stephen R Harrison

The Bible has a lot to say about elders in the local church. The New Testament contains about a dozen Scriptures. For this elder training workbook, we will specifically review some of the major verses about elders in the New Testament.  

This section will provide a brief overview of the major biblical texts concerning elders in the New Testament. In the sections to follow, some of these Scriptures and several others not mentioned here will be examined more thoroughly to discern the elder’s qualifications, roles, and character. 

1 Timothy 3:1-7

“Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task. Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full respect. (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?) He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.”

Paul also instructed pastor Timothy about elders in the local church. These instructions are similar to those found in Titus 1:5-9. An elder’s character in Christ should be exemplary as they model Christlikeness to the church body. 

Discussion Questions:

1. Is there a difference between aspiring and desiring eldership?
2. Do you desire to be an elder? How do you know? How would someone else know?
3. How are you aspiring to be an elder?
4. What are the motives of your desire and aspirations toward eldership?
5. How are Paul’s instructions in 1 Timothy and Titus similar? How are they different?
6. Underline each qualification Paul lists for eldership.
7. Paul mentions the devil twice in this passage. How serious are these references?

Titus 1:5-9

 ^“The reason I left you in Crete was that you might put in order what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you. An elder must be blameless, faithful to his wife, a man whose children believeand are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. Since an overseer manages God’s household, he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. Rather, he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.”

In this Scripture, the Apostle Paul is writing to Titus, the pastor of the church in Ephesus, about elders. The appointment of elders in every local town with a church was vital to the success and effectiveness of that church’s ministry. While Paul may have appointed some elders in the towns around Crete, the Scripture indicates that Titus’ task was to appoint elders under Paul’s apostolic direction. 

Discussion Questions:

1. Why do you think it was important for Titus to appoint elders in every town?
2. If Titus were to appoint the elders, what qualifications would he use to select them?
3. From the list of pre-qualifications, which do you think are the top three?
4. From the list, which do you believe are your strengths?
5. Which ones are you weak in?
6. When it came to sound doctrine (v. 9), Paul described it to Titus very vividly. 
7. What does “hold firmly” mean?
8. What does “trustworthy message” mean?
9. What does “as it has been taught” mean?