About the Elder's Council

Who are the Elders (Elder’s Council)

The saying is sure: If any one aspires to the office of bishop, he desires a noble task. Now a bishop must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, sensible, dignified, hospitable, an apt teacher, no drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, and no lover of money. He must manage his own household well, keeping his children submissive and respectful in every way; for if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how can he care for God's church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may be puffed up with conceit and fall into condemnation of the devil; moreover he must be well thought of by outsiders, or he may fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching.
1 Timothy 3:1-7; 5:17

Christ wants his church to function as an organism and as an organization.  So I have six statements about the church.

1. Jesus Christ is the head of his church.

Ephesians 5:23, "Christ is the head of the church; his body, and is himself its Savior." Colossians 1:18, "[Christ] is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the first born from the dead, that in everything he might be pre-eminent."

Ephesians 4:15-16, "Grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body makes bodily growth and builds up itself in love."

So the church is like a body that gets its leadership and its nourishment from its head, Jesus Christ. The church is not a mere human organization. It is not a mere organization because it is an organism, a body. And it is not merely human, because its head is divine; the life he gives is supernatural life. So the way a church is run should not simply copy the way a human organization is run. There should be structures and practices that let Christ the head govern, lead, and nurture his church. Jesus Christ is the living head--the leader and the sustainer -- of the church, his body.

2. All the members of Christ's body are ministers.

1 Peter 2:9, "You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, that you may declare the wonderful deeds of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light."

Revelation 1:5-6, "He loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever."

Christian is a minister. The word "minister" does not define the pastoral office in the church. It defines his function and the function of every member.

Ephesians 4:12 says that pastors and teachers exist to "equip the saints for the work of the ministry." You are all ministers (Cf. 1 Peter 4:10-11).

3. God calls some members of the church to feed and lead the church as servants of Christ and his people.

Even though there is equality before God as children and heirs and priests and ministers, some, and not all, are called by God to serve as leaders. For example, Heb 13:7, "Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God; consider the outcome of their life and imitate their faith." Heb 13:17 "Obey your leaders and submit to them; for they are keeping watch over your souls, as men who will have to give account."

1 Thess 5:12, "We beseech you, brethren, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work."

Acts 20:28 (speaking to the elders of Ephesus), "Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God."

So the congregation, under Christ and by his word and Spirit, recognize and affirm leaders whom God calls. And then puts those people in positions of leadership and voluntarily supports that leadership by learning from their teaching and following their initiatives.

4. These leaders in the congregations of the early church were called elders/pastors.

Eldership was the leadership form for the early church. Consider these texts that show how widespread was the practice of having elders in each church.

Jerusalem: Acts 15:22, "Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church to choose men and to send them to Antioch." Ephesus: Acts 20:17, "And from Miletus [Paul] sent to Ephesus and called to him the elders of the church." All the towns of Crete: Titus 1:5, "This is why I (Paul) left you in Crete, that you might amend what was defective, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you." All the churches James wrote to when he said, "To the twelve tribes of the dispersion": James 5:14, "Is any among you sick? Let him call the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord" (assuming that there are elders in every church). All the churches in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia that Peter wrote to: 1 Peter 5:1, "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 to be revealed." Finally, all the churches Paul founded on the first missionary journey (and presumably the other journeys as well): 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 believed."

The universal extent of elders in the early church becomes even more obvious when you realize that the term "elder" is the same person designated by "bishop" or "overseer" (cf. Titus 1:5,7 and Acts 20:17,28) or "pastor" (Eph. 4:11; cf. Acts 20:28 and 1 Peter 5:1-2 where elders are given a shepherding function). It is hard to escape the conclusion that God's will for the local church is that it have a group of elders as its primary leaders.

5. The function of the elders was to feed, lead and oversee the church.

Or to say it another way, the elders are responsible for teaching and governing the congregation. As leaders they give guidance and direction to the church. As teachers they oversee the life of the church to preserve its Biblical faithfulness. They are wardens of the word of God.

Titus 1:9 says that the elder "must hold firm to the sure word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to confute those who contradict it." The elders are the trustees of the truth in the life of the church. And they are the governing overseers. 1 Timothy 5:17 says, "Let the elders who rule well (or govern or oversee or manage well) be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching." So it is clear that there is a diversity of function among the elders. All must be able to handle the word of God and be able to recognize false doctrine and correct error; but some "labor especially in preaching and teaching." In our church this position is filled primarily by our Senior Pastor/Elder and supported by our team of associate pastors and pastoral assistants who we call associate ministers.

Position Accountability Description: Elder

1. Appointment Qualifications:

1. A male church member (1 Tim 2:12, 3:1-7; Acts 20:17-38).

2. Meet the biblical qualifications of eldership (1 Tim 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9)

3. Be serving in the church preferably in a shepherding role (1 Peter 5:1-4)

Practically this would include leading one of our small groups or demonstrating an ability to function as a shepherd in some significant aspect of church life.

4. Be a man whose life demonstrates spiritual integrity and vitality (Ps 1:1-3)

• A man of faith and vision

• A man who is in touch with God & growing as a fully devoted follower of Christ.

2. Selection:

2.1 When new elders are appointed, the congregation is encouraged to study 1 Tim 2, 3; Titus 1

2.2 As the appointment of elders is something the Holy Spirit does (Acts 20:28), the church body will be called to a special time of prayer so that we will know God’s will in the selection process.

2.3 The names of prospective new elders will be determined by the existing elders/pastors after timeof prayer and discussion.

2.4 The wives of prospective new elders must be in harmony with the appointment of their husbands to this role. (1 Peter 3:7)

2.5 If any man is considered not qualified, he will be told the reason with a view as to grow in that aspect of his life.

2.6 After completing the selection process, those selected by the existing elders/pastors will be brought before the church body for confirmation and future ordination.

3. Functions: (Shepherd & Manage)

3.1 The elders are to own, protect and promote the vision given by the Senior Pastor/Elder along with the vision, purpose and values of the church.

3.2 The elders will shepherd the flock in humility, guiding, directing and guarding the members of the body. (Acts 20:28-31; 1Peter 5:1-3}

3.3 To lead by example the lives of the elders must reflect a commitment to holiness, godliness and exercise discipline in his life.

3.4 Teach and pray (Acts 6:2,4; Titus 1:9; 1 Tim 3:2; James 5:14) making sure that the body is fed through accurate teaching and protected by the prayers of its leaders.  In addition to teaching the truth, the elders must refute false teaching.

3.5 The Elders are ultimately responsible for the management the church. (1Tim 3:2). Here at Mountain View the elders have empowered the Board of Director, under elder rule and authority to oversee the management of the church as an organization. Pastoral/Executive Staff will seek to manage the church on a day-to-day basis under the authority of the Senior Pastor with the support of ministry assistants. (e.g. ministers and deacons).

3.6 Accountability is a key function of each elder.  They must be accountable and are responsible to hold each other accountable.  The Elder’s Council practice mutual accountability with each other.

Consulting /Advising Elders

Consulting/Advising Elders is a team of Senior Pastors who are not members of our church but are commissioned to assist, advise and consult our Senior Pastor on issues pertaining to leadership and oversight. The Consulting /Advising Elders hold the Senior Pastor accountable and should a dispute occur between the Elder’s Council, Board of Directors and the Senior Pastor they help to provide counsel and resolution.

*Consulting Elders meet at least twice a year with the Senior Pastor to discuss his ministry, marriage and spiritual disciplines. They will provide a statement of uprightness to our board if requested.

Consulting /Advising Entity

Consulting /Advising Entity is an outside organization that assist the leadership through mediation between the Senior Pastor, Elders and the Board of Directors.

Specific Function:

In order for elders/overseers to carry out the overarching functions responsibility of Managing the church effectively and Shepherding God’s flock as faithful and sensitive leaders, NT writers described and prescribed as least 6 specific and essential functions.

Description of the function of Elders:

• Teaching biblical truth
• Modeling Christ-like behavior
• Maintaining Doctrinal Purity
• Disciplining Unruly Believers
• Overseeing Financial matters (Board of Directors)
• Managing the Flocks

The Elder’s Council is the governing body of the church. (Presbytery) They set the boundaries of the church government. They determine the playing field & rules whereby the Sr. Pastor/Elder is to operate.

Elders must operate within the policies, which are the general guidelines that govern the ministry.

The Elders Council nor the Board of Directors are not to interfere with the Sr. Pastor in the carrying out of the ministry plan as long as he operates within the boundaries set forth.

Senior Pastor - Serves as the chairman of the Elder Council. He provides the vision for the ministry and orchestrates the implementation of the program within the boundaries set forth by the Elder’s Council and Board of Directors.

Executive Pastor / Directors – We have a Pastor/Director of Finance and Operations. Both of these positions reports directly to the Senior Pastor and all give reports to the Elder’s Council/Board of Directors on the management and operation of the church.

Board of Directors – The BOD oversee the corporation under the authority of the Elder’s Council. They have fiduciary responsibility to the church body and manage all fiscal assets.

Staff Pastor / Directors -  Serve to fulfill the staffing responsibilities assigned by the Senior Pastor. Staff Pastors/Directors report to the Sr. Pastor. Staff is responsible for managing the day to day programs within the boundaries set forth by the Elders Council.

*Staff is evaluated by their ability to implement the program of the church, not policy.

Ministers / Deacons - Serve in support of the Pastoral Staff. They are essentially pastoral assistants. They help the pastoral staff  implement the ministry in the life of the church. Each Minister/Deacon is accountable to the Senior Pastor &  Elder’s Council.

Staff - oversees the Ministry/Programs

Elders – oversee the Members/Policies

BOD - oversee Management of Resources