Only a few good men?

In my church, there are three elders. Of the three of us, I am the youngest by some considerable way. Both of my fellow elders are excellent men, but both are retired from secular work and one a good while longer than the other.

I’m sure they won’t mind me saying this (and, if they do, I hope this gets to print unedited so it’s too late to retract) but, unless the Lord grants them Methuselaen longevity, we have a problem on our hands. It is a problem they have noted themselves – we need to raise up some other elders.

There are two passages that broadly outline the qualifications for eldership (Titus 1:5-9; 1 Tim. 3:1-7). Don Carson has said: ‘With only a couple of exceptions, all of the qualifications listed here are elsewhere in the New Testament demanded of all Christians.’ Even the exceptions – ‘not a novice’ and ‘able to teach’ – while not demanded of all believers, aren’t where we ought to stay – nobody should remain a novice. Carson has noted that ‘the list is remarkable for being unremarkable’. Essentially, a qualified elder is a godly bloke who can teach the Bible.