“And now, a word to you who are elders in the churches. I, too, am an elder and a witness to the sufferings of Christ. And I, too, will share in his glory when he is revealed to the whole world. As a fellow elder, I appeal to you: Care for the flock that God has entrusted to you. Watch over it willingly, not grudgingly—not for what you will get out of it, but because you are eager to serve God. Don’t Lord it over the people assigned to your care, but lead them by your own good example. And when the Great Shepherd appears, you will receive a crown of never-ending glory and honour.”
1 Peter 5:1-4 NLT
Peter’s main concern for the “elders in the churches” was that they cared for the people within them, that they weren’t being overbearing leaders, “lording” it over people, and that they led the church by their own good example. They were then eligible for a reward of a “crown of never-ending glory and honour”. But the Apostle Paul provided more details of the qualities required by an elder. We can read what he wrote in his letters to Timothy and Titus in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1. And the question for all elders in the Christian church today, regardless of their denomination, is how they measure up against the criteria Paul set out. There are those who take a liberal, “what was written in the Bible doesn’t always apply today”, attitude, and those who believe fundamentally that the Scriptures are the inspired Words of God through His Spirit and are to be followed to the letter.
But whatever we believe, the first requirement of an elder, according to Paul, is that he is a man, married, and someone who manages his family well. We read in 1 Timothy 3:2a, 4-5, “So a church leader must be a man whose life is above reproach. He must be faithful to his wife. … He must manage his own family well, having children who respect and obey him. For if a man cannot manage his own household, how can he take care of God’s church?” The in-your-face issue here is the fact that the Bible only talks about male elders, who are married and have a family. So, where does that put the women ministers and elders who populate established denominations such as Anglicans or Presbyterians? Or the Methodists who, as I read this morning, have a transgender minister? There will be many responses I’m sure, but in the end this is a matter of personal conscience and belief, and the denominations concerned.
Some years ago I grappled with this problem, and concluded that if God can’t find a man to be a leader, He would appoint a woman. This happened in the Old Testament, and we can read about a woman called Deborah. Her story appears in Judges 4 and 5. She was Israel’s only female judge, and was a prophetess who “judged” Israel during those turbulent times when God’s people constantly flip-flopped between doing good and doing evil. Deborah emerged in a time when the Israelites were doing “evil in the Lord’s sight” (Judges 4:1). But through her leadership and willingness to hear the Spirit’s Word, she led the people to a victory over their Canaanite oppressors. And it was another woman, called Jael, who courageously stepped up to the mark and killed the Canaanite commander, Sisera.
Why did Deborah become a judge in Israel? Some say it was to shame the men who refused to step up and take responsibility for the dire situation that the Israelites were in. Others are kinder in their opinion, and wonder if, perhaps, this was a picture of God’s gentle and compassionate care for His people, as a mother cares for her children. We should also be aware that God will use both men and women to be instruments of His power. But God’s preferred model, as communicated through Paul, was that elders should be male. Why is that, do you think? Perhaps a question for God one day.
Dear Father. It appears the You appointed men to be leaders in the Church. We pray for more Godly men with Your anointing upon them. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Being a Pilgrim 