ultimately,
it's going to
be my wife
and it's going
to be the
elders of the
church.
And when
something happens
to me,
you just turn
to the other
elders who are
going to shepherd
you faithfully.
And it may be
that one of
them are now
suited to take
the place of
senior pastor.
But at the
very least,
they'll be
pastors who
can rightly
evaluate another
potential pastor.
Consistent,
long-term
leadership.
Number three,
plurality helps
to exercise
prudence.
We could point
out a hundred
different things
that it does
this with just
out of basic
wisdom that we
see all throughout
the scripture.
We won't do
that this morning,
but let me
just say it
from this
perspective.
A plurality
of elders doesn't
mean that every
pastor is
vocational.
It doesn't
mean that every
pastor relates
relies on the
church to
provide their
living.
In fact,
I think it's
actually very
prudent to
have multiple
lay elders,
what we would
call lay elders,
whose leadership
and judgment
isn't
potentially clouded
by the fact
that their
living is
directly tied to
the people that
they lead.
Again,
that doesn't
mean that we
are to approach
our pastors with
suspicion.
I hope you're
not suspicious of
me in the
hope I'm
accountable to
you in a
faithful way
and in a
righteous way.
But when
there's other
men sitting
around me and
we're making
real decisions
about the
church that
maybe have
strong opinions
on different
sides of the
aisle in our
church,
our church
will be helped
when I'm not
the only one
making that
decision.
Our church
will be helped
to have men
who won't be
tempted by the
fact that if
the good givers
in the church
don't like
what I say,
there goes my
paycheck for
the month or
whatever it is.
You know what I
mean?
There's just some
prudence in that.
There's a lot of
different ways that
we could talk
about that.
That's a helpful
way, I think.
Fourthly and
finally, plurality
encourages what we
would call parity.
Parity.
Alexander Strzok said
that healthy
elderships involve
equality with
diversity.
Equality with
diversity among
its leadership.
And here's what
that means.
It doesn't
preclude the
need or role
of a senior
pastor or
someone that
is to be a
leader among
the leaders and
will carry the
load of the
regular preaching
in the church.
It doesn't
preclude that.
But a plurality
of elders does
allow for
differing gifts
and experiences
to be fruitfully
used by God
for the good
of his church.
My gift may
have to do
with preaching
a sermon
on a Sunday.
But there will
be other men
in our church
who are gifted
in ways that
I am not.
They may have
a unique
sense of
compassion
and sympathy
and they'll be
able to shepherd
our church
in the role
and the function
of care
in a way that
I'm not as good
at doing.
Whatever it may
be.
Parity.
Equality.
Not hierarchy.
Not inferior
elders and superior
elders.
Not that at all.
Diversity.
Differing gifts
all fulfilling
the same role.
So a healthy
plurality then
is not only good
for the church.
It's good for
the elders.
It provides
camaraderie.
Unity of purpose.
It will help
avoid decision
fatigue for a
senior pastor.
It protects
any one leader
from unnecessary
or unhelpful
accusations.
Christians.
I believe it's
God's plan
for his church
and that in
itself is enough
for us to care
about it.
And I think
there's hints
of it
for sure
in verse 5.
And we could
go to a lot
of places
in the New
Testament to see
that fleshed out.
Let me just
bring it to a
close this way.
When it comes
to the issue
of church
leadership,
remember the
structure itself
isn't the goal.
The structure
itself isn't
the goal.
Remember Titus'
primary task
is to make sure
that the churches
are faithful
to the gospel,
that they're
committed to
sound doctrine,
that they're
living godly
lives that show
the glory of
God.
That's the
greater end
to which
the lesser
goal of
plurality of
eldership
actually achieves.
So that's what
we're looking for.
Without faithful
elders, our church
will eventually
fall into
dysfunction,
it'll fall
into error,
it'll be
subject to it
at least.
Let me give
two specific
applications as
we finish.
One, the
congregation is
at least in
part responsible
for this.
In 2 Timothy
chapter 4 or
chapter 3,
Paul tells
Timothy that
eventually there's
going to come,
there's going to
be congregations
with itching
ears and they're
going to heap
to themselves
teachers who
will tell them
whatever it is
that they want
to hear.
Meaning that
the congregation
bears some
responsibility in
this, at least
in part.
You're responsible
for your
leadership.
And what we
need to do as a
church is care
deeply about this.
I know for most
people, talking
about church
polity will send
you into the
deeper stages
of sleep for
sure in your
REM cycle.
But it's at
least something
that you need
to care about
because you
love your
church.
So as a
congregation we
need to care
about it and to
pray about it, we
need to think
about it.
But let me give
you this final
application.
Paul said that
those who desire
to shepherd a
church desire a
noble thing.
and we need
men who will
desire the
work.
Who will desire
the work.
Now understand
that the Lord
does this,
understand that.
But we need
men who will
desire to love
and to lead
his church.
Doesn't
automatically
qualify a man
to lead, but
no man will be
willing or able
to shepherd a
church without a
God-given desire
to do so.
And when's the
last time that
in your time with
the Lord you
prayed and you
said, Lord, if
you were to ever
want me to serve
in this way, I
would be willing
to do it because
I love you and I
love your church.
Can I also say
that we need
wives who will
encourage this in
their husbands?
If not for any
other thing, to
look at the
qualifications of a
godly man, Titus
1 and 1 Timothy
3, and say, I
want you to be
that man in our
home.
And if the
Lord uses it to
put you in a
place of leadership
in our church, I'm
not going to stand
in the way of
that.
And I'm going to
encourage you in
that.
And I'm going to
help you in
that.
A wife won't
make your
ministry, but a
wife can certainly
break it.
And maybe some
of you as wives
would pray, you
know, if the
Lord were to ever
do this in my
husband's life, I
just want to be
pliable to the
Lord's will.
And I'm going to
support it and
help.
Courage and
whatever way I
can.
And maybe we
can all pray for
one another to
that end.
take care for