Church Leadership

A Biblical Perspective

The Head of the Church

The Head of the Church is Jesus Christ. He leads and guides His church primarily through the word of God, the Bible. The word of God is the final rule of authority for all matters of faith, doctrine, and life. Secondarily, He leads and guides His church through a group of biblically qualified men.

The Offices of the Church

The Bible defines two continuing offices in the church, the offices of elder and deacon. The two offices are validated in Scripture by Paul’s references to the offices as present in the churches and by the enumeration of those qualifying character traits of the persons who are candidates for the offices. The offices are specific to a local church¹, and are not portrayed as having authority beyond the scope of their local assembly of believers.

The Office of Elder

The office of Elder is held by a group of biblically qualified men² who are entrusted with leading and guiding the local church under the leadership of Jesus Christ as prescribed in His Word, the Bible. Each church does not have an elder, but rather a plurality of elders³. The office is referred to interchangeably in Scripture by three terms; elder, pastor, and overseer⁴. The three terms convey three aspects of their role.  The Greek term “presbuteros” is translated elder, and conveys the spiritual maturity and experience of the man holding the office. The Greek terms “episkopos” (translated bishop or overseer) and “poimen” (translated pastor or shepherd), emphasize the primary roles of the office. 

As pastors and overseers, the tasks attributed to the Elders include:

• Ministry of the Word — preaching and teaching; deciding on theological issues; refuting false doctrine⁵
• Shepherding the flock — prayer for the sick; guidance, correction, and discipline to those under their care; encouraging the body with biblical teaching; setting an example for the body; managing the church family⁶
• Oversight of the church — managing the affairs of the church⁷

Scripture does not identify an office of “Pastor” in the local assembly that is held by one man and that has primary responsibility for directing and shepherding the church. Nor is there evidence of one elder being leader among the elders. Rather, the leadership of the church is entrusted to a group of spirit-led men subordinated to the Word of God.

The Holy Spirit works in the church to provide qualified men to serve the church as elders⁸. The church recognizes those men whom the Holy Spirit has provided by meeting the biblical requirements of:  the candidate must (1) aspire to the office⁹, and (2) meet the prescribed qualifications in 1 Timothy 3:2-7 and Titus 1:6-9. The qualifications describe character traits that are representative of the man’s life. The man must not be without fault in each of the qualifying character traits, but rather must be “above reproach”¹⁰, i.e., the character trait described must fairly represent the pattern of his life.

Elders will have to give an account for the quality of their shepherding,¹¹ but will be rewarded for their faithful service at the coming of Christ.¹²

Certain elders who work hard at preaching and teaching are to receive financial compensation for their work, but the “honor” of their position is not distinguished from those who do not receive financial compensation.¹³

The Relationship of the Elders to the Church

The elders are to serve the church by leading, instructing, shepherding, and protecting the church. They are not to be motivated by money or power, but rather by a love for Christ’s church and His people. Accusations are not to be received against an elder except on the basis of two or three witnesses, but if an elder continues in a confirmed sin, he is to be rebuked publicly.¹⁴ The church is to obey and submit to the elders such that their work is done with joy and not with grief.¹⁵ The elders are not to lord it over those entrusted to their care, but rather provide examples to the flock.¹⁶

The Leadership of the Elders

Cornerstone’s Elders operate on the principle of unanimity, that is, the process of leading the church is guided by all of the Elders being in agreement. While this principle is not a command of Scripture, its basis is derived from the pattern of the early church leaders who became of one mind and the one-mind objective of the church, of which its elders are examples.¹⁷ In addition, there is no indication of a single elder who has greater authority than the rest, but rather the a pattern of mutual submission.¹⁸

The Office of Deacon

While the office of deacon is validated in Scripture and the qualifications for those who would hold the office are enumerated,¹⁹ there is no specification of the function of the deacons. The name of the office (deacon is a transliterated form of the word for servant) as well as the qualifications themselves describe the office as one that provides service to the church, assisting the elders in the ministry of the church.

The Distinction between the Offices

The qualifications for elders and deacons are essentially identical in terms of character and spiritual maturity. However, it is significant to note that nowhere in Scripture do deacons have authority over the church, nor do they have responsibilities for teaching and doctrinal defense. The one difference between their qualifications is the aptitude to teach. In summary, the elders’ role is one of oversight, shepherding, and ministry of the word to the body; the deacons’ role is one of administration, service, and caring for the body. In addition, we believe that scripture indentifies the role of elder to be reserved for men while in regards to the role of deacon it (scripture) displays an openness to both men and women in the role. Cornerstone may, or may not, at any given time have both men and women deacons.

Selection of Elders and Deacons

While apostolic guidance was evident in the selection of elders in newly established churches,²⁰ Scripture indicates participation by the local congregation in the selection and recognition of the persons who serve.²¹

Practical Considerations

The focus of the office of elder at Cornerstone is primarily on pastoring (shepherding) and ministry of the Word in addition to oversight. In addition, there is no indication of a term or rotation in Scripture. Therefore, Cornerstone views the appointment as an elder as one that is not limited by time. However, an elder may choose to set aside his duties for a period of one year after his seventh year of service. Likewise, deacons may set aside their duties after three years of service.  Afterwards, they may return to the office or alternatively, choose to be released from their duties.