Leadership matters. Why? According to Proverbs 29:2, “When the righteous increase, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, the people groan.” Given the context of the chapter and the book as a whole there are many comments we could make about this verse. And yet there is one thing remarkably clear: good leadership is a blessing. A righteous ruler will seek to help his subjects; a wicked ruler will harm his subjects. People rejoice when a godly leader is at the helm; they groan, or mourn, when a godless leader is in power. In other words, a godly leader exemplifies Christ in personal holiness, love for the Lord, and service to people. A godless leader, on the other hand, will exhibit an unholy life, a love for self, and will abuse rather than serve people. In short, leadership is anything but trivial; it has the power to bring drastic consequences, both for good and evil. The importance of leadership shouldn’t surprise us; after all, God designed it and man distorted it. But by God’s grace, Christ has redeemed it.
Why do I bring this up? One of the great comforts we have from Scripture is that God cares about His people. Indeed, Christ cares for His Bride. Paul exhorts husbands in Ephesians 5 to “love your wives.” Why would Paul command such a thing? Well, because “Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (Eph 5:25). In other words, the blood of Christ proves both His love and commitment to His people. More fundamentally, it is the blood of Christ that forms His people in the first place (see Rev 5:9–10). All this to say, God is devoted to His people and He is so devoted to them that He has established leadership as a means to care for them. Our Creator-Lord has ordained an authoritative office in His church that is meant to be a blessing to the people of God. Indeed, this office should cause “the people [to] rejoice” (Prov 29:2). Who are these leaders? How might we label this office? The Bible refers to this leader as an elder.
Elder leadership is how God has designed leadership to be deployed amongst His people. Scripture uses several terms to refer to this office: elder, overseer, and shepherd/pastor (noun derived from the verb, to shepherd (ποιμαίνω); see 1 Peter 5:2). It is important to keep in mind that each of these terms communicate different facets of an elder’s responsibility as a leader; they are not distinct offices. Moreover, it is not a single elder who has leadership over the church, but a plurality of elders. Each of these elders is a biblically qualified man who has been appointed by God to lead. Indeed, Alexander Strauch puts it succinctly, “It is the Holy Spirit who sovereignly places an elder as an overseer to shepherd the church of God (Acts 20:28). With this appointment comes the rightful authority and Spirit empowerment to do the God-given work of leading God’s flock of people.”
Now, what does a faithful elder look like? It is clear from the Scriptures how God has designed leadership, but how might a church member determine or, better yet, evaluate whether this is a righteous ruler who will cause “the people to rejoice” (Prov 29:2). Thankfully, God did not leave us without help! There are two places I want to briefly point you to as you consider what a faithful elder should look like. These two passages will promote two categories that are absolutely essential for faithful eldership and the health of the church. The two categories are character and competence. First Timothy 3:1–7 teaches the type of character any pastor should have in order to assume office. First Peter 5:1–5 describes the competence they should exhibit in order to assume office.
A pastor must be someone who is “above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money.” This list from 1 Timothy 3:1–7 is not meant to be taken exhaustively, as if sins like gluttony or anger are not to be taken seriously due to their absence (although one could certainly argue they are implied by these general categories). Nevertheless, Paul does give a standard. God’s leaders are to live exemplary lives, marked by marital faithfulness, sobriety, kindness, selflessness, and all the rest. In a word, an elder should have a life worthy of imitation (see 1 Cor 11:1). Paul continues to say that an elder should “manage his own household”, “not be a recent convert”, and “he must be well thought of by outsiders.” In order to lead God’s flock, he must prove that he can first manage his own family. There is a direct correlation between a leader’s natural family and his spiritual family. How could he lead the latter if the former is in question? Furthermore, an elder must be mature. You might say, though one must be careful not to equate time maturity with age, that a mature Christian is a seasoned Christian, someone who has walked with God for quite some time. Finally, what do non-Christians think about this person? What is an elder prospect’s reputation among the godless of this world? According to Paul, even those who reject the gospel of Jesus Christ should acknowledge the superb morality of an elder candidate.
This text reminds us that godly character is not a negotiable factor in examining an elder’s qualification. Too often people are placed into the role of pastor/elder who do not have 1 Timothy 3 character. They might be a good teacher, beloved by the church, or even be filling a need on the elder-board. These are not necessarily wrong reasons to consider someone for the office, but at the end of the day Scripture is clear: the most important thing an elder must have is godly character. Elders who lack character will cause “the people groan.” Therefore, it is essential that an elder be marked by godly character if he would be found faithful.
A faithful elder must also be competent. First Peter 5:2–3 exhorts the elders to “shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.” To shepherd and exercise oversight takes a required skill in leading the people of God. John 10:2–4 observes a shepherd who “enters by the door”; “calls his own sheep by name and leads them out”; and “goes before them.” Each of these descriptions highlight the competence a shepherd must have in order to lead his sheep faithfully. Thinking of the pastor, he must be someone who teaches and counsels with godly wisdom and love. He must exhibit competence. A shepherd with competence blesses those in the fold while a shepherd who is incompetent brings much harm.
And yet one could easily look at this passage and notice the type of character that undergirds this skillful care: “not under compulsion, but willingly”; “not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering”. Even in 1 Timothy 3:2 one sees that an elder must also be “able to teach,” a crucial competency for the pastorate. All this to say, both passages display a beautiful picture for the church: a biblically qualified elder is a godly man who both loves the people of God and competently deploys the gifts God has given him for the edification and maturity of the church (see Eph 4:11–16). When godly men have Christlike character and pastoral competence, they are a blessing to Christ’s people. Truly, “the people rejoice” under godly leadership.
It is good to conclude with the reminder that though the qualification for eldership is a high one, no elder is perfect. Certainly, if perfection were the standard there would be no leaders. We are not demanding our pastors to be perfect. We simply desire that they be faithful. This includes that when an elder sins, just like any Christian, they should repent and turn to the Lord. Of course, a sin may be biblically disqualifying for continued operation in the office. Nevertheless, all of us need the grace of God. All of us fall short of holiness. We must cling to the cross as our only hope. I would commend you, Providence member, to pray daily for your elders. Pray that they would be shaped after the image of Christ, continually equipped to shepherd us with competence, and that they would endure faithfully until the end. In the words of Paul, would we “strive together” in praying for Afshin, Weyland, Tim, Oren, Matt, Parker, and Josiah (Rom 15:30). Thanks be to God for imperfect, faithful elders.
