To build up His church God not only gives gifts to the universal church but also provides different offices for a local church. The gifts that are given involve God’s sending or appointment. Gifts are for the universal church, whereas offices relate to the local churches. The universal church emphasizes the aspect of the Body of Christ, and the local churches emphasize the aspect of the house of God. The Body of Christ is an organic constitution; it is spiritual and of life. Being organic, it cannot be organized by man. It is altogether under the headship of Christ, and the gifts that are given to the Body come directly from Christ. Their appointment is completely apart from human hands. The house of God, however, involves an element of human administration. In this regard, the local aspect of the church involves the participation of human hands because the offices of the house of God are arranged and appointed by God through men—the apostles. A gift involves the organic aspect of the Body of Christ and cannot be based on an appointment by human hands. An office related to the house of God is administrative and therefore involves appointment by human hands. Although a person cannot arrange the members of his human body, he can arrange the members of his household. The focus of the Body of Christ is related to growth, but the focus of the house of God is related to building. Since the Body is not a dead organization but a living organism, it does not need the human work of an organizational arrangement in order to spontaneously grow in life. However, a house always involves some element of administration. Although the house of God is built up by the growth in life of the children of God, it must have some element of administrative arrangement. There are two offices in the house of God.
Elders oversee and administrate a local church (1 Tim. 5:17; 3:5). Thus, they are also called overseers (Acts 20:28). The term elders refers to their person, meaning that they are mature. The term overseers refers to their responsibility to oversee. Oversee means to look upon from above, or to care for from above. In the house of God—the local churches—the overseers are stewards (Titus 1:7). They are responsible for the administration of a local church, directing and caring for all people and matters related to the church. Therefore, they surely represent a local church.
Elders must not only administrate a local church but also teach and shepherd the local church (1 Tim. 5:17; Acts 20:28; 1 Pet. 5:1-2). In administrating, the emphasis is on business affairs; in teaching and shepherding, the emphasis is on the spiritual aspect. In the church there are many matters that require administration, and there are also many believers who need teaching and shepherding. Some elders “take the lead well” (1 Tim. 5:17), whereas others are “apt to teach” and can “exhort by the healthy teaching and...convict those who oppose” (3:2; Titus 1:9). They are responsible for the preaching, teaching, and shepherding in a local church. The strength of a local church depends on whether or not its elders take the lead well and are apt to teach. May there be brothers in every locality who aspire to be this kind of person (1 Tim. 3:1).
Since the elders are the administrators of a local church, they must also care for the financial affairs of the local church (Acts 11:29-30). Since the elders are the shepherds of the local church, they need to pray over sick believers, anointing them with oil (James 5:14). The elders direct the local church, so they join the apostles to resolve the problems that arise between their locality and other local churches (Acts 15:2, 4, 6, 22-23; 16:4). Since the elders are the representatives of a local church, they lay hands on others together with the apostles (1 Tim. 4:14; 2 Tim. 1:6).
There should be more than one elder in each locality. The Bible speaks of elders (Acts 11:30; 14:23; 15:2; 20:17; 1 Tim. 5:17; Titus 1:5; James 5:14), presbytery (1 Tim. 4:14), and overseers (Phil. 1:1). God does not want only one person to lead a local church, because it would be easy for him to move independently according to his will and become puffed up. God wants several brothers to be elders in a locality so that they can coordinate together under Christ the Head, submitting to one another to preserve the mutual nature of the church and to avoid the pitfall of individualism.
Elders are appointed by the apostles. Sometimes they are chosen by the apostles themselves (Acts 14:23), and sometimes they are appointed by others at the command of the apostles (Titus 1:5). First, there will be some brothers in a local church who are more willing to pay the price and whose spiritual growth and weight are expressed in their spiritual growth and maturity. As they take the lead in spiritual matters, the apostles or those commanded by the apostles will appoint some as elders in that local church according to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Thus, elders are not appointed according to human will despite the fact that they are appointed by the human hands of the apostles or those with the command of the apostles. Elders are appointed according to the will of the Holy Spirit and are placed by the Holy Spirit (Acts 20:28). The Holy Spirit shows that certain ones are elders among the brothers, and the Holy Spirit leads the apostles and those with the command of the apostles to appoint them as elders. Thus, man follows what the Holy Spirit makes known.
Strictly speaking, the elders of a local church grow into their function as an elder. Among the brothers, the spiritual life of certain ones grows into the shape of an elder. For the sake of emphasizing their responsibility and to avoid confusion, the apostles confirm this spiritual arrangement. This is completely different from the way of Christianity, which often chooses elders by general election. An election by ballot is not based upon life and spiritual weight; instead, it follows the way of the world by focusing on a person’s position, political power, education, or talent. The appointment of elders in a local church, who are manifested and set apart by the Holy Spirit, is related only to their level of life and spiritual weight so that the church might obtain edification in life and leading in spiritual matters.