Commonly Held (Non) Qualifications for Elders
Central is in the middle of a search for additional elders. As such, thinking about elders, their role, their qualifications, and the future of our congregation has taken up a lot of my mental space lately. One of the things that I have been reflecting on is how, over the years, I have heard people talk about the qualifications for elders and say things that “disqualify” a man, but that are not found in the actual Biblical qualifications (found in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1).
Here are four of those.
“He Has Never Taught a Bible Class.” This one often comes up when people think about the qualification that a man be “able [or apt] to teach.” And, since Bible classes are the most visible and public role of teaching in a congregation, they make that a qualification. But let me ask this question: when Paul wrote the qualifications to Timothy, what Bible class would the men of his congregation have been teaching? You see, we have built this system (the education program) and then made that the test. Many men teach in various ways–some publicly, some privately. In fact, the man who has not taught a Bible class might be teaching more impactfully across numerous kitchen tables or over coffee than your regular Bible school teachers.
“He is Great at Business.” I think (or, maybe, I’d like to think) this one is fading a bit from favor. But, for a long time, it seemed that we looked at how “successful” a man was in the marketplace and used that as a test case for if he’d make a good elder. Now, it is true that an elder must be well thought of by outsiders, so how he acts/interacts in a job he may still have can be an important factor. But success in business is not a qualification. Some of the best elders you will ever know don’t have a lot of money or status outside the congregation, but they love the Lord and they love people.
“He Isn’t Old Enough.” I’m going to get myself in trouble with this one. By the nature of the case, the word “elder” implies a level of age. I know that. But as medical advances have taken hold and the average age has risen, we have made becoming an elder basically something that is not possible until a man is in his 60s or 70s. Think about this (and, yes, I looked this up): when the New Testament was written, if a man lived to adulthood (remember, infant and child mortality were still high then), the average would be that he would live into his 40s. There were certainly exceptions, but that was the average. So, how “old” would “elders” have been in First Century congregations? I’m not suggesting some type of “youth movement.” But if a man has been a Christian since he was 16 or 17 years old, has been married for 20 years, and has children who love the Lord, why would we make him wait another 20 or 30 years just because he “isn’t old enough”? After all, at that point, he would likely be older than many (most?) elders were in the First Century! If we are not careful, we make becoming an elder something that is basically a synonym for retirement age. (By the way, there is as much Biblical precedent for paying elders as there is for paying preachers, and this might be one reason why! What would it hurt to ask a man still in his “prime” to quit–or slow down from–his job, take a salary from the church, and spend more time in shepherding and teaching God’s people?)
“He isn’t a deacon.” I remember hearing this one during a search for additional elders at a former congregation. To a lot of people, the idea is that a man should be made a deacon in order to see if he can be an elder in the future. (I’ve even heard preachers basically preach that.) Now, is it common for an elder to have been a deacon? Certainly. I would guess it is far more common than if he had not been one. But is it required? No. There is no passage in the New Testament that makes being a deacon basically a “stepping stone” or a “try out” for being an elder. If we are going to preach that “deacons are not junior elders,” then we need to quit treating the role like that is what it is!
Are there more? Of course. But here’s the thing: being an elder should not be easy. It really is for men who are striving to live against the current of the culture and who are trying to walk with Jesus. But we should not then make it more difficult than even God does! When we come up with artificial qualifications, we are adding to Scripture and we are discouraging men who do long to serve in this role at some point in their lives. So, let’s be honest with what Scripture says and trust that the Lord knows how to tell us what He wants…and all that He wants…in these faithful shepherds.
AUTHOR: Adam Faughn