A Church Without Elders

Recently I was talking to someone about a small local congregation of about 20-30 members. They have no elders because “none of the men are qualified to be elders” as I was told. However, this same congregation holds regular men’s meetings to direct the affairs of the church. Correct me if I’m wrong, but when a men’s meeting is held to direct the affairs of the church aren’t these men in essence doing the work of a shepherd without having that title? Of course I understand that a shepherd does more than direct the affairs of the church (e.g. shepherding the flock, caring for lost souls, etc.). What I don’t understand is how a man can be unqualified to serve as a shepherd, but at the same time be qualified to make decisions for a congregation in a men’s meeting.

This has lead me to ask the question, “Can a congregation scripturally exist without elders?” During Paul’s first missionary journey he and Barnabas appointed elders in every congregation they established (Acts 14:23). At one point, Paul left Titus in Crete to appoint elders in every city (Titus 1:5). He went on to provide Titus with a list of qualifications to guide in these appointments (Titus 1:6-9). Paul provided Timothy with a similar list so he too could appoint elders when needed (1 Timothy 3:1-7). From these scriptures it is apparent that God intended for elders to oversee every congregation.

Obviously each of these congregations went through a period when they had no elders or else there would be no need to appoint any elders. If Paul had appointed elders in each congregation when he established it then he would not need Titus to finish the work. So a congregation can exist without elders but for how long? Obviously an infant congregation should be training its men to be elders (hopefully under the tutelage of a missionary or supporting congregation). Notice that Paul did not want new converts to serve as elders (1 Timothy 3:6) so a newly established congregation may have to wait for its men to mature in Christ before they are qualified to fill this position (of course the time at which a person is no longer considered a new convert could be debated but we’ll skip that one for now).

But what about an older congregation whose numbers have dwindled to the point that no qualified men are left? Should a dwindling congregation join another congregation once it has no elders? I personally believe that a dwindling congregation with no elders should join a congregation which has elders. Everett Ferguson in The Church of Christ: A Biblical Ecclessiology for Today identifies some of the duties of shepherds as: “manager, administrator, or supervisor,” as well as “someone who [takes] care of the property of another,” “care for the well-being” of and “protect and provide” for the flock. Also note that in Acts 20:28 Paul told the Ephesian elders that the Holy Spirit made them overseers of God’s flock in order to watch out for them. A congregation without elders has no one to fulfill these God-ordained roles and if we choose to maintain congregations without elders then to some degree we are choosing to ignore God’s design for the church. As I stated at the beginning of this paragraph, this is my personal opinion, you can take it as you wish.