It’s been fun watching our fledging church spread her wings. Even
though our preaching elder continually improves in the presentation of the
message, I haven’t detected people trying to put him on a pedestal. It may be
that the majority of our membership is the type who’s older and more mature in
the Word and knows better than to pedestal men. Personally I see a preacher
with a humble spirit who is just one of our number and is wise enough to be
afraid of heights.
1 comment:
Gail;
-----I notice you often refer to your preacher as a “preaching elder”. Paul lists these gifts of men God has given for the building up of the saints as apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers (Eph 4:11) without mentioning any eldership affinity about them. The same lack of affinity can be noted at Rom 10:14, “And how are they to hear without a preacher?” Paul often refers to himself as preaching. But he never refers to himself as an elder. Moreover, there is no direct indication in the Word that he was specifically an elder.
-----The Greek expression behind Rom 10:14 and Paul’s references to his preaching is the concept of proclaiming and publishing a message. But the Greek behind Ephesians 4:11 is shepherd, and it is most often translated as shepherd rather than pastor. Nowhere in the New Testament are either of these terms expressly tied to elders.
-----From where then does this idea of a preaching elder come? Paul applied the Law of Moses, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it is treading out the grain,” to the needs of preachers and pastors rightly being met by those they are benefiting (I Cor 9:8-10). He implied it again in writing, “Let him who is taught the word share all good things with him who teaches,” at Gal 6:6. The frame of mind for paying preachers and pastors developed very early in the church, since God’s Word strongly indicates its propriety. So when Paul writes Timothy, “Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching; for the scripture says, ‘You shall not muzzle an ox when it is treading out the grain,’ and, ‘The laborer deserves his wages,’” (I Tim 5:17-18) the conceptual connection between paying preachers and preachers being elders is double underscored, even though at I Tim 5:17 Paul used neither the Greek term for “preach” nor “pastor”, but rather a metaphor of laboring in the word.
-----So some denominations deliberately exclude preachers from the eldership, and others deliberately include them. I appreciate your references to your preacher being that of a preaching elder because being that puts him upon a proper pedestal. Let me call it pedestal B, because it is not pedestal A upon which people tend to place a preacher, or upon which a preacher may try to mount himself. Pedestal A is that place of attention, whether given or drawn, to personage. It is where a person enjoys much respect and honor because of position. Pedestal B is entirely different.
-----Paul gave us careful instructions about the recognizable characteristics of eldership material. We don’t drill deep enough into these characteristics when selecting elders, partly because there are so few men who deeply exhibit them. Your preaching elder does. All preachers should. So he is unavoidably on pedestal B because upon pedestal B are those characteristics which he has. “So I exhort the elders among you...tend the flock of God that is your charge...being examples to the flock.” (I Pet 5:1&2&3) Pedestal B is the pedestal of character, not personage, the pedestal from which example effects, not the pedestal to which pride accumulates. Good for your preaching elder! Better for you and those to whom he humbly demonstrates!
Love you all,
Steve Corey
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