Plurality of Elders in the Ekklesia

Folks, there is a big difference between the 'church' that we are perpetuating all over the lands, and the Ekklesia of God. Our 'churches' fall short on many points, and bulge out with big ugly fat rolls on the others.

But the Good News is: Jesus died to make it possible for us to be His Ekklesia; He rose from the grave to seal and certify it, and when He left He sent us the Holy Spirit to empower us to be His Ekklesia. So we aren't doing it, but we know that we can because it is the will of God.

As our good friend the departed believer J.T. Spinks used to say, "HAL-LEEE-LU-YAH!"

Now if you were excited about the entry informing you that there is actually no such word as 'church' in the scriptures, you should be tickled to learn that there is no such thing as a 'Pastor' in the New Testament either.

OK, well, I will admit to a certain amount of sleight-of-tongue here: there's no such thing as a 'Pastor' such as you think about when you hear that word. Nowhere in the NT scriptures will you find a one-man-clerical-type-head-of-the-church-the-guy-you-think-about-on-pastor-appreciation-day-Pastor-of-the-church. It just isn't in there. In fact, the whole reason we have a Pastor Appreciation Day to begin with is that our 'churches' are placing a burden upon one man that was meant to be borne by several. Though we disobediently call him by many names: 'Pastor', 'Reverend', 'Preacher', 'Bishop', 'Father', etc., etc., this concept is such a central pillar of the 'church' that we all assume its natural presence in the NT. I couldn't tell you how many preachers I have heard preaching about 'Preachers' in the NT. But it just plain isn't there.

The word 'pastor' itself occurs only one time in the English translations, in Eph 4: 11 "And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers." The Greek word translated 'pastor' in "pastors and teachers" (and that's one office, not two) is used around 14 other times in the NT, but elsewhere it is always translated 'shepherd'. As is made clear by a thorough survey of the NT, this term 'shepherd', regarding the office of the shepherd in the ekklesia is synonymous with the NT terms 'overseer' and 'elder'.

Now 'overseer' is sometimes translated as 'bishop', but 'bishop' is actually a rather poor choice of translation for 'overseer' because it carries post-NT clerical implications that simply did not exist in the NT. In the NT ekklesia, the ekklesias were led by teams of elders, sometimes also referred to as 'shepherds' or as 'overseers'. (To see the interchangeability of these terms see 1Peter 5:1-5. To see the plurality of this office see Acts 14:23, Acts 20:17, 1Tim 5:17, and Titus 1:5)

The difference is simply this: think of your own 'pastor', or one that you have known, preferably a commendable example. Now, imagine your 'church' with three, four, or five of those. Only, nobody is now the 'Pastor', they are all elders, and nobody is called 'Pastor', or 'Dr.' or any other pretentious titles. They all share the responsibilities, and they all work to understand the scriptures, to encourage the members of your 'church' in scriptural teaching, and to resolve issues of conflict and discipline when necessary.

So if you haven't already struck through every usage of the word 'church' in your Bible and replaced it with 'ekklesia' now is the time to start: it really will make a difference in how you look at Christ's Body. And while you are doing that, strike through every usage of the word 'bishop' and replace it with 'overseer'.

Yes I know, this is so far outside the normative model of the past, say, five to fifteen-hundred years or so, that if you have never considered the concept it is hard to wrap your mind around no matter how compelling the idea may (or may not) be to you. But it is the Biblical norm, and it is the way that Jesus himself intended us to do it. A host of questions may come to mind if you are seriously considering what I am writing here, and I will do my best to answer these as long as they are at least half genuine.

Take a look at all our 'church' structure that differs from this: those are all "seeds that My Father hasn't planted." Which makes them weeds. Which makes them 'in the way' of the real crop he sowed, and wasting valuable nutrients and space.

But we, through the power of the Holy Spirit, can walk away from it. Luther didn't, but we can. Calvin didn't, but we can. Knox didn't, but we can. Whitfield didn't, but we can. Spurgeon didn't, but we can. Moody didn't, but we can. Graham didn't, but we can. And Joel Osteen sure hasn't, but we can.

He's been waiting on us all along...