Elder Qualifications Retrospectively

A study of qualifications (Apostle, Daily Ministration, Elder, Deacon, Widows in Deed), reveal that the respective qualifications are applicable to the specific work being qualified for.

For instance the qualification for an Apostle was that the individual had to have been in the company of Jesus from the time Jesus was baptized until the time he ascended into Heaven. Undoubtedly he had to have other attributes as well but this was the distinctive one as related to the work of an Apostle, i.e., he was to give personal testimony about Jesus Christ.

So then, when we consider Elder qualifications they should be interpreted as how they impact the Elder’s “work”. For instance most of the Elder qualifications relate to his character. That’s relevant to his work because according to Eph. 4 he is to help Christians grow into the very image of Jesus Christ. He cannot do that unless he has first done it in his own personal life.

In addition, the man must be the husband of one wife. Why? Because the marital relationship mimics the relationship between Christians. In marriage the two become one flesh by mutual sacrifice and subjection. That’s the same process in becoming “married” to Jesus Christ, individually and collectively (Eph. 5). If the Elder hasn’t experienced that process in his own marriage then he is scarcely qualified to instruct others in the spiritual marriage process.

The man must have children and have successfully parented them. Fathers don’t give up on their children. Like the father of the Prodigal son, he may not tolerate bad behavior but he is always ready to forgive and restore. In a congregation of believers sometimes it is easier to just get rid of an unruly member but a “father” works to the best of his ability to correct an unruly son. Job prayed for his children and sacrificed for them just in case they might have sinned. Imagine what it would be like to have an Elder in a congregation who expressed genuine care in the same manner.

Qualifications are germane to the work of an Elder and should be studied in that light. First let’s understand how God wants his Elders to work within the church and then perhaps we can understand the qualifications better.