Action and influence forge the essence of leadership. Leaders act when others do not or will not. Leaders act to influence others for mission. There is no level of life that is void of the demand for leadership. Paul’s instructions to Timothy demonstrate leadership to encourage leadership. Leading elders is vital for the health of the body and faithfulness to mission.
Shepherding leadership is never more necessary than among the elders. The role of “first among equals” leads the elders but is not “lord” of the table. Alexander Strauch provides excellent insight to the relationship among elders by highlighting the benefits for Peter when he states, “When surrounded by eleven other apostles who were his equals, Peter became stronger, more balanced, and was protected from his impetuous nature and his fears.” (Biblical Eldership, p47) I testify this to be faithful and true of my own life in relationship among the elders with which I serve. The ‘first among equals’ leads by strength from Jesus and the other elders.
Keys to effectively leading elders
One disclaimer: I recognize that every person leads differently. These five keys are principles that I pray will help you lead elders more effectively and offer encouragement to you.
1. ‘First among equals’ demonstrates a clear and confident call to lead the Elder table.
Paul continually directs Timothy to remember Jesus, the Gospel and God’s Word as his source for all the demands of leadership. The “first among equals” must be most radically oriented to Jesus in all things to draw strength for leading the elder table.
My father was recently featured in an article highlighting the 60th Anniversary of his call to the Gospel ministry. When asked how he survived the hard times that made him want to quit, he simply referred to his call and said “The date was just a nail driven in the wall that kept drawing me back to it, and I couldn’t escape it.” A minister’s call must be clear in order to anchor him to Jesus, especially when hard decisions arise that promise to create chaos and turmoil.
Call begins with a radical orientation to Jesus and His church. This maintained focus leads the elders in a priority direction for every consideration, prayer, decision and action.
2. ‘First among equals’ humbly submits all of life to Christ and the Elder table for accountability.
Biblical leadership operates from a position of service and never exaltedness. The ‘first among equals’ is not above anyone, but under Christ together with everyone. If he will not submit to the elders then he is not leading but dominating.
‘First among equals’ should practice the highest accountability. The accountability path should be clear to all and vigorously guarded by the elders. There will be plenty who conspire to attack, but only those who act biblically should be allowed to submit complaint. The elders are charged to guard the ‘first among equals’, as they do all elders, by only considering complaints from two or three witnesses. Guarding requires an active work to squash rumors, gossip, slander and all other kinds of venomous talk in the church. Leadership demands the ‘first among equals’ teach and lead elders in this practiced accountability.
As the ‘first among equals’ I strive to practice full submission to the church through our Board of Directors, which oversees all executive responsibility for the church. This Board includes two elders and one non-elder, in addition to myself. I regularly submit my family budget and finances to them, direct them to check my giving, ask any depth of personal questions of me, or my wife about me, and enter to search my office at any time. I expect these men to trust and follow me and be committed to my leadership. I should expect that they have the right to know who they are following, as much as possible, and to hold me accountable to what I say and how I live.
Trust is tethered to the knowledge of relationship. I readily admit that I need help in fighting sin in my life. I gladly welcome these men into my life to serve me in this way. The more my elders know me the more they can pray for me, help and serve me, guard and encourage me. After all, their first responsibility is not to me, but to Christ and His church.
3. ‘First among equals’ pursues a growing love for the elders to grow love among the elders.
This does not mean “I love them because they follow me”. The love that one desires to be demonstrated among the whole church must begin with the ‘first among equals’. This love must be sacrificial to serve these men, their wives and families. If a sacrificial love is not growing for these men, you will use them for your purposes, and not for the Church’s mission.
The elders that I lead are my first priority in serving. I am a strength for them, just as they are for me. These men practically hold the church’s well-being. My first service to the church is to pastor the elders well. Love increases as depth of knowledge grows. I must work to know them and their families with increasing measure in order to love and serve them faithfully.
4. Qualification and competency provide foundational characteristics that must be maintained.
Characteristics that qualify a man to serve also maintain the strength of the table. Obviously, dis-qualifying sin demands an elder step down or be removed by discipline. Personal sin may disqualify a man or sin at the table that remains unwilling to be resolved. But situations beyond sin arise that require an elder to step down for either a sabbatical or permanently. Great challenges arise as one seeks to rightly guard the personal life of the elder and lead the church.
Leading elders is not a “one size fits all” endeavor. The Elder Council represents a living body. Change is as essential for the eldership as for any living organism. As the church grows and matures so must the elders and the eldership. Some men will be able to serve for life. Other men that are called and qualified to lead at one stage of church life will discover that a growing congregation and complex challenges demands they step aside. Known sin may be involved, but this situation often results from issues other than known sin. At times this arises from within the man sensing a shift in his calling. At other times it may arise among the elders in regard to a man and his demonstrated calling. There is no shame for the man or the church, but condemnation may arise within one or both. Hard conversations will arise to discern and lead through these situations. The ‘first among equals’ must lead with compassion and courage to navigate with grace and truth. The Gospel must be remembered and Jesus honored to guard against sin being produced through the situation. Humility and love must be evident as hard decisions are made.
5. ‘First among equals’ directs visional alignment in all areas of the church as all serve the mission.
No one person will be the most fully skilled or gifted in any area of the church, but he is responsible to direct these areas. There is great understanding and trust required in these relationships, with no hint of pride or ego present. The love that builds trust will be pulled against in these working relationships. Love among elders that is strong will recognize the tension and the purpose it serves. Love that is weak will be stripped away by the same.
Some church experience wrongly taught me that the pastor should have nothing to do with stewarding the money. This is a horrific error and is simply anti-biblical. Just another way Satan deceives God’s people by exploiting the most obvious and dangerous false idol among people, money. Stewardship resources mission. You cannot lead the mission if you don’t focus stewardship on priorities.
Leaders must fight fears and insecurities to lead from strong relational bonds. One must continually monitor, evaluate and re-direct when necessary. Humble courage is essential. Fear and insecurity drive one to lead dogmatically as a dictator. Personal preferences are always demanded, relationships suffer and people get burned. Leadership that fails to confront or allows ill to continue becomes a personal agenda of precautionary measure that weakens confidence and trust. People know when they cease to serve the mission and start to serve a personal agenda. Agendas fracture relationships because a person becomes the priority. Mission strengthens relationships because people remain the first priority in making disciples. Faithful leaders give constant attention to balancing relationships that move the mission forward.
Finally, leading elders requires a growing commitment to selflessness, to deny personal preferences, comforts and desires in order to always think and act in the best interest of the congregation. I have found this role of leading elders to be one that continually breaks a man down in order to build him back up in Christ. God chooses the weak to lead the strong. Meditate long and hard on this before you ask God to use you to lead a great body of elders or church.
Recommended Resource(s): Biblical Foundations for Baptist Churches: A Contemporary Ecclesiology, by John S. Hammett and Those Who Must Give An Account: A Study of Church Membership and Church Discipline, by John S. Hammett and Benjamin L. Merkle
These two books are more recent finds for me. I have enjoyed their insight and instruction a great deal. I think you will find them very strong in research and direction for helping you to think through the leadership structure of your church, as well as other practices.
Read previous posts on eldership: Choosing Elders and Training Elders.