Part 9 of 9 of theme 'Leadership of elders ' by Gijs van den Brink
In this series of lessons we have shown that the difference in leadership in Paul's earlier letters (without "elders") and the later ones (with "elders") is not caused by a transition from an organic to an institutional church structure. It has to do with an increase in scale, a transition from the home church to the congregation at the city or regional level.
Leaders who hold office in New Testament congregations are not called "elders," but rather "overseers. Overseers are appointed at the city level, not at the level of the (house) congregation meeting in one place. There the structure of the extended family provides a sufficient framework.
Therefore, when asked why Paul does not explain much more in his earlier letters what a "leader" is, we should not look for a theological or spiritual reason, but a sociological one. The role of the head of the household or family was self-evident; that role needed no explanation. As long as the congregation consisted of one house church, the household determined the leadership structure. The host was also the leader of the congregation. This could also be a woman, e.g.. Nympha (Col. 4:15), and possibly also Lydia (Acts 16:14) and Phoebe (Rom. 16:1v).
'Elders' in the early Christian church (as also in the synagogue) are community-respected, usually older wise men (from respected families). 'Eldest' is not a position, but a status. When the church expands into multiple (house) congregations in a city or region and the need for leadership at the city level arises, leaders (episkopoi, overseers) elected to govern the city or regional congregation.
Finally, I would like to point out two major differences between the church in the first century and the church today. Today's churches are not organized locally, but by denomination. Each denomination has its own leaders. Paul would have strongly rejected this, as shown in 1 Cor. 1:10-13.
Second, the administrative "elders" are not leaders at the city or regional level, but each local church has its own elders. Compared to the New Testament, the average local church in the West is quite overorganized. The paradigm of the family or family that is so central in the NT is often hard to see in our churches. They are more like an association or an organization within the healthcare or education sector in terms of structure.
Yet I see positive developments. Under the influence of the charismatic movement and migrants from Asia and Africa, the Western Church became much more dynamic in the twentieth century. Moreover, the ecumenical movement has contributed greatly to a mutual respect between denominations.
My expectation is that as the secularization of Christian culture in the West continues, faith communities will take more of the form of the Christian congregations in the first-century Roman Empire.
Author: Gijs van den Brink
From: Study Bible Magazine
This is part 9 of 9 concise blog on the topic "Leadership of elders" from Study Bible Magazine, Some of which we will be posting online in the near future. We hope this will help you understand the Bible better!
