Calvary Wolfeboro’s Eldership

Calvary Wolfeboro is an elder-led church.

The Elders of Calvary Wolfeboro are a team of men who have responsibility for shepherding the church as a whole. All of the feeding, care, and correction of the church is overseen by the elder team.

The elders serve together as peers. Unity is sought around the will of God as discerned by listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit through Scripture, prayer, circumstances, and discussion. Final decisions on all significant issues of the church doctrinally, financially, and practically are made by the elders. A unanimous decision is always pursued and other leaders in the church and the church as a whole are sought for input in significant decisions.

While elders serve as shepherds (pastors), we do not consider “elder” and “pastor” to be the same role or have the same meaning in Scripture. We believe that the New Testament differentiates between “elder” and “pastor.” We see “pastor” - described in Ephesians 4:11 - as a gifting rather than a position. We see “elder” described in Scripture as an appointment that is qualified by mature character and confirmed by the church. An “elder” has spiritual leadership and spiritual authority(along with tremendous spiritual responsibility). This is why the standards for eldership are so high. This is especially clear in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 2.

Some Biblical Background for our position on eldership

The responsibility and authority for local church oversight has been entrusted to the elders/overseers.

“This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you.” -Titus 1:5

The idea of “appointing” elders brings with it a sense of formality. An appointment is to a specific position. In this case, the position or “office” of elder. In his first letter, Peter gives a great description of the responsibility of elder:

“So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ(1 of the 12, an “apostle” in this special sense), as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.” -1 Peter 5:1-3

“elders” - πρεσβύτερος//presbuteros - (from Titus 1:5 and 1 Peter 5:1) Outside the Church these were older men who stood out as mature leaders in the community and were formally and informally recognized as such. In Scripture, this “office” of oversight includes an extensive set of qualifications that are given in Titus 1:6-9:

“if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are [faithful] and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. 7 For an overseer, as God's steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, 8 but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. 9 He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.” -Titus 1:6-9

We also see in Titus that the office of elder is an appointment that is qualified, largely, based on character - spiritual maturity and skill - not charisma, talent, or gifting. In 1 Timothy 3, Paul describes what seems to be the same “office.” In his letter to Timothy he uses a different word but an almost identical set of qualifications for what he calls, “overseer:”

“If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money.  He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God's church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil. -1 Timothy 3:1-7

“overseer” - ἐπισκοπή//episkopos (from Titus 1:7 and 1 Timothy 3) - Similar meaning to elder but with a more clearly understood formality as an appointed office of leadership.

The similarities between the qualifications for leadership in Titus 1 and 1 Timothy 3 lead us to believe that “elder” and “overseer” are basically synonymous. As we already said, we believe that these are two descriptions of the same position. This view finds even more support when you consider that Peter describes the responsibility of an elder (1 Peter 5:1-3) using the same word (ἐπισκοπή - “overseer") that Paul uses in his first letter to Timothy.

 “Shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight” (“oversight,” here in 1 Peter, is the same word that Paul uses in 1 Timothy 3:1) -1 Peter 5:2a

For this reason we use the title of “elder” as given in Titus and 1 Peter, but conflate it with the meaning of “overseer” as described in 1 Timothy.

The “How” of Church leadership

We believe that what follows applies to all forms of leadership, both formal(elders and deacons) and informal(any other kind of leadership).

We’ll go back to 1 Peter and the admonition given there:

“Shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; 3 not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.”

1. Not under compulsion but willingly. (aspiring to and desiring a noble task - 1 Tim 3:1)

Church leadership should be taken on as an honor, a blessing, and a privilege, not a burden or obligation. It is a significant responsibility that carries with it a certain amount of authority. Those in leadership should not have to have their arm twisted.

2. Not for shameful gain, but eagerly.

Church leadership should not be seen as a means to achievement or significance. Certainly, there is no place for using spiritual leadership for monetary gain.

3. Not domineering over those in your charge, but by being examples. (Matthew 20:25-28, 23:1-12)

In the Gospels Jesus contrasted the way of leadership among the unbelieving culture with how leadership was to be exercised in His kingdom. The main difference that Jesus focused on was the way unbelieving leaders “lord” it over those they lead. Leaders in the church are not to “lord” it over those they lead. This means that church leaders are not to control those they lead but rather serve them through counsel and advice.

We see these descriptions of how the elders are to lead as perfectly suited to all leadership in the church, including deacons.

BIBLICAL ESTABLISHMENT OF ELDERSHIP

1. The model of leadership in Scripture.

Acts 6:2-4, Acts 15:1-2, Acts 20:17, 1 Timothy 5:17, Hebrews 13:17, James 5:14, 1 Peter 5:1-5

2. The means of leadership in local churches.

Titus 1:5, Acts 14:23

BIBLICAL Character QUALIFICATIONS OF ELDERS (1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9)

Above reproach, A faithful husband and father, Sober-minded/self-controlled, Respected in the church, Hospitable, Not a drunk, Not quarrelsome, Not a lover of money, Respected by non-believers, Humble, Holy/set-apart, Not a new Christian, able to make disciples(model, evangelize, instruct)

BIBLICAL FUNCTION OF THE ELDERS

1. Daily concern for the church

2 Corinthians 11:28 (Paul’s concern for the churches)

2. Model for the church

1 Peter 5:3 (“being examples to the flock”)

3. Teach/know doctrine

1 Timothy 3:2 (able to teach)

Titus 1:9 (hold firm to doctrine, teach it, and refute false doctrine)

Acts 6:2-4 (devoted to prayer and the ministry of the word)

4. Protect against/refute false doctrine

Titus 1:9 (hold firm to doctrine, teach it, and refute false doctrine)

5. Shepherd/spiritual care

1 Peter 5:2

Hebrews 13:17

6. Oversee Church Discipline

Matthew 18

7. Practical Care

James 5:14

BECOMING AN ELDER AT CALVARY WOLFEBORO

An elder is, first and foremost a faithful and significantly mature disciple of Jesus. This must be recognized and affirmed by other elders and the church before a man will be considered for the role of elder in Calvary Wolfeboro.

The existing elders, in consideration of a man for the office of elder will consider, firstly, that his life has the 4 M’s:

Maturity in Character: Expectation of the obvious presence of the Fruit of the Spirit as an evidence of Christ-like character. Ongoing spiritual growth and willingness to shepherd and be shepherded by other elders to ensure continued growth in the character of Christ. Evidence of a spiritually disciplined and rich life should be obvious.

Marriage and Family: Expectation of intentional spiritual leadership in the Home. Elders must be actively leading their wives and children, and their home must be in order. If an Elder’s marriage and home is not in order, he is not able to properly serve as an Elder to the church.

Margin for Ministry: Significant time is necessary to effectively lead in the capacity of an Elder, both in the Elder’s relationships with the other Elders and their families, and with the church body as a whole.

Mastery of the Bible: The Elder must never rest from the pursuit of mastering both the understanding and application of Scripture.

REQUIREMENTS OF CALVARY WOLFEBORO’S ELDERS

Specific Requirements

Engagement in the overall spiritual life and activities of the church. This requirement relates to the essential nature of seeing and interacting with the body in order to have an accurate pulse on the church. (4-6 hours per week)

Involvement in church-wide activities. As another critical element of knowing “the pulse” of the church and serving alongside the body, the elder team must be involved in all church-wide activities. This involvement should not limit the elder’s ability to keep a “big picture” focus. An elder needs to see the forest for the trees as much as possible. (time requirement varies widely)

Shepherding meeting each week. Time set aside for the handling of the spiritual concerns of the Calvary Wolfeboro body in an intentional way. These meetings provide weekly opportunity for the Elders to be brought into the ongoing matters and concerns facing the church and its members. Practically, these meetings also provide the church staff guidance for carrying out the decisions of the elder team when necessary. This is also a time set aside for theology, staffing, and other church leadership discussions. (2-3 hours per week).

Connection with the families of the other elders. In order to apply practical assistance to the goal of ensuring the elders are living in community and accountable to each other, the elders and their families will get together regularly. The shepherding of each other requires time with each other and with each other’s families. (several hours per month)

General Requirements

Handling church issues as they arise: counsel and support

Care, correction, and discipline of the flock as needed.

Leadership in baptisms, weddings, funerals, baby dedications, and other “shepherding” functions.

Keeping lines of communication with other elders open.

Deep authenticity and accountability with other elders.

Estimates on weekly time commitment for our elders:

Minimum: 10 hours

Average: 15 hours

Maximum: 30-40 hours