In this chapter we shall endeavor to set forth just what the Scriptures show to be the work of elders, with little effort to elaborate or illustrate. Every reader who has had any experience in Christian service or who has with any care observed the condition and working of the church will be able to call to mind examples of the disastrous results of not having these duties performed, either because there were no elders or the so-called "elders" were negligent and incompetent. As some of the duties of the elders were shown in the preceding chapter, because they were contained in the terms that designate the elders, so also will some of the lessons of the next chapter be implied in this. It would be impossible to present the elders' relation to their flock without showing by implication at least a part of the flock's relation to the elders. But these lessons are so very important that they cannot be stressed too much. A proper understanding and application of these lessons on the organization of the congregation will revolutionize the majority of our congregations everywhere. Therefore let us make an honest and a prayerful effort to learn fully what God declares to be the work of the elders.

      We could not begin the effort in a better way than by quoting two matchless passages on this subject from the two greatest apostles--Paul and Peter. To the elders of Ephesus, Paul said: "Take heed unto yourselves, and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit hath made you bishops, to feed the church of the Lord which he purchased with his own blood." (Acts 20:28.) To your elders, or the elders that are among you, Peter said: "The elders therefore among you I exhort, who am a fellow elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, who am also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: Tend the flock of God which is among you, exercising the overnight, not of constraint, but willingly, according to the will of God; not yet for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind: neither as lording it over the charge alloted to you, but making yourselves ensamples to the flock. (1 Pet. 5:1-3.)

      Before studying the duties here laid upon the elders, let us notice particularly Peter's negative injunctions. Whatever the elders do must be done:

      1. "Not of constraint," or by compulsion, hence reluctantly, but with a willing mind; anxious to serve, willing to suffer, and ready always to do the will of the Lord.

      2. "Nor yet for filthy lucre"--not as a means of livelihood. This shows that the elders in the New Testament times were paid by their flocks for their work or were supported while they did the work. But they were strictly forbidden to do the work with a view to the pay. Elders, preachers, or any others who do any part of the Lord's work for money are unworthy.

      3. "Neither as lording it over the charge allotted to you." Some have inferred that the elders in this passage were simply the elderly men of the church, because the apostle in the same connection gives an exhortation to the "younger;" but that these elders were the bishops--those who held the office of a bishop--is shown by the fact that they had a "charge allotted to them" and that they were not to do their work for "filthy lucre." Also what is here commanded of these elders is exactly what other scriptures state as the duties of bishops. The word "younger" means "inferior" (Luke 22:26), and here evidently refers to those subject to the elders--those "allotted" to them.

      Much harm comes from a lack of judgment in applying scripture, and more often from a lack of sincerity; for surely our judgment would not be so faulty if our desires were right. If a church member is obstreperous, or if a whole church sets out to do something that is not right, when the elders object or protest, they are sure to be told that they are not to "lord it" over the church; and thus those bent on evil will force that expression to license them to ignore the elders and even impeach them. On the other hand, if an elder lacks enough of the divinely required qualifications to be arbitrary and tyrannical, he may take those passages that contain the word "rule" and put a forced construction upon them. But one whose desire is to do the will of God will have no trouble with either of the scriptures. His ideas, whims, and preferences are secondary, and he first seeks to know what the Lord wishes instead of trying to force the Lord to say what he wishes. The elders are to be over the church, have the oversight; but they are not to act as feudal lords and treat their brethren as servile servants. They are not to be arbitrary, tyrannical, or unduly dictatorial. All their work is to be done not for their own glory or gratification, but for the good of those allotted to them. They are the servants of the servants of the Lord.

      Analyzing the above quotations from Paul and Peter, we learn several of the duties that belong to the elders. Paul admonishes them to--

      1. "Take heed to yourselves." In serving God, self always comes first in this very important sense. He who would save a man from drowning must have a firm footing himself; he who would pluck the mote from his brother's eye must see that there is no beam in his own eye. Before we condemn others, we must examine ourselves to see whether we are in the faith. (2 Cor. 13:5.) He who would be a faithful workman must first give diligence to present himself approved unto God (2 Tim. 2:15); he who would save souls must give heed first to himself and then to his teaching, for in so doing he will save himself and those who hear him (1 Tim. 4:16). The elders are to be examples for their flocks, and no man can live an exemplary life without taking heed to himself. He must watch his words, his deeds, and his thoughts. He must study the word of God and try earnestly and prayerfully to be what God says an elder must be. How necessary that he who is to take heed to the flock must first take heed to himself!

      2. "To feed the church of God." Of all the work that is given to the elders, nothing is more important than this, and nothing is more sadly and shamefully neglected in our day than this often-commanded duty. We cannot live physically without food; neither can we live spiritually without spiritual food. God has provided the food for us, and has ordained that each congregation have qualified men appointed to dispense this food. That is why God has particularly required every bishop to be apt to teach. If a congregation goes wrong for the want of proper instruction, the elders are at fault. But this does not mean the elders are to confine their teaching to certain doctrines, such as faith, repentance, baptism, the sin of using an organ in the worship, etc.; but they must strive to teach all God teaches, teach their flocks to observe all that God commands. Their teaching should not consist entirely in criticisms of the methods of others; should not be altogether negative and destructive. They should have a positive message, and should impress the brethren that they stand for something; that they have something to do and must be about their Father's business if they would be saved. Their teaching must be constructive, it must build up Christian characters. It is not necessary that the elders do all the teaching that is done, but all that is done must be done under their supervision and with their approval. If there is a Sunday-school class or other Bible classes taught in the church, the elders must oversee the work and know that it is done properly. They should visit the classes or in some other way keep informed as to what they are doing. If any teacher teaches error, he should be corrected and admonished; and if he will not desist, he must be asked to give up his class. If any teacher is not regular in attendance, does not feel his responsibility, does not prepare his lessons, or in any other way shows a lack of interest, he should be either stirred up to do his work faithfully or asked to quit. Now many elders do you know who show this sort of interest in the teachers and classes of the Bible schools?

      There are men who do not approve this class system. They think the elders ought to do all the teaching and that all the church should be in one class! That is, they think that if they happen to be the elders. If they are not the elders, they are pretty certain to argue that we should not have elders in the church to-day. It hardly seems possible that such men could be found in a civilized country, but such is the case. For the honest persons who may be troubled by such men let us observe:

      There are different classes of individuals to be taught and different kinds of food provided for them. This is true without children who are not yet old enough to be members of the church. There are babes in Christ and these must have milk. There are full-grown men in the faith, and these require strong meat. (1 Cor. 2:6; Heb. 5:12-14; 1 Pet. 2:1, 2.) This of course, necessitates in order that the teaching be done to the best advantage. To further illustrate this necessity, we remind you that there are persons who and times when women are forbidden to teach. Yet women are by the same authority commanded to teach. (Tit. 2:3-5.) They must be teachers of that which is good. This shows clearly that those whom the women teach must be in a class apart from those whom it is improper for women to teach publicly. Here let us be reminded that all this teaching does not have to be done in forty-five minutes on Sunday forenoon. All churches should have plenty of classrooms to accommodate all the children and the milk-and-meat classes in the church. These rooms should be well supplied with charts and maps and other conveniences for teaching. These classes may meet and study and recite any day or night of the week or as many days or nights of the week as may be convenient. Why do we not have more work like this? Is it not needed?

      If the assistance of an evangelist is required by the congregation, his work, too, must come under the direction of the elders. How else could a congregation be protected against false teachers? If the elders feel the need of an evangelist, they, with the church, may employ him for two weeks, six weeks, two months, six months, a year, two years, or as long as his services are needed. He should not, however, be allowed to displace the pastors and become the pastor. There are examples in the New Testament of evangelists, apostles, and others who were not elders laboring with churches that had elders. The modern pastor system is not scriptural, and the tendency of our congregations to drift into it is to be regretted. Those brethren who are now crying against it are doing more harm than good, in that they are abusing and misrepresenting--unintentionally, of course--certain brethren who are living with the churches, but who no more wish to change the divine order than they do. Some of the preachers who are now accusing their brethren of digressing in this particular are elderly men and have been preaching many years. Yet what of the churches that they have been preaching for all these years? Are they scripturally organized? Do they have scriptural elders who are doing their work faithfully? It seems that these brethren have waited too long to begin teaching the truth on the organization of the local church. It is a sad fact that some congregations now need the constant services of some evangelist in order to exist, to say nothing about doing the work that a church ought to do. They have men as elders who are not at all qualified, and it takes some outside help to keep down strife among the "elders" and between the "elders" and their flock. At least, that is known to be the deplorable condition of some few churches. Now, if an evangelist lives with a church like that for the purpose of setting things in order and of placing the church in scriptural position, he is certainly doing a good work; and the Lord help a man who undertakes it. Brethren would better spend their energies trying to improve the condition of the churches instead of wasting them abusing those who are trying to do something.

      3. The third duty, as we are numbering them, is to "tend the flock." The Greek word for "tend" is poimanate, and may be translated "shepherd"--shepherd the flock. The imagery here is very beautiful. The church is a flock; Christ is the chief shepherd, and the elders are the undershepherds. As the shepherd feeds his flock and protects them from wolves and bears, thieves and robbers, so the elders must care for the church. They must protect it from evils without and within. They should keep out false teachers. If there is a hobbyist in the congregation, the elders should not give him any recognition as a public teacher, and should keep him from sowing discord among the brethren as far as is possible for them to prevent it. Care is needed here; "for there are many unruly men, vain talkers and deceivers," even to-day. The elders should show the proper spirit in this sort of work, of course, as scriptural elders always will.

      4. "Taking the oversight" is the fourth duty in our catalogue. The word for this expression is episcopauntes--one word for the whole expression. It may be translated "filling the office of a bishop," "doing the duty of a bishop," or "exercising the oversight." The one given in the Revised Version is probably the best.

      We have already seen that all the teaching in the congregation is to be done under the oversight of the elders. We may now add that all other activities of the church are to be directed and supervised by the elders. They do not do all the work, by any means; but they take the oversight and see that what is done by the others is done rightly. Wise men it takes to fill this place! Well may we pray for the Lord to fulfill his words in Jeremiah: "And I will give you shepherds according to my heart, who shall feed you with knowledge and understanding." (Jer. 3:15.)

      5. To rule well is the fifth duty that demands our attention. It has already been observed that no elder should "lord it over the charge allotted" to him. The qualifications required by the New Testament will prevent a man who is self-willed, self-opinionated, and domineering from being appointed an elder, if the requirements are observed. It is necessary in any well-regulated family, church, or school.that there be a leader, head, deciding voice. In a school the teacher is the ruler; in a family the father is, or should be, the head; and in a congregation elders are the head. (This does not interfere with the fact that Christ is the head of the church. Christ is also the shepherd of the flock, but the elders are shepherds under him.). In a disorganized congregation any officious old sister or cranky brother holds the veto power of the church and may blockade the Lord's work entirely. This will never happen where the elders are what the Lord has ordained that they should be. They will decide what course the congregation is to pursue in any matter, and their decision will be final. Thus you see the Lord's plan, if followed, will forestall all factions, disagreements, and dissensions.

      The elders should always consult together and reach an agreement among themselves on any question before it is brought before the church. Otherwise they might have the unfortunate result of a disagreement between themselves before the congregation, and that would certainly cause a disagreement among the members, for they would take sides with the different elders.

      When the question for decision is one of mere preference or convenience, the elders should rule in accord with the wishes of the congregation always. If it is a question of who shall preach for the church, the members should have the man they want, if he is sound in the faith and of good report. If it is a question of the time when a meeting is to be held, the people must be consulted. If it is a question of what shall be done with the money contributed by the congregation, the members must help decide it. They should know just what particular phase of the Lord's work it goes to help and how much to each need. They should know what missionary they help and to what extent. This is entirely right, and it is also expedient. It will give the members more interest in the work; they will feel a partnership in it; and they can, as they certainly should, pray for it. In all cases where no principle of right or wrong is involved, the elders should have due regard for the wishes of the congregation. The elders should rule their flocks in something like the same way that a kind, tactful, yet firm and watchful, father rules his family. If any movement is started in the congregation that is contrary to the Lord's word, the elders must stand firm for God and put down the evil.

      If any one doubts that God intends that the elders are to rule in the manner here presented, let him read the following scriptures: 1 Tim. 5:17; Heb. 13:7, 17, 24. Let him also consult the meaning of the words that designate an elder.

      6. The elders are to watch in behalf of the souls of their flock. (Heb. 13:17.) They are responsible for the spiritual condition of their members, and will have to give an account to God for them. Read carefully the reference--Heb. 13:17. The elders should, therefore, know the spiritual status of each member of the congregation. They should, by a keen watch care over them, be able to see the first indication of indifference, worldliness, or backsliding. They should know whether the member is growing or whether he is deteriorating. They should know whether the babes in Christ are properly nourished, whether they are being fed, and whether they are digesting and assimilating their food.

      Are we accustomed to see this kind of watchfulness on the part of the elders of our present-day churches? They rarely know how many members they have, and often they do not even know some of their members when they meet them face to face. Yet these members have been "allotted" to them as sheep to a shepherd, and they are to feed them, tend them, and watch concerning their souls! The elders, in watching on behalf of their "charge," should protect them against dangerous doctrines, false teachings, hobbies, and strifes about words as far as it is in their power to protect them.

      The elders should instruct their members thoroughly, admonish them often, even in tears when there is danger of their falling, and pray with them much. This is necessary in order to keep some members from falling away. The elders will have to give an account to God for their members. Their blood is upon the elders' heads.

1. How many duties of an elder can you name? Can you name any that are not discussed in this chapter? What do you think of James 5:15-18?
2. What is it to feed the flock? What sort of food does the flock require?
3. Should the elders do all the teaching?
4. If they do not do the teaching, how can they know what is being taught?
5. Who should rule over the congregation?
6. How should the elders rule when the question is one of preference or convenience?
7. Who is responsible for the spiritual condition of the church?
8. How should the members be kept from backsliding?
9. In ruling the congregation, should the elders do things without the knowledge, hence without the acquiescence, of the members?
10. Should they not rather plan and propose work and lead in it, but always secure the aid and participation of all their members?
11. Is it not their duty to develop the talent in the congregation?
12. Should they not make teachers of all the members? (Heb. 5:12.)
13. Instead of the elders doing all the work, is it not their duty to see that all work? (Heb. 10:24.)
14. When an elder fails to discharge these duties, should he be recognized by the congregation as one of its elders? Why should he be recognized? What entitles him to such recognition and respect? Does he claim it? If so, that shows him to be all the more unworthy.

[TMC 35-48]