Who Should Ordain New Elders?

Question: Our church just voted on putting in some new men as elders. Our preacher is going to ordain them. Is that biblical? When I was a boy our elders would ordain the elders. Which is right or does it matter?

Answer: The Bible clearly teaches that Evangelists (preachers) should ordain Elders. Here are the reasons your Preacher (Evangelist) should be the one ordaining your Elders.

1. Because that is what the Apostle Paul commanded Evangelists (preachers) to do:

Titus 1:5 “The reason I left you in Crete was that you might straighten out what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you.”

1 Timothy 5:22 “Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, and do not share in the sins of others.”

2. Because Evangelists and not Elders are the ones given the qualifications for Elders (see 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-8)

3. Because we don’t have any example of or command for Elders to ordain Elders.

4. Because Elders ordain Evangelists (Preachers) and Evangelists (Preachers) ordain Elders creating a checks and balance of mutual doctrinal accountability.

Titus 1:5 “The reason I left you in Crete was that you might straighten out what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you.”

In 1 Timothy 4:14 Paul tells the young evangelist “Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you.”

5. Both Elders and Evangelists have the responsibility to hold the other mutually accountable to follow Biblical doctrine.

In Titus 1:9 the Elder is told that “He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.”

Timothy, the young evangelist is told rebuke a sinning elder publicly in 1 Timothy 5:19-20 it says, “Do not entertain an accusation against an elder unless it is brought by two or three witnesses. Those who sin are to be rebuked publicly, so that the others may take warning.”

The young evangelist, Timothy is also commanded by the Apostle Paul in 1 Timothy 1:3 “stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer.” And we know that Paul had prophesied to the elders at Ephesus years earlier that the false teachers would be some of the elders (see Acts 20:30). So Timothy was told to command some false teachers at Ephesus not to teach anymore and we know some of them were elders.

It is clear from scripture that…

• Preachers are commanded in multiple places to ordain elders


• Preachers are given the qualifications for Elders in multiple books


• There is no example or command for Elders to ordain Elders


• Elders ordain preachers and preachers ordain elders


• There is to be mutual doctrinal accountability between elders and preachers creating a checks and balance against false doctrine.

Below are two objections I have heard to Evangelists ordaining Elders:

Objection #1
They say, “Yes, Titus is told to ordain elders but that was because they didn’t have any elders yet at the in those churches to do it. Once elders are in place, the elders not evangelists should ordain future elders.”

Answer:
Where is the scriptural command or principle written that would lead us to believe that once elders are in place they should do the things scripturally assigned to the preacher? If Elders are to take over one task assigned to preachers, why shouldn’t they take over all things assigned to the preacher to do? By this logic, there is no longer any need for preachers at all.

It is an assumption, that there were no elders in Crete. How do we know that Titus was not just ordaining more elders? There may not have been elders on Crete or there may have been. We don’t know. Insisting there were not any is an assumption.

If elders once in place are to be the ones who ordain new elders, then why is Timothy, the young evangelist told not to be quick to ordain elders (1 Timothy 5:22), when there were already elders at the church in Ephesus for at least a decade before Timothy came (Acts 20:17)? Churches with elders still need preachers.

Objection #2
They say, “The bible says in 1 Timothy 5:17 ‘The elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching.’ See, elders are to rule the church and therefore they should ordain new elders not the evangelist”

Answer:
The word translated “rule” in 1 Timothy 5:17 means “to stand firm before.” It does not mean to be Lord over. In fact elders are told NOT to “Lord it over” their fellow Christians. Elders should “stand firm before” others in teaching the Bible.

In Luke 22: 25-26 Jesus said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves."

1 Peter 5: 2-3 Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers— not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.

In the NASV the word translated “rule” in 1 Timothy 5:17 is used nine times in the New Testament and only translated “rule” in this one verse. It is never used of kings, government rulers, or slave masters. It is used of husbands toward wives, fathers toward children, church leaders toward members, individuals toward their own moral behavior, and of an inanimate object, rain (James 5:7). It means to “stand firm before” in teaching and preaching not to “Lord over” flock by assuming authority given to the preacher. It does not give Elders permission to set aside Biblical doctrine in order to ordain other Elders.

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