It is evident from New Testament Scriptures that the office of elder was
not one of the set ministries of the Church, nor included in the
ministry gifts as recorded in 1 Corinthians 12:28 or Ephesians 4:11.
The office of elder in the early Christian Church had apparently
originated from the Jewish synagogue system and the pagan guilds (see
Matthews 27:1, 3, 12, 20). One of the problems that confronted the
apostles when preaching the Gospel was that it brought about the
establishment of many new churches in widely separated areas and
particularly among the Gentiles and that there were not sufficient
called, trained and capable ministers. The practice consequently arose
of appointing elders or overseers in each of these churches, and always
more than one in every church (Acts 14:23). In the absence of higher
church officials, a certain degree of authority and ministerial
responsibility was delegated to them. This was necessary owing to
circumstances, but it is clear that the Holy Spirit honoured such
appointments by, in certain instances, confirming the initial
appointment of such elders and divinely appointing some to become
pastors or shepherds of the Church. Compare Acts 20:17 to 20:28 and
Titus 1:5 to 1:7. Consequently the Church today recognizes elders in the
body of Christ as being spiritual men of administrative and instructive
ability, being appointed in their office by the higher Church officers,
as and when the need arises dictated by local circumstances.
Download manual