Elders are not to lord over the church, but be examples to the flock (1 Pet. 5:3). Since example implies a template for others to follow, elders should model the life that characterizes godly community. What pastors long to see among the body, in other words, must be evident among the elders.

A recent visitor seemed surprised by our church’s practice of elder plurality. He attended weekly gatherings, membership classes taught by elders, and witnessed different men preaching, teaching, and shepherding.

When cancer treatment forced a four-month isolation from the senior pastor role I’ve held for 32 years, he watched the church continue to worship, proclaim the Word, serve, and do missions with me nowhere in sight. He realized the elders function quite well without me directing traffic.

Equality among elders sounded nice, he’d been told, but it doesn’t really exist.

And it certainly doesn’t exist where dysfunctional elders are characterized by disunity and inequality. But humble men serving in plurality—the New Testament model—strive to make plurality completely functional. Anything less betrays the Christlike example Scripture calls for in elders.

God-Appointed Templates

Pastors expect the congregation to evidence unity as those who demonstrate “deep affection toward one another in brotherly love; [who are] outdoing one another in giving honor” (Rom. 12:10; my trans.). This happens when the church is “of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose . . . with humility of mind regard[ing] one another as more important than yourselves” (Phil. 2:2–3).

While unity should be true in the larger body, it starts with the elders. Elders are not to lord over the church, but be examples to the flock (1 Pet. 5:3). Since example implies a template for others to follow, elders should model the life that characterizes godly community. What pastors long to see among the body, in other words, must be evident among the elders.

Sin can slip in among elders, however, and causes them to struggle for unity: pride in position and abilities, longing for recognition and praise, exaggerated view of usefulness, the misuse of authority, and more. When elders give way to these sins they use biting words, demonstrate attitudes of superiority, abuse authority, and show disdain for others. The beauty of equality and unity disintegrates.

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