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.
In some Christian traditions (e.g., Eastern Orthodoxy, Roman Catholicism, Anglicanism, Methodism) an elder is an ordained person who serves a local church or churches and who has been ordained to a ministry of word, sacrament and order, filling the preaching and pastoral offices.
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)
Elders, being elected by the church meeting, are ordained to their office and inducted to serve for such period as the church which elects them determines. Their ordination and induction is an act of the Church.
The appointment is the congregation's recognition or affirmation that a prospective elder possesses the biblical qualifications found in 1 Tim. –7 and Titus –9. It is the acknowledgment, “This man is biblically qualified and evidently a gift of Christ to our church” (Eph. ).
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.
Title: Choosing Your Elders Pray. Pursue someone you feel led to ask. Ask. If they decline, you're done. If they agree, share their name with the elders. The elders meet with. Candidates put on ballot if no serious issues. Church votes; super majority of members who vote required.
First, elder rule allows the church to be ruled as much as possible by Christ and His commands. As mentioned above, the Scripture indicates that elders are merely Christ's representatives in the church, meaning that they are not authorized to implement with the weight of command anything but the Word of God.