An elder board utilizes business principles and practices to manage the church. An elder body systematically seeks out biblical principles and practices then utilizes them in the protection and oversight of Jesus' bride, the church.
Each elder is chosen based on their faith, spiritual gifts, wisdom, and ability to share the gospel. A teaching elder needs to be able to teach the word of God. In the Presbyterian church, the minister is the teaching elder. There are ruling elders and deacons.
We are told that these qualities apply to women as equally as they apply to men and that therefore women should be appointed as elders-overseers in the church. Here is a summary of the argument. When 1 Timothy says “if anyone” desires to be an elder, it is a gender-neutral term, inclusive of both male and female.
The single, overarching qualification of which the rest are supportive is that he is to be “above reproach.” That is, he must be a leader who cannot be accused of anything sinful because he has a sustained reputation for blamelessness.
Today, men and women are called to be church elders. Their age doesn't matter as much as their life experience, wisdom, and desire to serve God and the church's people.
Qualifications of Elders — I Timothy -7 Above Reproach (Paul begins with positive attributes) ... The Husband of One Wife. Temperate. Prudent. Respectable. Hospitable. Apt to Teach. Not a Drunkard (here he begins the negative attributes)
Nowhere does the Bible identify a specific number of elders that should lead each local congregation. Therefore, churches are left to godly wisdom and prudence to help determine how many men God has called to lead them.
One way to recognize both biblical principles is (i) to have the elders nominate prospective elders and then (ii) to have the congregation vote to recognize them. That way the elders are the ones examining a man before putting him before the congregation, yet the congregation's decision is decisive.
Each elder is chosen based on their faith, spiritual gifts, wisdom, and ability to share the gospel. A teaching elder needs to be able to teach the word of God. In the Presbyterian church, the minister is the teaching elder. There are ruling elders and deacons.