Board eldership versus biblical eldership
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What kind of leadership does your church have?
I'm not sure where I first came across the term "board eldership". I might have heard it at a church I attended where they referred to the elders as the elder board. It might have been in the book Biblical Eldership by Alexander Strauch.
Board eldership: What is it and how does it function?
Regardless of where the term came from, I have come to use the phrase "board eldership" to describe the leadership model that has been adapted from the business world and implemented in the church. This model of church leadership tends to think of leading the church in terms of program management, customer satisfaction, employer and employee relationships, and a number of other paradigms borrowed from the culture and systems in the secular workforce.
It also often models and imitates the power structures of government and business, and uses similar titles and roles.
This model of leadership tends to be highly pragmatic. It focuses on how well the church is doing by keeping or increasing the bottom line (nickels and noses, finances, and the number of people attending or involved in groups).
Board eldership: Why and how they're chosen
The people who are nominated or considered for board eldership are often those, who by human standards, are successful, influential, and productive. They are often leaders of local businesses or highly visible in the church community or in the surrounding community. Sometimes they are nominated because of tenure and longevity in the church.
So what’s the problem?
The problem with this kind of leadership is that it looks nothing like what Jesus modeled in the Bible with regard to leadership. This board eldership model also looks very little like the leadership about which both Peter and Paul taught extensively, and worked so hard to put in place in the early church. What is exampled in the Bible is what we call biblical eldership.
Biblical eldership: How it is different
First, I want to point out how biblical eldership looks different than board eldership.
Biblical foundation
Biblical eldership doesn't look to the world around us for a model of leadership, but instead looks to the Bible. It searches the scriptures for examples of how God led his people and how he called for his people to be led by other human beings. How did Jesus lead? What did Jesus teach about leadership? (Refer to Matthew 20:25; Matthew 20:28; John 13:12-17) What did leadership look like in the New Testament and in the early church? (1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:6-9; Acts 20:28-31)
Creating processes for maturing people
Instead of thinking programmatically and asking what programs will meet what people feel like their needs are, biblical eldership looks at the process of spiritual formation and maturity. (Refer to Ephesians 4:11-14; Colossians 1:9-12; 1 Corinthians 3:1; Hebrews 5:12) Biblical eldership assesses how to best help people grow, depending on where they are in their spiritual journey. Instead of keeping customers happy, biblical eldership seeks to bring God joy by taking spiritually dead people through conversion, and then bringing them through the spectrum of spiritual infancy to becoming spiritual parents. Maturity is the goal, not a programmatic menu.
Submission and service
Biblical eldership differs from board eldership in the relational dynamics of power. It is a balanced approach that is characterized by submission and servant leadership. (1 Peter 5:2-3; Philippians 2:1-8) Traditionally, a board eldership leader structure looks much like a pyramid. One unhealthy way this manifests itself is in referring to the pastor as CEO or president. The president sits atop the pyramid, followed by elders who are “under” him and are treated like assistant pastors. The other unhealthy way this can look is where the pyramid is upside down and the elders are the top of the pyramid, followed by the congregation, with the paid pastors on the bottom, trying to meet everyone's needs.
The healthy picture that Jesus gave us and that the New Testament reinforces is one where Jesus is the tip of the pyramid (Ephesians 4:15), followed by the eldership of equals. The “lay elders” partner with the paid elders and pastoral staff to equip the rest of the church to serve Jesus and not seek to be served. Biblical eldership is pastoral servant leadership. I'll explain pastoral leadership in another post, so let me unpack servant leadership here in this post.
Servant leadership looks at the people gathered around a table and says “How can I help? How can I use the gifts and talents that I have been given by Jesus to serve those who I lead and help them to become servants of Jesus?” Servant leadership doesn't seek to enforce from above, it seeks to empower by coming alongside. This kind of leadership also recognizes that Jesus has gifted some with leadership, and even as a church leader, they are willing to follow their fellow leader. Servant leadership for those with gifts of leadership also follow the example of Jesus when they practice submission. Leaders among elders submit to the leadership of the whole group of elders.
Giving people a picture of God
Biblical eldership is a human picture of the Trinity; each person of the Godhead fulfilling their distinct roles, yet each submitting to one another. Biblical eldership is a community of equals who submit to each other, yet follow the will of the Father.
Biblical elders are focused on kingdom priorities
Unlike the pragmatism of board elders, which are focused on measuring the health and success of the church by finances, attendance, and busyness of people serving, biblical elders measure success the way Jesus did. Are people accepting Jesus as king? Do people seem to be living like Jesus is king? Is our congregation focused on inviting others into the kingdom? Are people repenting? Are the hurting finding comfort? Is there evidence of the fruit of the Holy Spirit in our congregation’s lives? Are they sharing the gospel? What are their motivations for serving? These are the questions that go beyond whether someone is simply attending and spectating. These questions try to determine whether they are growing and becoming disciples. Yes, bills need to be paid and budgets need to be figured, but these aspects are not the primary focus of why Jesus came to earth and established the Church.
The criteria for becoming a biblical elder
New elders in the Bible are often appointed not because they are successful, or because they get things done, or even because they've been part of the church for a long time. Instead, biblical elders are appointed or nominated because they have Christ-like character and are feeling called to serve God's people through their leadership. They are committed to giving the time, talent, and resources to be of service to God’s kingdom. (Refer to Titus 1:5-9; 1 Timothy 3:1-7) In the Bible, new elders are almost always people who have a proven track record of service. They have a good reputation for living in a way the honors Jesus. Additionally, they are willing and able to devote the time to really serve, and not just show up to a meeting.
These are the four C's of servant leaders: character, calling, competence, and commitment.
Oh no! My church has a board eldership!
So, if you find yourself reading this post and you are realizing that the church you are part of has more of a board eldership than a biblical eldership, what should you do?
First, do not print this off or forward this post to your elders and tell them that they're doing it all wrong. You don't change the direction or perspective of an eldership that way. Many people are not even aware that there is a biblical model for leadership in the church. There is a stream of thought that says that the message of the gospel stays the same, but the methods and models can change. This stream of thought says that as long as Jesus is preached, we can use the best model to get the message out, even if it's from the business world. That can be true in some areas, except where scripture plainly teaches the message, method, and the model.
Second, pray for your elders. What they are doing is important, incredibly hard, and often times unappreciated. Leading in God's church means being on the front lines and being a target of the evil one. It affects the families of those who are serving the church. Pray for their protection and for their relationship with Jesus. You should pray that they would love God's word and stay anchored in it. Pray that they would be able to hear and discern God's will for their church.
Next, begin the conversation. Invite an elder to lunch. Ask them what it's like to be an elder. You might ask them why they decided to become an elder. You could ask what is most fulfilling or what is most frustrating about being an elder. Ask them how the eldership or leadership of the church came to be the way it is. An interesting question to ask would be what they think needs to change in the church. Ask them if they think the church’s leadership looks like what the Bible says it should look like.
Do it multiple times with multiple elders. Don't be pushy! Be genuinely curious. That's why we start with prayer before we have conversations. If we pray for them, we will grow to love them and care for them, which leads to creating the kind of relationship where change is possible. If you're the kind of person who is reading this material, you might be the kind of person who could potentially be a good biblical elder. I would encourage you to begin studying for yourself what it means to be an elder.
We are currently compiling resources to help train our elders and future elders on how to be a biblical elder. I hope these resources will be helpful to you. If you begin exploring what it means to follow the example of the Bible in how to lead the church, you may be the agent of change that your church needs. You may want to ask an elder if they feel like you could be considered for the eldership, or ask about what training they provide for those feeling called by the Holy Spirit to begin leading in the church.
Finally, be patient. Just like it takes a long time to become transformed by Jesus, it takes a long time to transition an elder board into a biblical eldership. Trust that Jesus is at workthat Jesus is at work, even when it gets frustrating. As hard as it can be, it is completely worth the effort.
So, tell me, what questions do you have?
