Biblical Eldership
What comes to mind when you hear the word “elder”? If you’re like most people, you probably think of someone old, sitting in a rocking chair, telling stories about the good old days. Or maybe you think of some kind of hierarchy like a board of directors running the church like a Fortune 500 company.
But, it might surprise you, the biblical concept of eldership has nothing to do with age, and it has everything to do with character. It’s not about corporate governance. It’s about shepherding. And it’s not a recent innovation in church structure or even in Baptist polity. It’s God’s original design for how His church should be led.
Today, as First Baptist Portland begins transitioning to an elder-led model, I want to show you from Scripture that this isn’t us adopting some new-fangled church model. It’s not us turning into Church of Christ or Presbyterians. This is us returning to the biblical blueprint that God established from the very beginning. And when we understand what biblical eldership really looks like, I believe you’ll see that this isn’t just good for our church, but it’s essential for our spiritual health and growth.
God has always intended His people to be led by multiple leaders, not one.
The concept of eldership didn’t start with the New Testament church. It has deep roots that go all the way back to the Old Testament, where we see God consistently working through shared leadership rather than single-person rule.
Take Moses, for instance. In Exodus 18, we find Moses trying to lead the entire nation of Israel by himself. He’s sitting as judge from morning until evening, with people lined up around the block waiting for his attention. It’s like trying to be the only cashier at Walmart on Black Friday. His father-in-law Jethro takes one look at this situation and essentially says, “Moses, this is nuts. You’re going to burn out, and the people aren’t being served well.”
Listen to Jethro’s wise counsel in Exodus 18:21-22:
21 Moreover, look for able men from all the people, men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe, and place such men over the people as chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. 22 And let them judge the people at all times. Every great matter they shall bring to you, but any small matter they shall decide themselves. So it will be easier for you, and they will bear the burden with you.
Notice what Jethro emphasizes: character over credentials. These leaders needed to be “able,” yes, but more importantly, they needed to fear God, be trustworthy, and hate corruption. Sound familiar? These are the same qualities we’ll see emphasized for church elders thousands of years later.
This pattern continues throughout the Old Testament. When Moses later implements this structure in Deuteronomy 1:13-15, he tells the people to “Choose for your tribes wise, understanding, and experienced men, and I will appoint them as your heads.” Again, it’s about wisdom, understanding, and experience—what we call spiritual maturity.
The principle is clear from the very beginning: no single leader, even one as gifted as Moses, can effectively shepherd God’s people alone. Even the most capable leader needs help. Even the most gifted shepherd needs other shepherds to care for the flock properly. Now, fast forward thousands of years later.
The New Testament establishes multiple elders as the standard pattern for every church.
When we turn to the New Testament, we see that Jesus and the apostles didn’t abandon this pattern. They refined it and applied it specifically to the church.
The New Testament uses three terms interchangeably to describe the same church leadership office:[1] elder (emphasizing wisdom and maturity), overseer/bishop (highlighting supervision and care), and shepherd/pastor (focusing on nurturing and protection). These aren’t three different positions. They’re three different ways of describing the same role, like describing me as a husband, father, and pastor. You can see all three words used to describe the same position in Acts 20:17-28 and 1 Peter 5:1-4.
Now look at the New Testament pattern. Acts 14:23: “And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.” Notice two things: First, elders (plural) were appointed in each church (singular). This wasn’t a democracy where they elected one CEO to run everything. It was a plurality of leaders sharing the responsibility. Second, this practice occurred in “every church” that Paul and Barnabas planted. This wasn’t an optional leadership structure. It was the standard operating procedure.
When Paul says farewell to the Ephesian elders in Acts 20:17, he calls for “the elders of the church”—plural elders, singular church. In Titus 1:5, Paul tells Titus to “appoint elders in every town”—again, multiple elders for each location.
Why did Paul consistently establish multiple elders in each church? Because he understood what Jethro understood: effective shepherding requires shared leadership. It’s like the difference between having one teacher for 500 students versus having a teaching team. One pastor trying to shepherd an entire congregation alone is like one lifeguard trying to watch an entire beach. It’s not just inefficient, it’s dangerous.
Biblical elders lead through shepherding service, not domineering authority.
Now, I know some of you might be thinking, “Pastor, this sounds like you’re setting up some kind of hierarchy where elders rule over the congregation.” Let me be crystal clear about this: Biblical eldership is about serving the flock, not ruling over it.
Look at how Peter, himself an elder, describes the role in 1 Peter 5:1-3:
1 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 word picture here is beautiful and intentional. In ancient Near Eastern culture, shepherds were not bosses sitting in corner offices. They were out in the field with the sheep, leading by example, protecting from danger, guiding to good pasture, and caring for the wounded. They knew their sheep by name, and the sheep recognized their voice.
I found something incredible when researching how shepherds lead sheep. A shepherd doesn’t drive sheep from behind with a cattle prod. He leads them from the front with his voice. The sheep follow because they trust the shepherd, not because they’re forced to. Biblical elders lead primarily through influence, teaching, and example rather than through institutional power.
This is elder-led, not elder-ruled. The elders provide spiritual leadership and direction, but the congregation maintains its authority in matters like membership, discipline, major financial decisions, and calling pastors. It’s the difference between a shepherd guiding the flock and a rancher driving cattle. We’ll see next that who God calls and appoints to be an elder matters.
God values character over charisma in appointing church leaders.
When Paul gives Timothy and Titus the qualifications for elders, what’s striking is how much emphasis he places on character rather than competency. Look at 1 Timothy 3:1-7:
1 The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. 2 Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4 He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, 5 for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? 6 He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. 7 Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.
Count them up. Paul mentions “able to teach” once, but he lists about fifteen character qualifications. Why? Because you can teach someone to teach, but you can’t easily teach someone to have integrity. You can develop someone’s administrative skills, but character formation takes years. You can train someone in theology, but you can’t manufacture trustworthiness.
This is radically different from how our culture typically selects leaders. We tend to look for charisma, vision, and competency first, then worry about character later. We hire based on the resume and fire based on character. But God’s pattern is character first, everything else second.
Notice especially that Paul emphasizes family leadership. “He must manage his own household well... for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church?” This isn’t about having perfect children, but about demonstrating faithful leadership in the most basic sphere of responsibility. If a man can’t shepherd his own family well, how can he shepherd God’s family?
Our church will be healthier and stronger with biblical eldership.
Now, some of you might be thinking, “Okay, Pastor, I understand this is biblical, but what difference will it actually make for our church?” Why can’t we keep doing things the way we always have? Let me share several practical benefits:
Better Pastoral Care: In many churches, when you have a crisis at 2 AM, you essentially have one pastor to call. With multiple elders, you have multiple shepherds available to provide pastoral care. It’s like the difference between having one doctor for the entire community versus having a medical team with different specialties. These elders will more easily be able to care for you on a personal level.
Wiser Decision-Making: Proverbs 15:22 says, “Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed.” Major decisions affecting the church will be made by multiple godly men seeking God’s will together, rather than by one person, even if it’s a godly one, making decisions alone.
Better Doctrinal Protection: Multiple elders means multiple men committed to sound teaching and able to spot doctrinal error. It’s like having multiple security guards instead of just one. It’s much harder for false teaching to slip through unnoticed.
Sustainable Ministry: When one pastor tries to do everything, burnout is almost inevitable (and burnout for pastors is higher than just about any other profession). When ministry is shared among multiple qualified leaders, it becomes more sustainable. Plus, if one elder goes through a difficult season or has to step away, the church doesn’t lose all its leadership.
Biblical Modeling: Perhaps most importantly, by implementing biblical eldership, we’re demonstrating to our children and our community that we actually believe the Bible is sufficient to guide how we organize and lead the church.
Friends, this transition to elder-led governance isn’t about adopting the latest church growth strategy or copying what some successful megachurch is doing. This is about returning to God’s original design for how His people should be led.
The question isn’t whether this will be easy. Change never is. The question is this: Are we willing to trust God’s wisdom over our preferences? Are we willing to follow Scripture even when it challenges our traditions?
I believe we are. I believe God is calling First Baptist Portland to embrace His design for church leadership not because it’s trendy, but because it’s biblical. Not because it’s easy, but because it’s right.
Over the coming months, you’ll have opportunities to learn more about this transition, to ask questions, and to see how this will work practically in our church context. But I want to encourage you that is something God has been leading us toward as we’ve studied His Word and sought His will for our church. We truly want to be Bible-centered in everything. And by everything we mean, yes even this too.
The same God who gave us salvation by grace through faith also gave us His design for church leadership. The same Christ who died for the church also established how that church should be governed. The same Spirit who regenerates hearts also inspired the Scriptures that teach us about eldership.
Let’s trust Him. Let’s follow His Word. And let’s see what He will do in and through First Baptist Portland as we align ourselves more closely with His design for His church.
[1] https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/essay/the-role-of-the-elder-bishop-pastor