What Do Elders Do?

This week we are going to consider the question, “What do elders do?” Or rather, “What does the Bible say elders should do?” We hope this will help you as you consider recommending men for the office of elder.

Biblically, we can put the duties of the elders into three categories: leading, guarding, and feeding.

Leading

Elders are called to be leaders in the church. The church delegates to them the exercise of its authority. Elders are responsible for the overall direction and operation of the church. As a shepherd leads the sheep, so elders are called to lead the congregation over which God has placed them.

One text that lays this out is 1 Peter 5:1-3,

So I exhort the elders 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: ² 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; ³ not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.

The basic command that Peter gives to the elder is “shepherd the flock of God.” He then clarifies in more detail that this shepherding is “exercising oversight” in the manner explained by the contrasting pairs in v. 2-3. In addition, 1 Timothy 5:17 speaks of elders “ruling” in the church.

This means that it is the elders duty to lead the worship of God’s people, to administer the ordinances of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, to give oversight to the ministries of the church, to handle cases of church discipline, to interview and recommend members, to nominate elected officers, and to offer counsel from God’s word.

Importantly, as a leader, an elders is to be an example to the church of what a godly man looks like. This is why Hebrews 13:7 commands the church to “Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.” The elders are men to whom the church is able to look to see what it looks like to live a godly life. It is no accident, then, that nearly all of the qualifications for elders deal with their character (more on that next week). An elder is one of whom it could be said, “That is what it looks like to be a mature Christian.”

Guarding

Second, elders are called to guard the church. In Acts 20, Paul warns the elders of Ephesus that false teachers will arise, some even from their own midst (v. 29-30)! Therefore, he commands the elders to guard the church, saying,

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.

It is the elders responsibility to watch out for false teachers, both inside and outside of the church. It is their responsibility to ensure that the church is holding to true, biblical doctrine and that it does not drift with the currents of the world.

In 2 Timothy 1:13-14, Paul instructs Timothy (elder of the church in Ephesus),

Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. ¹⁴ By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.

Earlier, he told Timothy to keep a close watch on his teaching (1 Tim. 4:16). This is necessary because the danger of false teaching is an ever-present threat to the church. Both Jesus and the Apostles consistently warned the church about false teachers (Matt. 7:15-23, 2 Peter 2-3, Jude, 2 Tim. 4:3-4).

It is the elders duty to guard the church from them as shepherds guard their sheep from wolves.  

Hebrews 13:17 is one of the most sobering passages for elders, because it says that one day we will answer to Christ.

Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.

If elders are to guard the church from false teaching, they must be men who are firmly grounded in the truth. They must know their Bibles and have a deeply rooted theology that grasps the “pattern of sound words” laid out in God’s word.

Feeding

Finally, elders are to feed the church upon the word of God shepherds feed their sheep.

Paul speaks of those who “labor” among the church in Thessalonica (1 Thess. 5:12), and Hebrews 13:7 calls the leaders those who “spoke to you the word of God.” Paul tells Timothy to devote himself “to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching” (1 Tim. 4:13).

In his most serious and final charge to Timothy, Paul calls five weighty witnesses and charges Timothy to preach God’s word,

I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: ² preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. (2 Tim. 4:1-2)

After summarizing the gospel, Paul charges Titus,

Declare these things; exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you. (Titus 2:15)

Therefore, it is the duty of elders to minister the word of God to the church. They may not all be called to weekly, public preaching, but all elders are called to minister God’s word to His people. They are to declare, exhort, rebuke, correct, train, and preach based, not upon their own opinions or the desires of their hearers, but based upon the word of God.

Conclusion

I hope you can see that the office of elder is of vital importance to the church and also that it is distinct from secular positions. We will get more into the qualifications next week, but being a good business man or holding an important government position does not mean one is called to lead, guard, and feed the church of God. The office of elder is, as Paul says, a “noble task” (1 Tim. 3:3) distinct to the church.