MENU

Where the world comes to study the Bible

My pastor says that the Bible doesn’t mention elders voting. Should elders vote?

I don’t think that you will find anything specific on voting, per se. What you do see is that the elders were to lead the church (for example, see 1 Timothy 3:4-5). It is Christ, not any one man, who is the head of the church (Matthew 23:1-12). I think your pastor (and perhaps you elders as well) are placing too much emphasis on voting, while the issue is leading. Voting is simply the manner in which you have determined to make your decisions. The Bible does not tell us the precise process by which elders are chosen, either, but we know that the church is to be led by elders.

In our church, we (the elders) don’t vote, per se. We seek to come to a unity of mind on a particular question. If any elder has strong reservations, we tend to wait until we have come to unity on the matter. (This doesn’t mean that all elders are equally enthusiastic about every decision, but it does mean that they are comfortable with moving ahead regarding that matter.)

I wrote this message a number of years ago, but I think it does sum up my understanding of leadership.

Related Topics: Issues in Church Leadership/Ministry

Report Inappropriate Ad