Church Structure: Pastors (Part 1)
"Appoint elders in every town as I directed you." (Titus 1:5)
The word elder may not be familiar to many of you, but it is synonymous with the word pastor. Actually, elder (presbuteros) is used in the Bible more than the word pastor (poimēn). Yet, in the modern church, particularly as a Southern Baptist, we use the word pastor almost exclusively.
I'm not writing this article to debate semantics, or try to make the case that we need to switch the words elder and pastor around. You will likely hear me use the word pastor more than elder in normal conversation. The reason I'm writing this is to explain my understanding of the biblical role of pastors in the church, and what the future of Kingdom Community Church will likely look like.
In the book Biblical Eldership, Alexander Strauch (I credit most of this material to this book) defines elders in this way:
"According to the New Testament, elders jointly pastor the church, teach the word, protect the church from false teachers, exhort and admonish believers in sound doctrine, pray with the sick, and judge doctrinal issues. In biblical terminology, elders shepherd, oversee, lead, manage, and care for the local church... [Eldership is] shared pastoral leadership by a team of scripturally qualified, Spirit-placed elders."
Biblical churches are to be led by qualified men (plural), not a qualified man (singular). Plurality of leadership is central to the governance of the New Testament church. In the modern era, many churches have taken on the structure of businesses, where the pastor runs the church as CEO, and his other pastors are the middle managers. This is not how the Bible lays out the role of elders. This is not how Kingdom Community Church will function. I will not be the sole decision maker.
If you want to do a deep dive into this at your own convenience, here are some passages to check out: Acts 11:30; 14:23; 15:1-29; 20:17; 21:17-26; Phil. 1:1; 1 These. 5:12; 1 Tim. 3:1-7; 5:17-25; Titus 1:5; Heb. 13:17; 1 Pet. 1:1; 5:1-5; James 5:14-15.
There are three key features of a biblical eldership: (1) pastoral leadership, (2) shared leadership (plurality), and (3) qualified leadership.
The word elder may not be familiar to many of you, but it is synonymous with the word pastor. Actually, elder (presbuteros) is used in the Bible more than the word pastor (poimēn). Yet, in the modern church, particularly as a Southern Baptist, we use the word pastor almost exclusively.
I'm not writing this article to debate semantics, or try to make the case that we need to switch the words elder and pastor around. You will likely hear me use the word pastor more than elder in normal conversation. The reason I'm writing this is to explain my understanding of the biblical role of pastors in the church, and what the future of Kingdom Community Church will likely look like.
In the book Biblical Eldership, Alexander Strauch (I credit most of this material to this book) defines elders in this way:
"According to the New Testament, elders jointly pastor the church, teach the word, protect the church from false teachers, exhort and admonish believers in sound doctrine, pray with the sick, and judge doctrinal issues. In biblical terminology, elders shepherd, oversee, lead, manage, and care for the local church... [Eldership is] shared pastoral leadership by a team of scripturally qualified, Spirit-placed elders."
Biblical churches are to be led by qualified men (plural), not a qualified man (singular). Plurality of leadership is central to the governance of the New Testament church. In the modern era, many churches have taken on the structure of businesses, where the pastor runs the church as CEO, and his other pastors are the middle managers. This is not how the Bible lays out the role of elders. This is not how Kingdom Community Church will function. I will not be the sole decision maker.
If you want to do a deep dive into this at your own convenience, here are some passages to check out: Acts 11:30; 14:23; 15:1-29; 20:17; 21:17-26; Phil. 1:1; 1 These. 5:12; 1 Tim. 3:1-7; 5:17-25; Titus 1:5; Heb. 13:17; 1 Pet. 1:1; 5:1-5; James 5:14-15.
There are three key features of a biblical eldership: (1) pastoral leadership, (2) shared leadership (plurality), and (3) qualified leadership.
Pastoral Leadership
Biblical eldership is pastoral in nature. Another common word for pastor is overseer. In Acts 20:28, Paul says, "Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as overseers, to shepherd the church of God, which he purchased with his own blood".
In his letter, Peter charged the churches to "shepherd the flock of God... exercising oversight" (1 Peter 5:1-2).
Pastors are responsible before God for the pastoral oversight of the individual flock God has appointed them to care for. Additionally, they are assisted in their work by a group of qualified deacons (this is another article for another time).
The nature of leadership envisioned by the apostles is not managerial leadership, but shepherd leadership. This includes teaching the Scriptures, protecting from false teachers, evangelizing, counseling, caring for the practical needs of the flock, and being a godly example of Christlike living.
This is what it means to be a pastor. And it cannot be accomplished by one man.
In his letter, Peter charged the churches to "shepherd the flock of God... exercising oversight" (1 Peter 5:1-2).
Pastors are responsible before God for the pastoral oversight of the individual flock God has appointed them to care for. Additionally, they are assisted in their work by a group of qualified deacons (this is another article for another time).
The nature of leadership envisioned by the apostles is not managerial leadership, but shepherd leadership. This includes teaching the Scriptures, protecting from false teachers, evangelizing, counseling, caring for the practical needs of the flock, and being a godly example of Christlike living.
This is what it means to be a pastor. And it cannot be accomplished by one man.
Shared Leadership
Jesus gave us shared leadership when he appointed 12 young men to lead his church. He did not train and appoint one man to be the head of the church (contrary to what the Roman Catholics believe). Instead, he gave a plurality of leadership as the model for church.
Just as Jesus set in place shared leadership among the apostles, the apostles set in place shared leadership among the churches they planted. At the beginning and end of Paul's ministry, we see his commitment to appointing a body of qualified elders to oversee the churches he helped start (Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5).
While elders may share the same title, they do not all serve the same purpose. The church is a body, with Christ as the head. He has appointed different body parts to function in different ways. Usually, there is a "leader among equals", and this man typically serves as the primary preacher of the church (this will be my role). Then, there are others who are gifted in administration, music, or evangelism, who serve different functions, but maintain the primary role and responsibility of elder. In addition to this, there may be lay elders (men who do not draw a pay check from the church, but help oversee the flock alongside the paid elders). The Bible creates a distinction among elders, without creaiting a formal hierarchy (1 Timothy 5:17-18). All of these roles are needed to effectively oversee the flock of God.
Just as Jesus set in place shared leadership among the apostles, the apostles set in place shared leadership among the churches they planted. At the beginning and end of Paul's ministry, we see his commitment to appointing a body of qualified elders to oversee the churches he helped start (Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5).
While elders may share the same title, they do not all serve the same purpose. The church is a body, with Christ as the head. He has appointed different body parts to function in different ways. Usually, there is a "leader among equals", and this man typically serves as the primary preacher of the church (this will be my role). Then, there are others who are gifted in administration, music, or evangelism, who serve different functions, but maintain the primary role and responsibility of elder. In addition to this, there may be lay elders (men who do not draw a pay check from the church, but help oversee the flock alongside the paid elders). The Bible creates a distinction among elders, without creaiting a formal hierarchy (1 Timothy 5:17-18). All of these roles are needed to effectively oversee the flock of God.
Qualified Leadership
Being a pastor is more about who you are than what you do. There are biblical qualifications that a man must possess before even being considered for the role. And these qualifications must be maintained throughout the life of this man. Becoming a pastor is not some honorary thing you receive by people, a seminary degree, or life experience. A pastor is to be a godly man. This is necessary.
The New Testament provides us with several lists to guide us as we look for the qualities of a pastor. You can find these in 1 Timothy 3:1-7, Titus 1:6-9, and 1 Peter 5:1-5. Some things includes self-control, sober-minded, faithful husband and father, gentle, respectable, hospitable, and so on. Many of these characteristics should be exemplified by Christians in general. There is only one thing on these lists that is not reacquired of all Christians and that is the ability to teach.
Churches should not be eager to bring new pastors on. Appointing pastors is a serious thing. 1 Timothy 5:22 says that we should not lay hands (that means appoint) new leaders quickly. Leaders must be tested and tried for their character and competency to be fully shown.
The New Testament provides us with several lists to guide us as we look for the qualities of a pastor. You can find these in 1 Timothy 3:1-7, Titus 1:6-9, and 1 Peter 5:1-5. Some things includes self-control, sober-minded, faithful husband and father, gentle, respectable, hospitable, and so on. Many of these characteristics should be exemplified by Christians in general. There is only one thing on these lists that is not reacquired of all Christians and that is the ability to teach.
Churches should not be eager to bring new pastors on. Appointing pastors is a serious thing. 1 Timothy 5:22 says that we should not lay hands (that means appoint) new leaders quickly. Leaders must be tested and tried for their character and competency to be fully shown.
Kingdom Community Church Leadership
Now that we have a biblical basis for pastors, what will leadership look like at Kingdom Community Church?
At the start of the church plant, I (Jesse) will be the initial pastor of preaching and vision. If you want a title you could call this the "lead pastor". Upon guidance from other churches, we have decided to bring on Scott Parkison, Lee Bailey, and Rick Lowhorn as temporary elders in our startup phase. They will serve as accountability and oversight for me and the church as we seek to establish new pastors, create a budget, make decisions, etc.
Once we have three pastors at KCC, Scott, Lee, and Rick will step out of their oversight role for the church. The new elders will then be accountable to one another, and to our congregation (you).
I will be writing about the role of members later, but the congregation is ultimately the people that affirm their elders. Over time I will identify, test, and appoint a role for a qualified man to be an elder. I will then bring them before the congregation for questioning and we will vote on affirming or rejecting the recommended position. This will happen for paid staff elder roles, and unpaid lay elder roles.
You may be wondering why lay elders matter. While Stevens Street does not have lay elders (although we do have a plurality of elders), many churches, small and large, do. It's especially important for church plants that cannot afford to pay multiple pastors. I am inspired by this article on the parish model of ministry. This church has a designated list of members that a pastor is responsible for. Part of every pastor's role, whether paid or not, will be to oversee their list of people. This looks like regular contact throughout the year, asking how he can pray for you, seeing if you have any needs, visiting you if you are in the hospital, appointing a deacon to serve you if you have a need, offering spiritual counsel if you need it, etc. This will ensure that every member is properly cared for, and nobody falls through the cracks.
At the start of the church plant, I (Jesse) will be the initial pastor of preaching and vision. If you want a title you could call this the "lead pastor". Upon guidance from other churches, we have decided to bring on Scott Parkison, Lee Bailey, and Rick Lowhorn as temporary elders in our startup phase. They will serve as accountability and oversight for me and the church as we seek to establish new pastors, create a budget, make decisions, etc.
Once we have three pastors at KCC, Scott, Lee, and Rick will step out of their oversight role for the church. The new elders will then be accountable to one another, and to our congregation (you).
I will be writing about the role of members later, but the congregation is ultimately the people that affirm their elders. Over time I will identify, test, and appoint a role for a qualified man to be an elder. I will then bring them before the congregation for questioning and we will vote on affirming or rejecting the recommended position. This will happen for paid staff elder roles, and unpaid lay elder roles.
You may be wondering why lay elders matter. While Stevens Street does not have lay elders (although we do have a plurality of elders), many churches, small and large, do. It's especially important for church plants that cannot afford to pay multiple pastors. I am inspired by this article on the parish model of ministry. This church has a designated list of members that a pastor is responsible for. Part of every pastor's role, whether paid or not, will be to oversee their list of people. This looks like regular contact throughout the year, asking how he can pray for you, seeing if you have any needs, visiting you if you are in the hospital, appointing a deacon to serve you if you have a need, offering spiritual counsel if you need it, etc. This will ensure that every member is properly cared for, and nobody falls through the cracks.
Conclusion
There are many books written on these topics (I counted 17 on the book shelf behind me as I type this), and I could say a lot more about pastoring. Although this article was brief, I hope it was clarifying on the biblical role of pastors. My primary goal for Kingdom Community Church is to keep it simple and ensure our people are taken care of. That's what truly matters.
Church, I love you. And whoever our future pastors will be, they will love you too. We are here to serve you, and to walk alongside you, as we follow Jesus together.
Church, I love you. And whoever our future pastors will be, they will love you too. We are here to serve you, and to walk alongside you, as we follow Jesus together.