*Plurality of Elders* not the Single Pastor is the Biblical Model For Church Government

[Anna]

Most, not all, Protestant churches have patterned their church government after the Roman Catholic Church, which was presided over by a priest. The Biblical model for church government was through a plurality of elders. This was the ancient model for the Jewish synagogue after which the NT church was originally patterned.


The Biblical evidence:

Church Government: A Case for the Plurality of Elders in the Churches
by Eric “Gunny” Hartman

“Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must
give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no
advantage to you.” (Heb 13:17)

This verse raises the question, who are the leaders in the church? To whose authority are people
called to submit? Who are these men who watch over the church who must give an account? In
short, who are the leaders in the church that are to be obeyed?

Examination of Biblical Data
NT churches were governed by a plurality of elders who were assisted by deacons who were
appointed to serve the church in various ways. The pastor was an elder, but not all elders were
pastors, in the vocational sense of being the primary person responsible for preaching. For
example, 1 Tim 5:17 notes that “The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy
of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.” It may help to see
“elder” as an office and “pastor” as a spiritual gifting (Eph 4:11). In other words, the pastor is an
elder with that particular gifting.

Presbyters (also translated “elders”) and bishops (also translated “overseers”) were apparently
the same individuals; the two terms were synonymous. For example, we note Titus 1:5 (“appoint
elders”) which is followed by v. 7 (since an overseer “must be blameless”). The fact that the
sentence in v. 7 begins with a “since” shows a connection: bishops are elders. Otherwise, why
would Paul mention the qualifications of a group that were not whom Titus should appoint? In
Acts 20:17 Paul calls the “elders of the church” of Ephesus together for a final meeting. Then, in
v. 28 he addresses them as “overseers” (or bishops). Thus, any passage that deals with bishop is
equally applicable to elders.

The consistent pattern in the NT is that each church (singular) had elders (plural). Note the
following texts (where either elder or bishop is used):

Acts 11:30--elders at the church of Antioch

Acts 14:23--Paul and Barnabas appoint "elders in every church"

Acts 15:2, 4, 6, 22, 23; 16:4--elders at the church in Jerusalem

Acts 20:17, 28--elders/bishops at the church of Ephesus (v. 17--"elders of the church")

Acts 21:18--elders at the church in Jerusalem


Phil 1:1--the church at Philippi has bishops and deacons

1 Tim 3:1-7--Paul tells Timothy, the Pastor, the qualifications for elders

1 Tim 5:17--elders at the church of Ephesus

Titus 1:5--Titus is to “appoint elders” in every town (The early church had but one church in each city or town. Hence, Paul's instruction to Titus is to appoint multiple elders in every church.)

James 5:14--"the elders of the church"

1 Pet 5:1-2--"the elders among you"

In every one of these texts the plain implication is that each church had more than one elder. The
evidence is overwhelming and most church governments miss the NT mark where a church
had multiple elders. The pastor would have been counted among them, but was not
automatically over them (i.e., a pastor is an elder, but elders are not necessarily pastors).