We Need to Talk about Church Boards
An area of weakness in grace churches has always been – church boards.
A church largely rises or falls on leadership. When elders function Biblically, churches flourish. When they do not, the consequences can be devastating.
I have no doubt that quite a few boards of grace churches - even now - are filled with men who are not truly qualified. And these unqualified elders can sometimes become instigators of misguided agendas, ridiculous conflicts, and may even split apart your beloved church.
This happens.
And this can happen to you.
A church board isn’t a game. This isn’t a social club. This is serious business.
You’re not there to be a “yes man.” You’re not there to rubber stamp the wishes of someone else. You are there because you have accepted the God-given responsibility of overseeing His local assembly. You are there to take part in the oversight of the entire ministry. You are to oversee. You are to overlook and supervise that church.
What does that mean exactly?
It means that your job is to ensure that His Word rightly divided is properly applied to the entire ministry, and that the whole flock is properly served, cared for, and protected. Paul told the elders in Ephesus that they were to take care of themselves as well as the flock and to feed the church of God (Acts 20:28). How do they feed the church? This is more than just teaching doctrine. This is also living the doctrine – exemplifying loving, grace-filled service. The saints are edified by seeing living examples of the sound doctrines of grace.
The elders set the loving spiritual atmosphere and direction of the assembly.
And, too often, we take lightly the qualifications of an elder. Make no mistake. An unqualified elder on your board can destroy your church.
Responsibilities of Elders
I would argue that in the KJV, bishop, elder, and overseer are all verbally equivalent. In Acts 20:17, Paul called all the elders of the church at Ephesus. Then, in vs 28, he called them all overseers. Same thing. In Titus 1:5-7 bishop and elder are used interchangeably.
In Eph. 4:11, “pastor” is poimēn in the Greek, which is basically a shepherd, and that is also an important position of oversight in the local church.
I’d say there’s a slight nuance between elder, bishop, overseer, and pastor. Elders, bishops, and overseers are interchangeable descriptions of the same office. A pastor, however, is one who has taken on a greater shepherding role over the entire assembly.
This means that the pastor is not an employee of the board. He is in a position of oversight along with all of the other elders.
Not only that, consider Paul’s instructions to Timothy about how to handle an accusation against an elder (1 Tim. 5:19-25). Timothy was the pastor of Ephesus at the time (1 Tim. 1:3). Timothy was to take a leadership role when an accusation is being leveled against an elder. He had to ensure the accusation was heard before two or three witnesses (5:19). This means he had to make sure that process was handled Biblically, according to Paul’s instructions. Timothy had a responsibility for overseeing the investigation and disciplinary actions if those accusations had any merit. He had to have the integrity to act impartially (5:21), not make any rash decisions (5:22), and handle these matters with great meekness (Gal. 6:1). So not only was Timothy not an employee of the board, he had a responsibility of oversight and decision-making if accusations are ever made against elders.
On the flipside, the very fact that the elders are called overseers of the church (Acts 20:28) means that the scope of their oversight encompasses every aspect of the local assembly, including the pastor – his sermons and his conduct. The fact that Paul says overseers means they must be capable of taking action when things go wrong. They must be capable of holding a pastor accountable and potentially removing him from office if necessary.
Essentially, pastors and boards act as accountability partners.
We’ve covered a lot of church scandals over the years on our podcast. I also once wrote an article about how to handle scandals in a church. Many times, a scandal erupts because a pastor has misbehaved egregiously. Yet oftentimes that story isn’t just about the pastor. That story is also about the board who knew about his behavior and did nothing.
If a board fails to take action, especially if it’s a crime, they may find themselves in legal trouble. Some states now require boards to report certain crimes like:
· Sexual assaults
· Child abuse, neglect, or abandonment
· Elder abuse
Even if a board tries to “handle it in-house,” they will still find themselves in serious legal trouble for not reporting it to the police. If the law in your state requires you to report these crimes, then Romans 13:1-7 compels you to comply. Even if your state doesn’t require you to report it, I’d say you still have an obligation to report it anyway for the well-being of the victim.
An elder is not merely a rubber-stamp board member who votes on budgets and building repairs. He is a steward entrusted with the protection of the flock. Sometimes that responsibility requires difficult decisions, confronting sin, protecting victims, cooperating with law enforcement, and ensuring that your church consistently acts with absolute integrity.
Even beyond church scandals, the position of an elder is all about ensuring the principles of grace are put into action in every aspect of this ministry.
Here are some examples:
When conflict arises between believers, the elder encourages forgiveness, peace, grace, and reconciliation, rather than bitterness (Eph. 4:31-32).
When a struggling saint falls into sin, the elder seeks restoration with meekness rather than humiliating that person (Gal. 6:1). The elder knows that the way they’re living is simply not who they truly are in Christ anymore.
When financial decisions are made, the elder promotes stewardship rather than personal agendas. An elder must be willing to make decisions based on principle rather than personality. The questions should be, “What is Biblical?” “What is gracious?” “What is the wiser method of stewardship?”
When concerns or accusations against a pastor arises, the elder doesn’t think he exists simply to protect the pastor no matter what. He is there to protect every saint including (God forbid) any potential victims of the pastor.
When new believers enter the church, the elder cultivates an atmosphere of love and grace and hospitality rather than exclusivity.
When doctrinal disagreements emerge, the elder insists that truth be spoken in love (Eph. 4:15) and he models that example.
The elder is capable of making the hard decision of excommunicating a saint if he is involved in an egregious sin (like the boy sleeping with his stepmother in 1 Cor. 5:1-5) if he refuses to stop. But, and if, he is excommunicated and he repents, then the elder is capable of forgiving him, comforting him, confirming his love, lest he should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow.
When criticism is directed at church leadership, the elder responds with patience and wisdom and transparency rather than defensiveness.
When teaching is presented, the elder helps ensure that the message does not stray from the sound doctrines of grace into areas of legalism, Calvinism, and other heresies.
When someone is grieving, sick, or discouraged, the elder helps mobilize the church to minister rather than allowing the person to suffer in isolation.
I remember a story of J.C. O’Hair getting swept up in a public battle with another pastor over doctrine, and the board told him to let it go. I was also once shared a story of how this same board had a pastor who was very combative and confrontational with the congregants - and they let him go.
The elder’s task is not simply to protect the church from scandal. His task is to help ensure that the grace of God shapes the entire culture of that whole ministry — from its doctrines, to its relationships, to its decisions, to its daily practices.
And that the church consistently acts with absolute integrity and grace.
See also 10 Principles of Grace-Based Leadership and 24 Qualifications of an Elder.