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.
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.
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)
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.
What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Elder Jobs CityAnnual SalaryHourly Wage Fremont, CA $63,325 $30.44 Daly City, CA $62,791 $30.19 Berkeley, CA $62,483 $30.04 San Jose, CA $62,432 $30.026 more rows
Historically, Baptist churches do not recognize elder as a separate office from those of pastor or deacon; it is commonly considered a synonym of deacon or pastor. This is not universal in Baptist circles, however, and there are many Baptist churches which are elder-led.
The Greek word behind that work care is shepherd, which is where we get our word pastor. So, elder, overseer, and pastor are all describing the same office, the same role. Throughout the New Testament we do see that the elders who rule well, for instance (1 Tim. ), are worthy of double honor.
Elders are to shepherd the flock by authoritative biblical teaching and oversight (1 Tim. ; 1 Pet ). Deacons are to care for the physical and fiscal needs of the church, to create unity in the body, and to support the work of the pastors and elders.
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.