Eldership - Leaders of the Ekklesia
Elders in the Church: Appointment, Qualifications, and Setting Things Right In Acts 14:23 we read that in every church, elders were appointed, and after prayer and fasting they were commended to the Lord in whom they had believed. Paul left Titus in Crete so that he could "set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders in every city as I directed you." (Titus 1:5) The Problems They Faced The early churches faced real problems. Paul describes "many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision. They must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole households by teaching for shameful gain what they ought not to teach." (Titus 1:10-11) Paul even quotes a prophet of Crete, "One of their own prophets said, 'Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.'" and he affirms that this testimony is true. (Titus 1:12-13) These problems needed to be set right, and the elders' role was not merely a title. It...