Hello. I would appreciate it if you would read the following and get back to me on your thoughts about it.
I am a member of the Church of Christ and I am very concerned over the status of the church in which I attend. You see a few months ago, we had Elders (2 in number). One of those Elders felt that he, due to his age and recent sickness was no longer able to serve as an Elder. The other Elder was also the preacher. The Eldership of the Church was dissolved because Brother Bell resigned as Elder. There are still no Elders today. Yet there are men qualified, who desire the office. Is it right for the Church to go on without Elders. The preacher (who was one of the Elders) preached many sermons on the Eldership and Deaconship (which was dissolved due to this also). He preached that there should be a committee of 2 men to be over the appointment of Elders. At first he taught that the faithful Christian men of the Congregation would okay 2 men and then it would be brought before the Congregation for 2 weeks, then Elders would be appointed. Is committees right and is the Church right for having gone on this long without Elders? Should Elders have been selected before the Eldership was dissolved? I would appreciate your thoughts on this subject, because I am very concerned about the Church in which I attend. Thank you and I hope to hear from you soon. God bless.
Enough information appears in the New Testament to clearly indicate that every congregation should have a plurality of elders (Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5; Acts 20:17). Yet, obviously before the appointment of elders in any existing congregation, the congregation operated with apparent Divine approval without elders for that interim. Further, the qualifications of elders (1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:6-11; Hebrews 13:17) and the very terms used to designated them (i.e., pastors, Ephesians 4:11; overseers, Acts 20:28; shepherds, 1 Peter 5:1-4) indicate the function of elders.
Almost everything else regarding elders has been left by God in the realm of expediency. We do not have any biblical information regarding the selection and installation process. These details are not stipulated and are, therefore, not a matter of doctrine. Hence, neither are they a matter warranting undue alarm nor disagreement.
Whether additional elders should have been installed before the resignation of an elder whereby the eldership was dissolved, then, is a matter of opinion and expediency. In the absence of elders, the Christian men of a congregation are responsible for the affairs of the church, until such time as the congregation again has elders. The congregation has the responsibility to appoint qualified men to serve as elders. It would be biblically incorrect for a congregation to go without elders indefinitely if qualified men are present in the congregation. It would also be anti-biblical for a congregation to opt for a form of government, namely a committee (or a single person, etc.), instead of the biblical prescription of elders (or in the absence of qualified men to serve as elders, the male members of the congregation).
However, one or more persons or a committee (without authority to rule the congregation) is not necessarily in conflict with the biblical principles. Representing the congregation, individuals or groups of individuals, whether or not the congregation has elders, routinely function on behalf of the congregation. For instance, one or more persons or a committee may gather information regarding the purchase and installation of a new heating system in the meeting house. The congregation (through its elders if it has elders) is ultimately responsible for the decision regarding the purchase and installation of that heating system.
A person or persons or a committee may serve the needs of a congregation, but the congregation through its faithful Christian men (in the absence of elders) or elders (if elders are in place) are responsible for the decisions for the congregation. Obviously, I am neither in a position to know the details of the local circumstances there, nor biblically authorized to make decisions affecting any congregation. That bailiwick belongs to the elders or Christian men in any local congregation. However, I hope these observations prove useful.
