The Elders Handbook
Edited b=
y
This Handbook was initially published=
for
churches registered as "Brethren Assembly Fellowship,
First En=
glish
and Kiswahili Edition, 2006
Second
expanded English Edition 2006
Spanish
Edition 2006
Publishe=
d by 'Assembly Aid Abroad'
Email
E-mail c=
opies
of this 'Elders Handbook' are available on request and may be translated by
permission into other languages, but please first contact the Editor.
We also =
highly
recommend Bible Correspondence Study Courses available from:
Emmaus Correspondence School
(A division of ECS Ministries)
www.ecsministries.org E-mail: ecsinfo@ecsministries.org
Table of contents
&nb=
sp; =
Introduction
Chapter 1. What
We Believe
Chapter 2. Impor=
tance
of the Word of God
Chapter 3. What is
the Church?
Chapter 4. Functioning
of local churches
Chapter 5. Leadership
of local churches
Chapter 6. Support
for Evangelists and Teachers
Chapter 7. Evangelism
and church planting
Introduction to the First Edition
This handbook has been prepared as a guide for Elders (and Bible Teachers) as they seek to lead and teach the local church in the patt= ern set forth in the Word of God.
Teaching and shepherding the flock is a work especially dea=
r to
the heart of our Lord Jesus Christ who charged the elders at
“Therefore ta=
ke
heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has ma=
de
you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own
blood” (Acts 20:28).
Shepherding the flock also has its own special reward, for = the apostle Peter said to Elders:
“…when = the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not f= ade away” (1 Peter 5:4).
All quotations are from the New King James Versio= n of the Holy Bible.
Chapter =
1
What We Believe
We believe in:
[1] The Bible as the
inspired Word of God, our sole authority for doctrine and practice.
[2] The Trinity of the
Godhead.
[3] The Deity and sin=
less
humanity of our Lord Jesus Christ.
[4] The personality a=
nd
Deity of the Holy Spirit.
[5] The creation and =
fall
of man.
[6] The sacrificial d=
eath
of our Lord Jesus Christ for the sin of the whole world and His bodily
resurrection and ascension.
[7] The personal and
pre-millennial return of our Lord Jesus Christ.
[8] The resurrection =
of the
body.
[9] The judgment of t=
he
living and the dead by the Lord Jesus Christ.
[10] The eternal
blessedness of the righteous and the eternal punishment of the wicked.
[11] The reality and
personality of Satan, who was created by God, but fell through pride.
[12] The necessity of=
the
new birth for salvation.
[13] The maintenance =
of
good works and godly living by all professing Christians.
[14] The eternal secu=
rity
of the believer.
[15] The baptism by
immersion of all believers.
[16] That Apostles and Prophets belonged to the foundation period of the Church and they and their special gifts of miracles, healings and tongues are no longer with us today, since we have t= he completed Scriptures. However, we believe that if God so wills, He still he= als in answer to prayer.
[17] A plurality of E=
lders
as the spiritual guides of the local church, supported by Deacons.
[18] The observance of the LordR=
17;s
Supper every Sunday, with meetings also for prayer and teaching.
[19] In the local church, men and women have
differing roles and functions. Men are to fill leadership roles and lead in=
all
public ministry and prayer. In meetings of the local church, men should pray
with heads uncovered, women with heads covered, to signify Christ’s
headship.
[20] All members of the body of Christ (the
Church) should be received until such time as they find they are unable to
support the teaching as outlined in this Elders Handbook.
[21] We believe in the autonomy of e= ach local church
[22] A more detailed outline of these belie= fs and practices are found in the Emmaus Bible Correspondence Course 'Christ Loved the Church' by Willi= am Macdonald.
Chapter =
2.
The Importance of the Word of God
Elders and Bible Teachers need an understanding that
God’s Word is to be faithfully taught
and obeyed. The following Bible
references teach that all Scriptur=
e:
- Is inspired by God (2 Timoth=
y
- Is everlasting and will never pa=
ss
away (Matthew 24:35)
- Is powerful, discerning and sear=
ching
(Hebrews 4:12-13)
- Is more necessary than bread (Matthew
4:4)
- Cleanses and is life changing (Psalm 119:9: 1 Peter 2:1-3)
- Sanctifies =
positionally
and personally (Acts
- We need ears to hear and a heart to obey (Matthew 13:=
9-17;
1 Samuel
All believers should have a great reverence for the Bible, = as it is God's Word to guide us in all areas of our life and faith. It teaches= us the way to heaven and how to please the Lord. King Saul lost his kingdom and his life because he rejected God's directions and failed to obey the Word of the Lord:
Samuel said to King Saul: "Has
the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying =
the
voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed th=
an
the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornnes=
s is
as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He
also has rejected you from being king" (1 Sam
The Word of God equips elders for their special ministry (2=
Tim.
“And now, bre= thren, I commend you to God and to the wo= rd of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance am= ong all those who are sanctified” (Acts 20:32).
C=
hapter
3.
<=
span
style=3D'font-size:14.0pt'>What is the Church?
The Church is first mentioned by our Lord in Matthew 16:18. It is not found in the Old Testament, for Paul wrote: "…how that by revelation He= made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, by which, when = you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), which in o= ther ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by = the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets" (Eph 3:3-5).
Elders need an understanding of God’s program =
and
the believer's place in it. The Old Testament is mainly a history of creati=
on
and of the origin and destiny of the nation of
After the Church has been caught up to heaven ('Raptured' 1 Thess. 4:13-1=
8), God
will bring
During the 1000 rear
(millennial) reign of Christ,
Please note=
: The
nation of
The Church Universal (Matthew
Please note=
: In
contrast to
So the church is not under the Law of Moses, but und=
er
grace, for "grace and truth ca=
me by
Jesus Christ". The Church is first mentioned by the Lord Jesus, and
was still in the future when He said, “I
will build My church”, not "I have
been building My Church" (read Matthew
Before He could form the Church, our Lord had to die= for the sins of the whole world, be buried in a rock-cut tomb, rise again the t= hird day and ascend back to heaven.
The Father revealed to Peter that the Lord Jesus was=
the
promised 'Christ' (O.T. 'Messiah', the Anointed
One of Psalm 2:2). Peter’s faith was now resting in Him. Jesus sa=
id “…and you are Peter ('=
Petros'
-meaning ‘a small stone’)…and
on this rock ('
Jesus had promised to pray the Father to send the Ho=
ly
Spirit to dwell ‘in’ His
disciples (John
We call this Church the ‘
The
This is first mentioned by Jesus in Matthew 18:17. T= he book of Acts teaches that when people were saved they were gathered togethe= r in local churches. All believers should seek to meet with a Bible believing church. Matthew Chapter 18 is the teaching Jesus gave preparing the discipl= es for the time when local churches would be formed. Note these points from th= is chapter about the local church:
· It’s members should be converted, not unsaved as in many churches today (18:1-4)
· It should receive those whom the Lord has received except in some special cases (18:5, 15-18)
· Church members should not stumble or lead in= to sin those who are His (18:6-9)
·
And should not despise another believer (
· It should be a place where sin is not tolera= ted and where Bible teaching is followed to deal with it; for the local church = has authority to discipline and should so do (18:15-18)
· It should also be a place where there is 'harmony' ('agree'), for then prayer will be answered (18:19)
Jesus said: =
“For
where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the mids=
t of
them” (Matthew
Reception Policy
While churches should receive the Lord’s peopl= e in a loving and caring way (Rom. 14:1; 15:7), they must not be open to receive= any false teaching or problems some people may bring.
It is the responsibility of the elders (and gifted B= ible teachers) to teach in the local church, and the elders should meet with newcomers who have a differing belief to show them the true teaching (Titus 1:5-9). The Bible teaches:
· To take note of and avoid those who cause divisions and offences contrary to the true doctrine (Rom.16:17-18).
· To put away from your fellowship those who a= re immoral, drunkards etc. (1 Cor. 5:9-13).
· To stand fast against legalistic observances (Gal. 5:1-5).
·
To reject after the second admonition a divi=
sive
man (‘heretic’ KJV); that is, anyone who is self-opinionated and
will not be taught or corrected (Titus
We are called into liberty – the liberty to do what is biblically right. However, this is not the license to do what we pl= ease contrary to God’s Word. A driver’s licence gives us the liberty to d= rive a car, but not the license to drive on the wrong side of the road and endanger the lives of other people! It is not 'Christian liberty' to be disobedient = to the Word of God.
“There=
fore, brethren,
stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or
our epistle” (2 Thess.
Chapter =
4.
The Functioning of Local Churches
The book of Acts gives examples
of what these first Christians and churches did – their actions!
The Epistles of Paul, James, Peter and John give individual believers and local churches teach= ing or doctrine on what we should beli= eve and how to live holy lives.
After the Holy Spirit was sent by the Father and the Church=
was
formed (Acts 2:1-4) there were about 120 disciples in
- The apostles’ doctrine (teaching). The apostles simply taught what the Lord had taught them (= Acts 1:1-3) and what He later revealed to them (2 Cor<= /span>. 12:7). This is now found written in the New Testament and it is there = for us to teach and obey as well (Acts 16:4). The Bible is complete, 'perf= ect' (1 Cor. 13:8-10; Jude 3) and nothing is to= be added or taken away from its pages (Rev. 22:18-19).
- Fellowship. This word means
‘things shared in common’. We enjoy together the things of the Lord that we share in common
through faith in Jesus Christ our Lord. We also encourage and support =
one
another along the journey of life. We have been called into this
fellowship and are maintained in it by God Himself (1 Cor.
1:9;
- The breaking of bread. The n=
ight
our Lord was betrayed He told the disciples to do this in remembrance =
of
Himself by partaking of the bread and cup (Luke 22:14-20; 1 Cor. 11:23-34). This was done on the “first day of the week̶=
1;,
the resurrection day (our Sunday) when the local churches met (Acts 20=
:7;
1 Cor. 16:1-2). God began His creation on =
the
first day and ‘finished’ it on the sixth day. When Jesus d=
ied
He said ‘It is finished&=
#8217;
(John
- And prayers. The church bega=
n at a
prayer meeting (Acts
Supplications – why we pray – occasioned by a n= eed felt.
Prayers – to whom we pray – to God in reverence= and faith.
Intercessions – praying for others – we have freedom of access, confidence, holy intimacy of approach to our heavenly Fa= ther and can make all our requests known to Him.
Thanksgivings – reasons to pray - results from prayers answered and needs met.
For all men – for whom to pray - without partiality.<= /p>
These are the meetings of a local chu=
rch
and should be times to enjoy fellowship together.
Meet=
ings of
the church and roles of men and women
When the Lo= rd instituted the Supper, He asked His disciples to "do this in remembrance of Me"". He used the bre= ad and wine of the people among whom He lived. The bread used by churches will therefore vary from country to country.
The wine was
most probably fermented grape juice diluted with water as many believe the
custom of the Jews was at the time. Many poor and isolated tribal peoples h=
ave
no access to this and so a suitable alternative may have to be used.
Before brea= king bread, take time to worship th= e Lord in prayer, by singing suitable hymns and reading and meditating on Bible passages that tell us about Christ.
Any of the = brothers may join in this worship, and not just the elders. The entire congregation = is involved in the worship of God in singing and saying 'Amen'! Men in the chu= rch are free to lead through praise, thanksgiving, prayer, meditation or an exhortation from God's Word befitting to the occasion as led by the Holy Spirit. Being led by the Spirit does not preclude individual preparation. Participation should be orderly, timely, reverent, hon= ouring to God and edifying to the body.
The brothers should lead in the above meetings of the church; the sisters should not tak= e a public part. Principles relating to this are found in 1 Corinthians chapter= s 11 to 14 and in 1 Timothy chapter 2.
The Bible
teaches that in meetings of the church men should have heads uncovered and
women should be covered. The reasons are given in 1 Corinthians 11:1-16:
(a) The headship of Christ and God over women and men.
(b) The original order of the creation of men and women.
(c) Because= the angels are spectators to local church order.
(d) Because= it was the 'custom'', or the 'customary usage' or 'practice' of all the churches in Paul's day, as taught in all churches (1 Corinthians 4:17).
In the home=
and
local church men and women have differing ‘roles’. However, wom=
en
are not inferior to men, for all are “one
in Christ Jesus” (Gal.
While the
husband is the head of the wife and she is to submit to him, he should love=
her
as Christ also loved the church (Eph.
The windows of the church are open to=
the
winds of the world, and elders should resist changes that contradict biblic=
al
teaching, simply coming from a worldly point of view.
Giving
The first Christians also gave an of=
fering
to the Lord on the first day of the week, probably after the breaking of br=
ead
(1 Cor. 16:1-2). This offering can be money or =
food
that can be sold by the church. Giving is an act of worship and we should g=
ive
freely, regularly, cheerfully and proportionately (2 C=
or.
chapters 8 & 9; Hebrews 13:15 -16).
These offerings should be dedicated t=
o and
prayerfully used for the Lord’s work
Chapter =
5.
Leadership of Local Churches
Each local church is autonomous, and is answerable to God alone. In Revelation chapter 1 the Lord Jesus walked among the golden lampstands which represented the seven churches He addressed in chapters 2 and 3. Notice, He did not place one church over another, each was responsible to Him alone.
Apostles and Prophets
The
apostles and prophets belonged to the foundation period of the Church (1
The Lord Himself chose and appointed the apostles (Luke
The prophets also had inspired messages from God because the
believers did not have Bibles. Scrolls of the Old Testament books were rare=
, costly
and bulky and few existed. The first books of the New Testament were not
written for some years after Christ's resurrection and ascension. The book =
of
Revelation written by John about 96 AD completed the canon of Scripture. To=
day
gifted teachers gather and learn from the Word of God and carry on the work=
of
the prophets.
Elders
and Deacons
Each church should have a number of elders as it grows. “Where there is no counsel, the =
people
fall; but in the multitude of counselors there is safety” (Prover=
bs
To these elders he said, “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).
An
elder is one who is spiritually mature,
and the ‘work’ of eld=
ers is
to ‘overseer’ and ‘shepherd’ the flock. These are ‘doing’ and
‘caring’ words! The word ‘overseer’ is translated ‘bishop’ in some old versions and that word has a corr=
upted
meaning today.
The word &#= 8216;overseer’ means to ‘stand in a promine= nt place and oversee the flock’, watching out for good pasture, wate= r, and any danger from wild animals. Elders are to protect the flock from danger, = and feed them from the good pastures of the Word of God. It is the ‘far view’ of caring for the sheep. Note Psalm 23.
The word &#= 8216;shepherd’ means to ‘feed from God̵= 7;s Word with other acts of special care’. It is the ‘near view’ or caring for the flock. Peter uses similar words in 1 Peter 5:= 1-5 to what Paul says in Acts 20:28.
The word &=
#8216;pastor’
is taken from Ephesians
These words were never meant to be used as titles or badges of distinction. Jesus warned against this in Matthew 23:1-11 where He concluded by saying, "And do n= ot be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ” and “He who is greatest among you s= hall be your servant”.
Elders lead
by example and not by force. In this way they gain the respect of the flock=
who
are to esteem them highly and submit to them (1 Peter 5:1-5; 1 Thes.
An elder i=
s one
who is spiritually mature, his gift and work is to oversee and shepherd the
flock.
The deacon= s (meaning 'servants') support the elders in the work of the local church. The qualifications for elders and deacons are found in 1 Timothy chapter 3 and Titus chapter 1. They must have a good testimony in the community and in the church, be of good behaviour having only one wife. The wives of elders and deacons are to be godly women of discretion.
A deacon i=
s one
who supports the elders in the various activities of the local church.
Chapter =
6.
Support for Elders, Evangelists and Teachers
In the New Testament, most elders were men who owned their = own farm, business or worked in some way to support themselves and their own family. We do not find churches in the New Testament with a paid ‘Pastor’ who did most of the preaching and led the church in its worship.
However, we find that some were called in a special way to serve God. Notice that Paul and Barnabas were called by the Holy Spirit and sent by the elders for this sp= ecial ministry (Acts 13:1-4). Later they reported back to the church on the minis= try to which they had been commended (Acts 14:26-27).
Later Timothy joined Paul and Silas in missionary work. He = was well reported of by the brethren in two churches and no doubt had their full commendation (Acts 16:1-5).
All who attempt to serve God in a special way should be cal= led by the Holy Spirit to the work, should be commended by their elders, and sh= ould give regular reports on the work they are doing.
However, elders who
rule well may have special need of extra support if they labour (work very hard) in=
word
and doctrine as this may not leave them much time to earn a living (1 Timot=
hy
How were these first missionaries, evangelists and teachers supported?
Paul worked with his hands to meet his own needs and the ne=
eds
of those who served with him (Acts 18:1-3; 1 Cor.
There were times when he and others received gifts from
churches and Christians (Philippians
Those who are called by the Holy Spirit must look to God and not to men for their needs. He has not promised an easy pathway, in fact tr= ials and tribulations followed our Lord and His apostles. Should we expect less,= and look to man instead of to God?
All churches shoul=
d aim
at becoming self governing, self supporting and self propagating.
Believers should a=
lso
help support the Lord's work and workers
Each elder and all the believers should give to the Lord’s work as able (2 Cor. chapters 8-9). Gaius has left us a good example in this in providing visiting servants of = the Lord with the essentials for travel (3 John 5-8). When attending conference= s or elders meetings, believers should take enough food for themselves and a lit= tle more, or take money to cover this unless advised otherwise by the Conferenc= e organisers. Ask your= self this question: ‘If I stayed home would I have food to eat?’ It = is a sin to expect others to feed us at conferences when we have food at home. A= ll should try to grow a little more food and earn some extra money for this an= d to support the evangelists and teachers, widows and orphans.
Every male in
Elders s=
hould
do and then teach these things to the flock.
=
Chapter
7.
=
Evangelism and Church Planting
Just before the Lord Jesus Christ went back to heave= n, He commanded His disciples saying: = “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and = of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I = have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.= 221; Amen (Mat 28:18-20).
This is called the ‘Great Commission’. T= he book of Acts records that Peter, John, Stephen, Philip, Barnabas, Paul and = many others preached and told others about the Lord. Many were converted and new churches planted. This should be the pattern for us to follow today.
Making disciples means teaching the new believers by word and by example the 'all thing= s' found in God's Word. A disciple is a ‘disciplined one’ who learns to follow and follows to learn. A disciple has conviction about the true teachin= g of God’s Word, and will not depart from it. A disciple has commitment to the Lord and His wa= ys as revealed in God’s word and also to the local church and its activitie= s.
The Lord Jesus commanded that the disciples were to = be baptised= . The word means to 'dip' or 'immerse' and much water is neede= d for this (John 3:23; Acts 8:36-39), because in baptism there is a picture of our burial with Christ into His death and our resurrection with Him into a new = life (Romans ch. 6).
All Christians have a responsibility to live lives t= hat commend the Gospel, and to look for opportunities to tell others about the salvation that is in our Lord Jesus Christ. And this is what the believers = at Thessalonica did: “For from y= ou the word of the Lord sounded forth…” They “turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven” (See 1 Thess. 1:8-10).
The
Coming of our Lord
The Lord Jesus Christ taught His disciples about His
coming for them (John 14:1-3).=
When
a Christian dies, their soul and spirit are immediately with the Lord enjoy=
ing
His presence (2 Cor. 5:8). Then when the Lord
returns, the dead in Christ will rise first, and those living believers wil=
l be
'caught up' to meet Him in the air (often called the 'rapture' – see =
1 Thess. 4:13-18). When we see Him we shall be like Him=
(1
John 3:1-3).
The Lord Jesus Christ taught His disciples about His
coming for them (John 14:1-3). Paul taught the churches this as well. He is
coming and we will be caught up to meet Him in the air (called the 'rapture=
' 1 Thess.
Each time we partake of the Lord’s Supper, “you proclaim the Lord’s d= eath till He comes” (1 Cor. 11:26). The Ch= urch is waiting for the Lord Jesus to return at any moment (1 Thess. 1:9-10) after which the great tribulation runs for seven years, called the = time of Jacob's or Israel's trouble. See Jeremiah ch.30; Daniel 9:24-27; Matthew= ch. 24; Rev. 7:13-14).
Then the Lord returns with His saints in great power=
and
glory and established His 1000 year (Millennium) reign. Judgment then occur=
s,
following which is the eternal state (Revelation 19:11-21, Rev.
Our Lord Jesus also taught His disciples to use the gifts He had given them, and to = 220;Do business till I come.” (Luke 19:13).
L=
et us
also be busy serving the Lord, meeting with His people and waiting for His
coming.
