Follow the Leader: The Biblical History of Elders
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Part 2: The Biblical History of Elders
In Part 1, we looked at the biblical mandate which God has established whereby believers are called to “submit” (hypotassō) to various people (i.e. government leaders in Romans 13:1) and concepts (i.e. God’s righteousness in Romans 10:3).
We also observed some other biblical guidelines for submission in which Christians may willingly yield (hypeikō) ourselves to certain people if their life and teaching are worth being followed.
The High Call of Mutual Submission
On a broader scale, I pointed out that within the Body of Christ, God has commanded all believers to live in “mutual submission” to one another (Ephesians 5:20-21). This does not require us to bow ourselves to every whim or desire of our fellow believers. Yet it frees us to observe one another’s manner of life, and work in unity, as the body of Christ, to encourage and build each other up into Him.
Needless to say, living in mutual submission places a big responsibility on each of us to come to the body of Christ with honor, respect, and humility. It is a call to recognize that we are all made of the same dirt, and therefore, we all live fully dependent on the grace of the Lord, no matter our perceived status in the body of Christ. Therefore, not only do I submit to the Holy Spirit in me, but I must recognize and submit to the Holy Spirit working through other members of the Body of Christ, too!
Mutual submission is a partnership of love!
Remember, we are a family, not a business or a social club.
As we saw before, within the “mutual submission” of the church, Jesus has also commanded us to submit to those who have faithfully preceded us in the faith (see 1 Corinthians 16:15–16). In terms of a family, we might say this is like following the example of our older brothers and sisters in the church. They may not be perfect, but they are still ahead of where we are in our own life and growth.
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Let’s also note that every family also has fathers and mothers who lead in the home. In the same way, in addition to all of this talk of mutual submission in the church, there is still a seemingly higher level of leadership within the Church for which the Biblical writers hold special regard. This is when the Bible says we are called to submit to the appointed “elders” in the church (see Acts 14:23, 1 Peter 5:5).
Before I move forward, please let me preface this article by saying that this is NOT the view of church leadership which I was taught in my Baptist Bible college and denomination, nor is it the broadly held view of the charismatic/neo-pentecostal denomination I currently belong to. It is still a widely held and practiced form of church leadership in many other denominations, though, and I think its something we need to explore and restore in the broader body of Christ. Everything I am writing here has come through a deep study of these scriptures over the past few years. Just know that I am not writing to argue against any Christian tradition or group. I am writing to expound on what I have found the scriptures to teach, and welcome deeper conversations on the subject going forward.
WHO ARE THESE “ELDERS” IN THE BIBLE?
The Greek word for “elders” is the word πρεσβύτερος (presbyteros), transliterated “presbyters” in many English church settings.
As we said in the last post, this Greek word can simply mean someone who is elderly in age. However, whenever the Bible uses this word in conjunction with leadership in the church, it is not used to mean older or even more mature people in the church (though maturity is assumed). Rather, it means those who hold “seniority”1 within the church.
Throughout the New Testament, we learn that these “elders” are a specific kind of leaders in the church who meet three criteria:
- They have been appointed by God;
- They meet the personal qualifications laid out for the oversight of the church, and
- They are publicly recognized to an appointed leadership position by the local body of Christ.
The word “presbyteros” is used throughout the New Testament, almost synonymously with the word “episkopos” (ἐπίσκοπος), meaning “overseer.” (This is also where we get the modern word “bishop.”)
As the Assembly of God denomination has stated:
“After research, we conclude, because of the use of the word in the original Greek (Acts 20:17, 28; 1 Timothy 5:17; James 5:14, etc.), that the words “elder” or “eldership” refer to the office of pastor, bishop, or overseer.”2
These “elders” work in unity as a “council” to lead the church (see 1 Timothy 4:14). In fact, the word “elder” is never used in a singular sense when talking about the role of church leadership. It is always “the elders” or “an elder” of the church, not “the elder” of the church (see Titus 1:5, for example).
We will look specifically at the oversight role of elders and the requirements placed upon them in a future post, but first, I want us to do a little background study of this whole concept.
Where Did the Idea of “Eldership” Originate?
The use of the word “elders” in the New Testament to describe the institutional leadership in the local church or local assembly of God is an idea carried over from the Old Testament.3 The Jewish people recognized a group of leaders within their local and religious community who were appointed to lead their local congregations as well as govern more broadly in the nation.
Eldership First Developed in Families
The idea of eldership is established early in the Old Testament, and seems to naturally form through the growth of families into clans, then tribes, then nations. As R. Alastair Campbell wrote:
“Israelite society was tribal and patriarchal. The nation consisted of tribes, which themselves consisted of clans which in turn consisted of extended families, and each of these units and sub-units looked to the senior males among them for leadership.”4
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From the beginning, God appointed the man to lead his wife; and the father and mother to lead their children and others who would become joined to the family (daughters-in-law, servants, etc.). This is where we first get the idea of a person’s household (first used in Genesis 7:1, and see Genesis 15:3).
To use a modern vernacular for our purposes, we might say that the man was to be the “Senior Elder” in the family, but he worked as a team with his co-equal, yet different “helper,” his wife, to lead the family. The father was the “senior elder,” but mom and dad together would be the “elders” of the family.
As children grew and produced grandchildren and great-grandchildren, they would then serve as the “elders” in their own immediate family. However, the living grandparents would still be viewed as the “patriarch” and “matriarch” of the extended family or clan. As the “senior elders” of the clan, these patriarchs would work with the parents in every home(especially the father) to lead the whole extended family together. This formed a kind of “council of elders” over the extended family (or extended household).
Even though a man and wife had the autonomy to lead their own family and household as they saw fit, they would join the other family ‘elders’ within their extended family (clan) to form the leadership (primitive government) of their “village.” Thus, civics was born.
As Campbell goes on to write:
“The head of the house made decisions within his own home and also represented the family in the counsels of the village community…These are the people described as the elders, and they are often, and by implication always, said to be the elders of something or somewhere…The functions performed by the elders are accordingly deliberative, representative and judicial.”5
Families Became Clans, and Clans Became Nations.
As these clans and villages began to multiply, they eventually grew to become tribes and cities. As they did, this system of communal leadership continued to grow and develop as well. The “senior elders” or patriarchs of each clan would come together to form a council of elders to lead the tribe or the city. (see Joshua 20:4, Ruth 4:2)
In his studies of ancient near-east communities, Henri Frankfort writes that there were “clan and community organization under elders who apparently exercised judicial as well as executive functions.It was a primitive democracy, uncritical and unconscious, for there is no ground to suppose other than that every senior member of the group was admitted to the governing body purely on the basis of his age.”6
This was not a formal, parliamentary style of government, which many of us think of today. Rather, as Henri goes on to point out, it was an informal, community of elders who simply worked together to lead. A good example can be seen in the negotiations concerning the redemption of Naomi’s property by Boaz in Ruth 4:1-2.
As tribes began to multiply and become a nation, it was from these small informal beginnings that national government would begin to form. It was “the stress of circumstance” that “compelled the coalescence of the smaller groups of clans and tribes into some approximation of a national unity.”7
The “senior elders” of each tribe would come together to form a council of elders to lead the nation. The same system developed for local family government grew into “national” governments.
This idea was not limited to Israel alone. We see the same idea of “elders of a household” in Egypt (Genesis 50:7). Fathers and mothers of one family would become elders to the clan. Those who led their clan well would become elders to the entire tribe, and eventually, those with the best leadership abilities would be recognized as leaders to the nations (the entire extended family). This story is repeated throughout the development of almost all ancient people groups around the world.
As communities grew, so did the development of the eldership.
- A father would lead in the home and represent his family outwardly to the clan.
- The senior patriarch of the clan would lead the elders in the village and also represent the clan outwardly as an elder to the tribe.
- “Chiefs” would be appointed among the tribal elders to lead the group and would also go to represent the tribe more broadly at the national level.
- And eventually, the patriarchal authority of a father to a single family developed and led to the role of judges and kings as heads of nations.
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Living in rural Africa, I can personally testify that this same system of “family elders” and “clan leadership” is still alive and functioning in the world. I have been privileged to sit with the elders of clans to discuss the Word of God, and I have been honored to meet the Omukuka (King) of the Bamasaba people I live among.**
This family-derived eldership was well in place among the Jews well before God instituted the Jewish religious law and leadership through Moses.
Side Note: Eldership was Not an Achievement of Personal Status, but a Service to the Community
In the modern world, politicians are known for seeking governmental office as a means of personal gain. And unfortunately, this attitude of status-seeking has not remained in the secular realm but has infected the church as well.
One major element in understanding the call of biblical leadership and what it means to “follow your leader” is to see that from the earliest iterations of eldership, it was viewed as a work of service intended for the betterment of the entire community. It was never about personal gain and social status.
As Campbell writes: “How did people become elders in Ancient Israel? It is nowhere recorded, but… clearly there can be no candidacy nor procedure leading to such a position of honour” because “elders represent leadership from below, not from above.”8 He goes on to say that although a person’s family position would play a part, so did a person’s “gradual acquiring respect” within the broader community.
If a person’s motivation for seeking leadership were self-serving and status-seeking, the community would rightfully choose not to follow them.
Anyways, let’s get back on track…
Eldership Expanded with Continued National Development
As the family of Abraham became the nation of Israel, other leaders were added to the “elders” of the people. It moved away from only including the patriarchal leaders of the home, clan, and tribe and came to include other leaders viewed as vital to the community as a whole. Again, this was true both inside and outside of Israel. For example, the role of historians and legal scholars would often be added to the group to oversee the continuity of the nation’s culture, traditions, and system of justice (such as scribes and lawyers).
Religious leaders came to be included with the elders to oversee the spiritual guidance of the nation. This would include the prophets and priests of Israel, but also the witchdoctors, shamans, and mystics in other pagan people groups.
We can watch this development take place in ancient Israel.
By the time we finish reading Genesis and move into Exodus, Abraham’s family has grown from one household to become a nation of people numbering in the millions. However, Exodus still begins with a kind of reverence for the patriarchs of the twelve tribes of Israel (see Exodus 1:1-7). These men and their firstborn heirs would be recognized as the “elders” of Israel. It is these elders who Moses speaks to about God’s promise of deliverance in Exodus 4:29.
However, after God brings the nation of Israel out of the land of Egypt, it became clear that these heads of families were not enough to maintain quality governance outside of Egyptian oversight. Therefore, upon the advice of his father-in-law, Moses appoints “judges” and “chiefs” over different numbers of people (“of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens”) in addition to the existing patriarchal leaders. (see Exodus 18:25-26).
These judges were led directly by Moses, who not only served as a kind of “chief justice” but also became known as the greatest prophet in Israel’s history. His brother, Aaron, served as Israel’s first “Chief Priest,” and his family and descendants became the priesthood of the nation.
Then, according to Clowny, “Among the thousands of judges appointed under this system, seventy were singled out as the elders of the nation, to represent all the people, much as the elders of a tribe or city would represent their constituency.”9
Moses was first led by God, and in turn, he led these 70 elders to govern, guide, and direct the nation. These leaders, too, were Spirit-filled and were expected to lead the nation physically AND spiritually (Numbers 11:24-25).
No Longer was the Nation Only Goverend by the Presiding Patriarchs of the Family.
Yes, familial leadership was still honored and involved at every level of Jewish leadership. After all, they were still one family. Yet the broader system of government grew and eventually came to include the prophets, priests, judges, and eventually (though it was never God’s plan for Israel) a king.
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These groups of elders still governed in their respective clans, tribes, and cities. And at the national level, among all of these highly respected leaders, a select group was consistently organized together to make up the highest-ranking council of elders who served in unity under a “senior elder,” generally the presiding High Priest.
Following the Babylonian captivity, which destroyed all of Israel’s governmental infrastructure, Ezra, the priest, and Nehemiah, the governor called together a group of returnees to re-form the religious law of life in Israel (Nehemiah 8-10). Among this group were a number of already-recognized leaders (Nehemiah 8:4) as well as a number of teachers (Nehemiah 8:7). This group developed into a new council of elders which Rabbinic tradition calls “Great Synagogue” (“Knesset HaGedolah”) who would continue to lead Israel throughout the 5th and 4th centuries.10 Some of the leaders historically listed as members of the Great Synagog were Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, Azariah, Mordechai, and Zerubbabel.11
By the time we get to the New Testament, the Great Synagogue had gone away, but elder-led government remained active in Israel, now in the form of the “Sanhedrin.” Every village and city had its own council of 23 elders (called a “lesser Sanhedrin”), as did the nation as a whole with the 71 member “Greater Sanhedrin.”12 Each Sanhedrin council was led by the “nasi” meaning “prince” or captain” (or what I would call the “senor elder.”
Though the prophets had been silent for 400 years, and the royal family was dethroned since captivity, the “elders” of the nation remained as the leaders of the nation, including the High Priest, priests, scribes, rabbis, Sadducees, and Pharisees.
How Did Eldership Incorporate into the Church?
Well, that is where we will turn our attention in the next post.
But just to whet your appetite a bit, just think of these familiar New Testament themes in light of what we have discussed in this post:
- Jesus has brought us into the family of God, crying out, “Abba Father.”
- Jesus is our King, and we are His “holy nation.
- Jesus is our great “High Priest,” and we are His “royal priesthood.”
It should come as no surprise, then, that when Jesus decided to establish a type of leadership in His family, Kingdom, and priesthood, He would follow the same model developed throughout Israel in the Old Testament (and in some form, every other nation on earth).
We will discuss what that looked like, next time. Stay tuned…
If you’re enjoying the content I produce, a little caffeine to keep me going would be appreciated!
Footnotes
** Side Note: The move of the enemy to destroy families is not just an attack on the home, but on the leadership structures put in place by God in humanity
1 Strong, James. A Concise Dictionary of the Words in the Greek Testament and The Hebrew Bible. (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2009).
2 The General Council of the Assemblies of God. Assemblies of God: Position Papers. (Springfield, MO: The General Council of the Assemblies of God, 1972–2017).
3 Edmund P. Clowney, The Message of 1 Peter: The Way of the Cross, The Bible Speaks Today (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988), 232.
4 Campbell, R. Alastair. The Elders: Seniority within Earliest Christianity. (London; New York: T&T Clark, 2004), 21.
5 Campbell, “The Elders”, 21.
6 Frankfort, Henri. The Intellectual Adventure of Ancient Man. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1946), 343. Available from Archive.org <https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.283260 >. [2 August 2023].
7 Frankfort, Intellectual Adventure, p. 344.
8 Campbell, “The Elders,” 26–27.
9 Clowney, “Message of 1 Peter”, 232–233.
10 Youngblood, Ronald F., F. F. Bruce, and R. K. Harrison, Thomas Nelson Publishers, eds. Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Dictionary. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 1995.
11 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Assembly
12 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanhedrin
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© Anthony Scott Ingram 2023. All Rights Reserved.
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