House Church Talk - Elders and pastors

[Bruce Woodford]

Hi Glenn F,
You wrote some excellent questions which need Biblical answers::
>Check out "Pastor" again in the Bible...
>1) Where does it say it is an 'office' of the church? Is it an "office"?
>2) Where does it say a pastor is to be the head of a church?

Like the pamphlet I once received entitled, "All that the Bible Has To Say 
About Infant Baptism:", one could very easily and quickly write a similar 
pamphlet on "All That The Bible Has To Say About the Office and Headship of 
Pastors:"    Both would be entirely blank pages!

>3) what does the Bible say the role and reason for a pastor is?

Tending sheep!  Pastors are shepherds.   Although the English word "pastors" 
  only occurs once in the N.T., the greek word from which it is translated 
(Strongs' #4166 is fouind 17 times. Evbery other time irt is "shepherd" or 
"shepherds". Tending sheep does NOT mean feeding them in the sense of 
preparing food for them!   Bakers prepare food for people who cannot or will 
not prepare their own food. Sad to say, this is precisely what most so 
called pastors are expected to do!   They are required to be "Bible Bakers" 
rather than biblical shepherds!

Bakers serve for hire. Their success is dependent on baking what their 
clientelle wants. If their clients don't like the "goods", they find another 
baker!  Bakers must work in the heat of the bakeshop where they take orders 
from those who cannot or will not prepare their own food!  But shepherds 
work in the pasture and take directions from the owner of the sheep alone.

But shepherds do not have the ability to produce grass or milk for sheep or 
lambs! But successful shepherds are known by the eating habits of the sheep 
in their care. Mature sheep can graze in the pasture for their own 
sustenance and the ewes can nourish their young with milk.  But sheep whose 
only diet is bread, buns, cakes and cookies produced by bakers will always 
be a weak and sickly lot! All "Bible Bakers" would be immediately fired if 
their job depended on the eating habits of the sheep in their care!

>And regarding 'Elders'... Are you sure they are subordinate/helpers to the 
>pastor?

Actually, yes they are!!!  "Pastor/shepherd" (singular) always refers to 
Christ in the new covenant scriptures and elders are subordinate to Him!   
But this is never the case of elders being subordinate to  mortal men who 
are pastors (plural)!.

>1) Check out where (and how many times) the Bible mentions elders in the 
>context of the church and what were they doing?

Acts 14:23 elders were ordained in every church and commended to the Lord on 
whom they had believed.

Acts 15:2 -16:4 elders were consulted by apostles in serious matters 
relative to the Gospel. But their decisions were made in consultation with 
the whole church.

Acts 20:28-35 elders were to take heed to themselves and to all the flock 
over which the Holy Ghost had made them overseers.
-they were to continually guard against wolves coming into the flock, even 
from among their own number!
-they were to labor with their own hands, like Paul did, to meet their own 
needs as well as the needs of weak one among them.  (Shepherds are never 
hired, paid or fired by sheep!)  Sheep are too dumb and are not equipped for 
such responsibilities!  Shepherds are appointed by the owner of the sheep 
(acts 20:28) and they are rewarded by the same! (I Peter 5:4)

James 5:14-elders are to be called by the sick and are to go, pray over them 
and anoint them with oil.

I Peter 5:1-4- elders are to feed (tend) the flock (i.e caring for sheep!)  
The flock is AMONG them, NOT under them, and they are among the flock, NOT 
over them!   They are to take oversight of the flock willingly and of a 
ready mind, not by constraint or for filthy lucre.  This oversight is to be 
given AS EXAMPLES, NOT AS LORDS over God's heritage!

BTW, "heritage" is the Greek word KLEROS from which we get our English word 
"clergy".  So scripturally, SHEEP are the clergy, NOT the SHEPHERDS!!!

>2) Is "elder" an office of leadership and if so... How do you see their 
>eadership role and to whom are they responsible?

Yes, elders are to be leaders in the same sense that shepherds are leaders 
of sheep. They go before them, they set a good example, they lead them to 
good pastures, they guard against wolves and predators.  But shepherds never 
hold sheep accontable to themselves!  Rather shepherds must give account for 
the sheep to the Owner of the flock! (Hebrews 13:17)  Sheep are dumb 
animals, but they do have the sense to follow shepherds who love them and 
care for them, but strangers will they not follow.  It is never difficult to 
render obedience to those whom you know love you, and set a good example 
before you.

>3) how many elders seem to be mentioned in most every church where elders 
>are mentioned? One? Or more than one?

When I first began studying these things out many years ago in an 
institutional mission field setting, one of my co-workers asked me 
incredulously, "How many shepherds does one flock of sheep have anyway?"    
I sort of wilted because I'd been conditioned to think of one flock and one 
shepherd!

But a few days later reading Luke 2, I got my answer from scripture!  Luke 
2:8 speaks of shepherds/pastors (plural) keeping watch over THEIR FLOCK 
(singular)!!!

Paul, addressing the elders (plural) of the church (singular) at Ephesus to 
take heed unto the flock (singular) over which the Holy Ghost had made them 
overseers (plural).

Peter addressing the elders (plural) in his first epistle instructs them to 
feed the flock (singular) which was among them (plural).  They were to be 
examples (plural) to the flock (singular).

The only times where we see a singular shepherd and a singular flock is when 
Christ, the chief shepherd is in view!  (John 10:1-16;  Hebrews 13:20;  I 
Peter 2:25 and 5:4)

>Something else to think about... Was the church supposed to follow the 
>moses model? ... Can we really verify in the NT church that they followed 
>this advice from Moses' Father in Law? (the one head guy with a team of 
>subordinate helpers?)

We'll include such texts of scripture, whenever we find them,  in our 
pamphlet on the office and headship of pastors!

(It sure sounds like elders and  are to BE THE SHEPHERDS in God's little 
flocks!)

Your brother in Christ,
Bruce

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