How to Recognize Elders

Who can be an elder (pastor)?

Men. It sounds chauvinistic in our enlightened and gender-liberated culture to say that only men can be elders (pastors), but the biblical prescription is both clear and logical (1 Timothy 2:12-15). The Bible roots male/female equality in the fact that both bear God’s image (Genesis 1:26-28). Nevertheless, the man and the woman have distinct roles (Genesis 2:15-25). The man is to lead, protect and provide, and the woman is to follow the man’s leadership and help him, thereby fulfilling their God-given vocations (Genesis 2:18). It is not accidental that this very pattern of male leadership, protection and provision is called for in the church. The practice of male elders/pastors in the church serves to instruct and model God’s pattern of manhood and womanhood ordained in creation.

How to Recognize Elders | 9Marks