When the term elder is used within Christian circles, it conjures up ideas of ecclesiastical clergy, either elected to office by the congregation, or appointed to office by the denomination. In fact, it is only within Christian churches that the term elder is made to mean something other than persons honored in virtue of their age, wisdom and influence. This irregular interpretation is rooted in a flawed hermeneutic of several biblical texts which refer to elders. It is assumed, because a few scripture passages use the term elder when identifying a bishop/pastor, that therefore, most (if not all) references to elders in the early churches must be bishops/pastors. The absurdity of this presupposition is comparable to one who boasts that all disciples must be apostles,…

Ephesians 4:11: “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;” The apostles and prophets were temporary offices, laying the foundation for both the establishment and edification of Christian churches—apostles were primarily sent to organize new churches; prophets were appointed to nurture existing churches. The evangelists and pastor-teachers are permanent offices carrying out a similar function as the apostles and prophets, respectively— evangelists (missionaries) are appointed to preach the gospel with a design to organize new churches; pastors-teachers are appointed to teach the gospel with a design to manage existing churches. That pastors-teachers are one and the same with bishops is affirmed by the Apostle Peter, who identifies the Lord Jesus Christ by both titles—1 Peter 2:25: “For…

The Jewish Synagogue was not ordained by God as a religious institution. It came into existence as a result of God’s judgment upon the nation—The divinely instituted temple had been destroyed, the people of God scattered, and in desperation the scattered Jews established tiny groups which became known as synagogues. During the earthly ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ and His apostles, the Jewish Synagogue always stood against the Lord and His church. Never does the Word of God identify the Jewish Synagogue as the prototype for the church. In fact, there are only four religious institutions ordained by God, and the Jewish Synagogue is not one of them: The two central institutions, the Tabernacle and the Temple, were established by God for National Israel…

According to Robert J. Banks, in his book, ‘Paul’s Idea of Community’,[1] the early churches met in the private houses of the well-to-do members: “Whether we are considering the smaller gatherings of only some Christians in a city or the larger meetings involving the whole Christian population, it is in the home of one of the members that EKKLESIA is held (Acts 18:7,8; 20:8)—for example in the “upper room” (Acts 20:8; Lk 22:12; Acts 1:13). Not until the third century do we have evidence of special buildings being constructed for Christian gatherings, and, even then, they were modeled on the room for receiving guests in the typical Roman and Greek household. This puts a limit on the numbers involved. The entertaining room in a moderately…

Eldership advocates tend to sing the praises of the many benefits a church receives by appointing a plurality of elders. Seldom do they sound the alarm for the serious problems that arise from the appointment. Baptist historian Dr. Kenneth Dix confessed this was the initiating cause which led him to reject plural elderships—he believed too many churches have jumped on the bandwagon without giving sufficient thought to the inevitable problems arising from an eldership. To name just a few drawbacks: (1) An eldership creates a monstrous oligarchy. A group of men may be as tyrannical in their governance as a single man— especially when the elite group believes it has a special knowledge of God’s will based on the unanimity of its decision making. (2)…