Appointing Elders/Bishops from Within the Congregation

[presidente]

The issue with bishop versus presbyter, episcopal v. presbyterian isn't so much etymology. Both words come from Greek words found in scripture.

But there is a lot of tradition that sprung up around the word 'bishop.' The Bible calls church elders bishops, and Paul salutes multiple bishops in Philippi. One of Clement's letters calls elders bishops, also. But at some time in the 2nd century the practice was established of having one of the elders be called the bishop and be over the other elders, with roughly one bishop per city. That's what the episcopal tradition in England drew from. Presbyterianism tended to see elders as equal. But Presbyterianism got messy, and was from the beginning, with adding the extra non-clerical 'elder' office that got confused eventually with the Biblical ordained ministry.

 

[ResidentAlien]

The Bible calls church elders bishops, and Paul salutes multiple bishops in Philippi.

The KJV does you mean.

 

[XavierJesusLovesIndia]

St. Ignatius of Antioch, disciple of St. John the Apostle, died around 107 A.D.

Shortly before his heroic martyrdom for Our Lord Jesus Christ, he wrote:
"Chapter 8. Let nothing be done without the bishop
See that you all follow the bishop, even as Jesus Christ does the Father, and the presbytery as you would the apostles; and reverence the deacons, as being the institution of God. Let no man do anything connected with the Church without the bishop. Let that be deemed a proper Eucharist, which is [administered] either by the bishop, or by one to whom he has entrusted it. Wherever the bishop shall appear, there let the multitude [of the people] also be; even as, wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church. It is not lawful without the bishop either to baptize or to celebrate a love-feast; but whatsoever he shall approve of, that is also pleasing to God, so that everything that is done may be secure and valid."

Taken from: https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0109.htm

 

[dave_in_KWC]

Acts 14:23 And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed.

I notice that most church traditions I am familiar with bring in elders from outside the congregation. A committee hires a pastor, for example, often a career clergyman, an expert from the outside, who may have gone to school for it. There are churches that hire pastors, the pastor works for a while, then goes elsewhere.

But I see something different in the New Testament. First, I think we need to clarify the difference between a Biblical 'elder' and 'elder' in a lot church traditions. The Greek word for 'elder' is 'presbuteros.' In English, it because 'prester', and later 'priest.' English also used that word for Old Testament kohen, a different group entirely. German got a lot of it's religious language from Old English during the Anglo-Saxon mission, so 'priest' and the German equivalent were a messy terms by the time of the Reformation.

But the reformers considered their ordained men to be presbuteros, elders of the church. The city of Geneva, a city where the Reformed movement was entwined with the government, created a city official called 'elder.' The Presbyterians turned this into a church office in the national church system in Scotland. The Reformed movement called their church elders 'pastors' and these lay officials 'elders.' At first, they applied the Biblical verses about 'elders' to their 'pastors', but later got confused.

So when we are talking about 'elders', we are talking about church leaders, roughly equivalent to what people mean by 'pastor.' Elders of the church are told to pastor the church/flock of God in Acts 20:28 and the opening verses of I Peter 5. Acts 20:28 calls them bishops (overseers) and I Peter 5 tells them to oversee the flock.

We see in scripture that there were 'elders'--plural in every church. Paul saluted the 'bishops'-- plural in the one church in Philippi.

Isn't it good if elders are appointed from within the local church? Shouldn't existing elders have in mine that it is a part of their responsibility to facilitate this, along the lines of II Timothy 2:2?

It's clear in Paul's letter to Timothy and in other letters of Paul's that an Elder is to be spiritually and emotionally mature and a faithful man who has raised his own children to maturity. An elder exemplifies what it means to have the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5).

Leaders in the church were meant to be locally known for their character and experience and gifts by being related to those whom they would be called to serve (in general). The modern church/denominational practice on NOT raising up servant leaders from within a body of believers is not supported by the New Testament, I'd posit.

At about 35, as a "younger", who had not yet helped raise our 4 children to maturity (launched them successfully so they could be independent), I was commissioned by my church family to serve as an "elder". Looking back now, I was NOT a true elder according to Paul's definition. At 65, my maturity is just now beginning to offer me the role of being a "spiritual father" to those who need one within our fellowship and without (in the counselling I do professionally/pastorally).

One can serve in the role of pastor (or the other four 5-fold offices explained in Ephesians 4:11) without meeting Paul's requirements for being and elder, some argue. I think that the more spiritual maturity (fullness of the fruits of the Spirit) the better! The issue for me is NOT looking just at gifting or abilities to lead without ensuring that any servant leader has LOTS of the fruit of Holy Spirit AND that this character is more important than the abilities this possible leader may have.