Not uncommonly, proponents of Plymouth Brethren ecclesiology will utter (sometimes with significant emotion), “The Bible nowhere shows sheep electing their shepherd!” What they mean is that Scripture does not depict congregations selecting elders. This seems like a meaningful and even persuasive statement until one realizes that the Bible never depicts any actual mechanism whatever by which elders were selected. One might as well say, “The Bible never shows bishops appointing pastors,” or, “Scripture nowhere depicts elders choosing other elders.”

Years ago I saw a book of trivia in which could be found the assertion that the United States has never lost a war in which mules were used. This statement appears to say something useful about mules and warfare—until one pauses to reflect that the United States claims never to have lost a war at all (Vietnam was, by congressional resolution, a “conflict” and not a “war”). A country that has never lost a war can hardly have lost one in which mules were used. The statement is tautologous and, consequently, trivial.

Sometimes theologians make similar assertions. They seem to be saying something, but upon closer examination the content of the affirmation simply vanishes. Their claim turns out to be meaningless, and trying to reason from it is like trying to drive a dump truck over thin air.

One such statement affects the debate over church order. Not uncommonly, proponents of Plymouth Brethren ecclesiology will utter (sometimes with significant emotion), “The Bible nowhere shows sheep electing their shepherd!” What they mean is that Scripture does not depict congregations selecting elders. This seems like a meaningful and even persuasive statement until one realizes that the Bible never depicts any actual mechanism whatever by which elders were selected. One might as well say, “The Bible never shows bishops appointing pastors,” or, “Scripture nowhere depicts elders choosing other elders.” Since all of these propositions are true, none carries any real force as an argument.

The New Testament definitely does reveal the apostolic requirement that churches should have elders. It even depicts apostles exercising the initiative to ensure that the churches had elders. As part of their first church-planting journey, Paul and Barnabas ordained elders in the churches (Acts 14:23). At a later date, the apostle Paul instructed Titus to ordain elders in every city (Titus 1:5). These passages surely indicate the importance of the office of pastor-bishop-elder, but they do not describe the process by means of which the elders were chosen.

Even if they did—even if the apostles or their delegates actually chose the elders and imposed them upon the churches—the pattern would not be binding. Everyone acknowledges that apostles actually did possess the authority to command. But the apostles are dead, and they appointed no successors. No one today can claim status as an apostolic delegate. Apostolic authority is mediated only through the New Testament and not through any individual.

Nevertheless, these texts stop well short of showing that elders were imposed upon churches. Neither Acts 14 nor Titus 1 necessarily disallows congregational selection and approval. In fact, quite the opposite is true, as a brief glance at the passages will show.

When Paul instructed Titus to “ordain” elders in every city, he used a form of the verb kathistemi. This is the same verb that the apostles used in Acts 6:3, when they instructed the congregation at Jerusalem to choose seven men “whom we may appoint over this business.” In Acts 6, the congregation did the selecting and then the apostles ratified the choice. Apostolic appointment was based upon congregational election. The “appointing” in Acts 6 not only allowed for congregational selection, but was actually based upon it. Thus, kathistemi does not describe how individuals were selected, whether in Acts or in Titus. It simply denotes the ratification of the selection, however it is made. Consequently, nothing in Titus 1:5 is inconsistent with congregational selection.

Read More.