Congregational Church Government and Baptist Polity — Unit 4: The Pastor/Elder: Qualifications, Calling, Ordination, and Plurality Debates

Key Verse

"Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood." (Acts 20:28, NKJV)

Learning Objectives

When you finish this unit, you should be able to:

1. Explain why "elder," "overseer" and "pastor" name one office, and answer the episcopal view of Timothy and Titus.

2. List the qualifications of a pastor from 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1, and state the main Baptist views on "the husband of one wife."

3. Describe the call to the ministry, the church's part in the call, and Baptist practice in ordination.

4. Explain the debate between one pastor and a plurality of elders, and state a Baptist way to hold the two together.

5. State the main conservative Baptist view that the pastoral office is reserved to men, describe fairly the view of Baptists who ordain women, and affirm the wide service of women in the church.

One Office, Several Names

The New Testament uses three words for the men who lead a local church. Presbuteros is translated "elder." Episkopos is translated "overseer" or, in older versions, "bishop." The verb poimaino means "to shepherd," and the related noun poimen means "shepherd" or "pastor."

These words describe the same men. In Acts 20:17 Paul called the "elders" of the church at Ephesus. He then told them that the Holy Spirit had made them "overseers" and told them to "shepherd" the church (Acts 20:28). One group of men has all three names. In Titus 1:5 Paul tells Titus to appoint "elders" in every city, and in verse 7 he gives the qualifications of "a bishop." Peter writes to the "elders" to shepherd the flock, "serving as overseers" (1 Peter 5:1-2). The Lord gives "pastors and teachers" to the church (Ephesians 4:11).

So when this course says "pastor," it means an elder or overseer of a local church, who shepherds the flock by teaching, leading and caring for it. Baptists most often use the word "pastor." The Baptist Faith and Message (2000) names pastors and deacons as the church's two offices, and the Second London Confession (1689) and the New Hampshire Confession (1833) name the same two.

The episcopal objection

Episcopal churches teach a threefold ministry of bishops, presbyters and deacons, with bishops as successors of the apostles. They point to Timothy at Ephesus and Titus in Crete, who seem to hold authority over elders. They point also to Ignatius of Antioch and other early second-century writers, who speak of one bishop in each city.

Our answer. The New Testament does not use "bishop" and "elder" for different ranks, as the passages above show. Timothy and Titus were delegates of the apostle, sent for a time to set things in order, and Paul told Timothy to hand the work on to faithful men (2 Timothy 2:2). Neither is called bishop of a city. A pattern that appears after the apostles, however early, is not a command of Scripture. We honor the early writers, but we are bound by the apostolic writings.

The Qualifications of a Pastor

Paul begins with an encouragement: "This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work" (1 Timothy 3:1). He then lists the qualifications in 1 Timothy 3:2-7 and Titus 1:5-9. We may gather them in four groups.

Personal character. He must be above reproach, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, gentle and not violent, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money, and not given to wine.

Character in the home. He must be "the husband of one wife" and must rule his own house well, for "if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?" (1 Timothy 3:4-5). Titus 1:6 speaks of children who believe and are not accused of wildness.

Character before others. He must be hospitable and have a good testimony among outsiders (1 Timothy 3:2, 7).

Maturity and teaching. He must not be a new convert, lest he become proud (1 Timothy 3:6). He must be "able to teach" (1 Timothy 3:2) and hold fast the faithful word, so that he can exhort by sound doctrine and answer those who contradict (Titus 1:9).

Notice how few of these concern talent. Only "able to teach" names a gift, and the rest describe character. A gifted man whose life is not in order should not be a pastor.

The phrase "husband of one wife"

Baptists understand this phrase in three ways, and a pastor should know them.

• It forbids polygamy, which was possible in the first-century world.

• It excludes a man who has been divorced and remarried, or at least divorced on unbiblical grounds, since the standard for a pastor is higher than for others.

• It describes a faithful, one-woman husband. It is a test of character, not a bar against every man who has been widowed, divorced or remarried.

Baptist churches reach different conclusions, and each congregation must decide with Scripture, prayer and compassion for persons in hard situations, while keeping the honor of the office.

The Call to the Ministry

Baptists speak of two parts of the call, and then a third step.

The inward call. It is a settled desire for the work (1 Timothy 3:1), a sense of God's leading, and the gifts the Lord gives to equip His shepherds (Ephesians 4:11-12). Charles Spurgeon discussed the call at length in Lectures to My Students.

The outward call. The church confirms what the Lord has begun. At Antioch the Holy Spirit spoke while the church was worshiping, and the church fasted, prayed, laid hands on Barnabas and Saul and sent them out (Acts 13:2-3). A man who feels called but is confirmed by no one who knows him should ask whether he has heard rightly.

The church's call. In Baptist life a local church "calls" a man to be its pastor. It does not "hire" him. A pastor-search committee may pray, interview and recommend, but the congregation votes.

Ordination

In Baptist usage, ordination is the church's public recognition and setting apart of a man for ministry. The New Testament shows prayer and the laying on of hands for the seven (Acts 6:6) and for Barnabas and Saul (Acts 13:3). Paul speaks of a gift given to Timothy "by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership" (1 Timothy 4:14), and warns him not to lay hands on anyone hastily (1 Timothy 5:22). Baptists draw three lessons.

First, the local church ordains. It is not the gift of a bishop or a denomination. The Second London Confession (1689) teaches that officers are chosen by the church and set apart with prayer and, usually, the laying on of hands of the elders. Many churches invite pastors of neighboring churches to form an ordination council, which examines the candidate's call, character and doctrine and then advises the church. The council advises, and the church acts.

Second, ordination gives no special grace and creates no priestly class. We hold the priesthood of all believers (1 Peter 2:9). Ordination recognizes what God has already done in the man. For this reason Baptists reject apostolic succession, the teaching that authority passes in an unbroken line from the apostles through bishops.

Third, ordination is a public and solemn act. It tells the congregation and the world that this man is recognized as fit to preach and lead, and it reminds him of the weight of his charge (Hebrews 13:17).

One Pastor or Many Elders?

When the New Testament speaks of local churches it uses "elders" in the plural. Paul and Barnabas appointed elders in every church (Acts 14:23). Paul called the elders of Ephesus (Acts 20:17), greeted the overseers and deacons at Philippi (Philippians 1:1), and James told the sick to call the elders of the church (James 5:14). This is the strongest case for a plurality.

On the other side, some Baptists note that the New Testament never says how many elders a church had, and that a small church may have only one man fit for the work. Some also take "the angel" of each church in Revelation 2 and 3 to mean the pastor, though that meaning is debated. They point to the long Baptist custom of one pastor and a board of deacons.

The history is mixed. Many early English Baptist churches had several elders. In much of American Baptist life, one pastor with deacons became usual. Today some Baptists, particularly Reformed Baptists, have returned to a plurality of elders. The Baptist Faith and Message (2000) speaks of pastors and deacons and so allows several arrangements.

A Baptist way to hold these together. We believe the New Testament pattern is shared leadership, and no man should carry the whole burden alone. A church with one qualified pastor is not out of order, but it should pray for and train other qualified men to share teaching and shepherding, and some may in time be recognized as elders. Where there are several, one is often the preaching pastor and the others are fellow shepherds, and none lords it over the rest.

A second question is how elders relate to the congregation. Some hold that elders rule and the congregation only affirms. We hold, as Unit 2 showed, that elders lead by teaching and example and that final human authority remains with the congregation. A plurality of elders serves the congregation and does not replace it.

The Pastoral Office and the Ministry of Women

Baptists are not all agreed here, and we state both positions with care.

The main conservative Baptist view

Most conservative Baptist bodies, including the Southern Baptist Convention in the Baptist Faith and Message (2000), teach that men and women are both gifted for service in the church and that the office of pastor is limited to men as qualified by Scripture. This course teaches it as the main view of the tradition.

The reasons are these. First, the qualifications speak of "the husband of one wife" (1 Timothy 3:2; Titus 1:6). Second, Paul writes, "And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence" (1 Timothy 2:12), and he roots this in creation: "For Adam was formed first, then Eve" (1 Timothy 2:13). Third, the apostles Christ chose were men, and every named elder in the New Testament is a man. Those who hold this view teach that men and women are equal in worth, in salvation and in the gifts of the Spirit, since both bear God's image (Genesis 1:27), and that God has given them different roles in the home and the church. They are often called complementarian.

Baptists who ordain women

Some Baptist bodies and many Baptist churches ordain women as pastors. These include the American Baptist Churches USA, the Baptist Union of Great Britain and many churches related to the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, formed in 1991. Many of them hold the authority of Scripture firmly, and their reasons deserve a fair hearing.

They point to Galatians 3:28, where in Christ there is "neither male nor female." They point to women the Bible honors: Deborah, a judge in Israel (Judges 4-5); Phoebe, a servant of the church at Cenchrea (Romans 16:1); Priscilla, who with her husband taught Apollos (Acts 18:26); and Junia, greeted in Romans 16:7 as "of note among the apostles." They say 1 Timothy 2 answers a particular situation in Ephesus where false teaching was spreading, and that the Spirit gives gifts without regard to sex (1 Corinthians 12:7-11). They add that soul liberty lets each church follow its conscience.

Our answer

We answer with respect. Galatians 3:28 teaches that men and women stand on equal ground before God in salvation. It does not remove the distinctions in home and church that the same apostle teaches elsewhere. Deborah served in a special time, and her case does not say who holds the office of elder in the church. Priscilla and Aquila explained the way of God to Apollos privately (Acts 18:26), and nothing there shows she held a pastoral office. Phoebe is called diakonos, a word meaning "servant" or "deacon," and we return to her in Unit 9. Romans 16:7 is debated among scholars: Junia and Andronicus may have been apostles, or well known to the apostles, and neither reading shows a pastoral office. As for 1 Timothy 2, Paul's appeal to Adam and Eve points beyond local custom to the way God made us.

Baptist autonomy means each church decides this for itself. We hold our view because we believe Scripture teaches it, and we do not call a brother or a church unfaithful merely for reading these texts differently.

The wide service of women

This view does not shut women out of ministry, and the Baptist movement could not have grown without women. Lottie Moon served in China and called Baptists to give to missions, and Annie Armstrong helped found the Woman's Missionary Union in 1888. Women teach children, youth and other women (Titus 2:3-4), lead in prayer and music, counsel and visit, and serve in missions. Philip's four daughters prophesied (Acts 21:9), and women prayed and prophesied in the church (1 Corinthians 11:5). Unit 9 treats the deaconess question. A church holding the view of this section should look for every way to use women's gifts.

Pastoral Application

The pastor of a small church in Jalisco has taught the Bible for many years. Rosa has led the women's ministry for ten years and teaches an adult Bible class that is well loved. A visitor from another church says to her, "Why are you not the pastor? You teach better than the men." Rosa is troubled and goes to her pastor.

The pastor first thanks her and tells her plainly that her gifts are from the Lord for the church. Second, he explains the church's view from 1 Timothy 2 and 3 without shame or sarcasm, and shows that other Baptists hold a different view and love the Lord. Third, he looks for ways to widen her ministry within the church's convictions: teaching, discipling women, leading missions and training teachers. Fourth, he does not allow the church to treat her as less than a sister in Christ. Finally, he asks how he himself can share more of his own ministry with other qualified men, to serve the flock and to raise up elders.

Summary

The New Testament uses "elder," "overseer" and "pastor" for one office, and Timothy and Titus were not bishops of cities. The qualifications in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 stress character, with "able to teach" the one named gift, and Baptists hold different views on "husband of one wife." A man is called by God with desire and gifts, the church confirms the call, and a church calls him to serve. Ordination is the local church's recognition, with the advice of other pastors, and gives no priestly grace. The New Testament speaks of elders in the plural, and we favor shared leadership while leaving final authority with the congregation. Most conservative Baptists reserve the pastoral office to men, as the Baptist Faith and Message (2000) teaches, while some Baptist bodies ordain women. Both are to be heard fairly, and all Baptists should honor and use the many gifts of women.

Further Reading

• The Second London Confession (1689), chapter 26; the New Hampshire Confession (1833); the Baptist Faith and Message (2000), article on the church.

• J. M. Pendleton, Church Manual (1867).

• J. L. Dagg, Manual of Church Order (1858).

• C. H. Spurgeon, Lectures to My Students, on the call to ministry and the pastor's life.

• James Leo Garrett Jr., Baptist Theology (2009).

• Course 5 of this specialization, on the life and work of the pastor.

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