Why Elder Rule?
Why Does Providence Baptist have Elders?
We believe Scripture teaches each local church is to be governed by a plurality of elders (pastors, shepherds, overseers) who are males that meet the qualifications outlined in Scripture (Titus 1, 1 Timothy 3).
The elders lead or rule as servants of Christ (1 Timothy 5:17-22) and have His authority in directing the church. The congregation is to submit to their leadership (Hebrews 13:7, 17). The elders should determine all matters of membership, policy, discipline, benevolence, and government (Acts 15:19-31; 20:28; 1 Corinthians 5:4-7, 13; 1 Peter 5:1-4).
The elders cooperate with each other in the ministry and government of the church in a horizontal relationship with all being equal in authority to each other while serving in differing roles.
The elders make all decisions for the church through unanimous consensus based on mutual submission and deference to each other and by separating preference from principle.
The Origins of Elder-rule at Providence
After searching the Scriptures and hearing good Bible exposition for a number of years, the members of Providence Baptist Church voted to move to an elder-rule form of government as outlined in the New Testament in 1995.
In the past, elder-rule among Baptist churches was the norm (see the article below). However, most of these churches in our day have known only single pastor rule with a plurality of deacons. Yet from the beginning of the church age this was not the case.
In Acts 14:23 we find that a plurality of elders was appointed in every church by the apostles and their associates in ministry.
According to the Bible, every New Testament church is to be led and shepherded by a plurality of spiritual overseers called “elders.” This was Christ’s ordinance through His apostles.
The qualifications for elders are mentioned primarily in Titus 1:5-9; 1 Timothy 3:1-7; 1 Timothy 5:17-19 and in 1 Peter 5:1-4.
The presence of a plurality of elders is mentioned from the beginning of the church age in the book of Acts such as in Acts 11:30; Acts 14:23; Acts 20:26-31; Acts 21:17-18, as well as in other passages throughout the New Testament.
The author of Hebrews writes, “Obey your leaders and submit to them; for they keep watch over your souls…” (Heb. 13:17). The group of men who serve the church as elders are those Christ has charged with “keeping watch over your souls…”
No man was ever intended to govern the church alone. Elders are always mentioned in the plural in the New Testament. This gracious command from our Lord places a well-defined responsibility on godly men who are called to be elders in the local church.
The elders of Providence oversee the body and present decisions requiring consent from the congregation for their vote at church meetings. PBC usually has church meetings every third Sunday of the month along with a fellowship dinner for the members.
All elders are considered pastors, however, only our preaching pastor serves as a full-time vocational elder. The other men serve as non-vocational elders who are volunteers elected by the members of the church for this purpose.
The elders are also accountable to the members of the body and to each other. In addition to meeting the qualifications outlined in Titus 1:5-9 and 1 Timothy 3:1-7, they are also re-examined annually to ensure that biblical standards are faithfully maintained.
We thank God for the faithful men who serve our church as elders and pray that God would raise up more men among us who aspire to the high and holy calling of shepherding Christ’s flock as an elder.
“Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching.” 1 Timothy 5:17
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The Historical Perspective of Elders in Baptist Churches
In recent decades the idea of an elder-rule form of government in a Southern Baptist Church seems like an anomoly in spite of the fact that Scripture clearly demonstrates such was the norm in every New Testament church. The following is a list of Baptists who have historically defended the practice of Elder-Rule in Baptist churches:
―Benjamin Keach wrote of “Bishops, Overseers, or Elders”, 16971
―Benjamin Griffith wrote in favor of ruling elders distinct from the pastors or teaching elders (18th century)2
―Samuel Jones of the Philadelphia Association wrote that “Concerning the divine right of the office of ruling elders there has been considerable doubt and much disputation (19th century)3
―W. B. Johnson, first president of the Southern Baptist Convention, writing of New Testament churches, each church had a plurality of elders.4
―J. L. Reynolds, pastor of the Second Baptist Church of Richmond, Virginia, wrote in 1849 that the apostolic churches seem, in general, to have had a plurality of elders as well as deacons.5
―William Williams, one of the founding faculty of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary wrote in 1874 that In most, if not all the apostolic churches, there was a plurality of elders.6
―There was a plurality of elders in C. H. Spurgeon’s Metropolitan Tabernacle in London7
―A. H. Strong, president of Rochester Theological Seminary, and author of his influential 1907 Systematic Theology summarizes the positions most Baptists in America seemed to hold at the beginning of the 20th century’ In certain of the N.T. churches there appears to have been a plurality of elders…8
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Historic Baptist documents also testify to the biblical practice of Elders:
―1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith, A particular church, gathered and completely organized according to the mind of Christ, consists of officers and members; and the officers appointed by Christ to be chosen and set apart by the church (so called and gathered), for the peculiar administration of ordinances, and execution of power or duty, which he entrusts them with, or calls them, to be continued to the end of the world, are bishops or elders, and deacons.9
―Basil Manly, Jr. stated in 1859, The regular officers of a church are Bishops or Elders, and Deacons.10
―The Baptist Faith and Message, 1925, …Scriptural officers are bishops or elders and deacons.11
―Herschel Hobbs, who chaired the 1963 revision committee of the Baptist Faith and Message, wrote in 1964, Pastor—this is one of three titles referring to the same office. The other two are ‘bishop’ and ‘elder.12
The historicity of Elders in Baptist churches is supported by documents dating back to the 17th century and examples from Baptists extending thru the 20th century. The evidence cannot be either misunderstood or given some vague and ambiguous alternative understanding.
Furthermore, the testimony of Scripture is clear that Elders are to be ordained in all churches (congregations) and since Baptists are people of the Bible, …we cannot be Baptists without the Bible, we must know personally for ourselves, what order of obedience it requires at our hands13, Baptists must settle the issue of Elder led churches based on the facts of Holy Scripture and the numerous historic examples by Baptists throughout history.
Our historic documents relied upon the authority of Scripture to determine the correct use of Elders in Baptist churches and we must not allow our traditions and the lack of knowledge of our own Baptist history to determine the issue of Elders in Baptist churches.
If the argument against Elders in Baptist churches is settled based upon the absence of Baptist history, the argument fails. If the argument against Elders in Baptist churches is settled based upon the absence of clear Biblical evidence, the argument fails.
Footnotes:1 Benjamin Keach, The Glory of a True Church, in Polity, ed. Mark Dever (Washington, DC; 2001), p. 65.
2 Benjamin Griffith, A Short Treatise, Mark Dever, ed., Polity, p. 98.
3 Samuel Jones, Treatise of Church Discipline, Mark Dever, Polity, pp. 145-146.
4 W. B. Johnson, The Gospel Developed, Mark Dever, Polity, p. 192.
5 J. L. Reynolds, Church Polity or the Kingdom of Christ, Mark Dever, ed., Polity, p. 349.
6 William Williams, Apostolical Church Polity, Mark Dever, ed., Polity, p. 531.
7 The Church Conservative and Aggressive The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, volume 7, pp. 658-659.
8 A. H. Strong, Systematic Theology, pp. 915-916.
9 chapter 26, paragraph 8
10 AbstrActst of Principles, Article 14.
11 Article 12.
12 Herschel H. Hobbs, What Baptists Believe, (Broadman Press, 1964) p. 85.
13 Thomas Armitage, D.D., Three Great Foundation Principles, taken from Baptist Doctrine, 1892