Drippings from the Honeycomb
More to be desired are [the rules of the Lord] than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. (Psalm 19:10)
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Titus 2:2& 6
(A brief overview of our all ages men’s breakfast talk on Mar 22, 2025) [Have boys build a playdough house while we begin] You might remember PM Jean Chretien (Christian); a rather normal PM compared to those more recently. However, even in his day he had those who disagreed with him who would sometimes call him Jean Cretan (the French word for moron!). This word comes from the context of the ministry of Titus, which was Crete, 1:5, 12. We too live in a crazy world, don’t we? The craziness of Crete was made worse by false teachers, who likewise add to our present troubles as well—nothing new under the sun (1:10–11). Titus’ mission, therefore, was 1:5. How could he set things in order? Because the Gospel changes lives, or truth truly trusted transforms (1:1). The Gospel produces good works in our lives (good works don’t save us but they do show we are saved). ‘Good works’ is mentioned 13x in the NT, 6x of them in Titus! Speaking of good works, boys, let’s see your houses. [Access the houses made] A man named Wilberforce likened faith and living to a house. The house is our faith, what goes on in the house the result of our faith (otherwise known as orthodoxy and orthopraxy). It is the ideal of a health home, solid and lived in. Titus paints a picture of a healthy church. In ch. 2 he particularly identifies how different genders and ages ought to live, in our case, men. (The Church is both visible and invisible. We visibly look like part of the church if we hang around Christians. We invisibly join the church through Jesus Christ and then visible display that. The Gospel, and not just attending church, is what is needed (and presumed) if these things will be true in your life). Question- Who is an older man? [ask youth] Who is a younger man? [ask seniors] Age is someone subjective, isn’t it. All men are old if you are 6 and everyman is young if you are 90. To give an objective threshold, let’s use 30 as the divider, the age when you could become a rabbi in Jesus’ day. An age, whereby, one would expect you’ve had life experience, got a job, been married, had children, etc. Older men (presbyter, or elder) was a term used of men with experience and age. It highlighted the virtues of wisdom, experience, authority and respect in the ancient world. Younger men (neos, or new [pais= children, but here I’m lumping everyone under 30 together])= fresh into adulthood and conveyed virtues of freshness, strength, renewal and hope. Now, there is often a tension between old and young, isn’t there (the old look down on the young and visa versa). However, Scripture paints a more balanced picture Lev 19:32; 1 Ti 4:12; Prov 20:29. Let’s consider what Paul expected of older and younger men—a mirror for us to see whether we’re being transformed into good works by the truth. It is harder to be old! Question- What six things are expected of older men? We ought to be aspiring to these things with the help of the Spirit. Speaking of the Spirit, the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5) ends with a commonality between the old and young—self-control. You see, as sinners, we’re all born wild [open chest door and make monkey sounds]. Activity- boys, spread out and be wild for 15 sec; now- stand on one foot touch your nose and hold your back for 15 secs… Which was harder? It is easy to be wild, we are naturally; far more difficult to be self-controlled. For this we need the Lord’s grace. Question- how is self-control the root of the virtues of the older man? How is self-control needed/what does it look like for a young man/old man? Again, self-control is the root of manly godliness. If we don’t follow Titus’ wider and specific teaching, we’ll be wild morons further led astray by false teachers. If we would aspire to be true men of God, we must have faith in and follow Jesus, bringing forth these good works.  As a lover of history and art, I’ve always appreciated the biblical wisdom conveyed in a sculpture at McMaster Divinity College titled ‘the unknown Baptist minister.’ While focusing on a solitary model vs. the plurality found in Scripture, it nevertheless conveys some classic essentials of what elders do.
Shape Firstly, one notices that the sculpture is shaped like the Cross. An elder is to have a cross shaped ministry and life. His message should be one of pointing sinners to trust in the finished work of Christ in His death, and because the Cross is empty, the Resurrection. His life should likewise be cruciform and full of life, knowing suffering as a servant of Christ and yet victory, for the sake of God’s glory and kingdom. Secondly, one notices the Cross is leafy, symbolizing the pioneer setting of the minister in question in the artwork. Every elder must be incarnational in his setting of ministry, or in all things not sinful become as his inhabitants and congregants. Bottom to Top While ordination usually only accompanies lead-elders, the recognition of an elders’ ministry by the congregation(s) is an important part of his ministry. We do not only operate by the inward call of God, but the outward call of God expressed through His people (Acts 13:2–3). To enter into God’s service is a humbling act. Preaching rightly crowns the elder’s life. Along with prayer (Acts 6:4), teaching is the primary calling of an elder (Ro 10:17). The authority of the Word informs and gives shape to everything else he does. Moving up from the bottom is an essential component stressed in all of the qualifications for elders, the elder’s family life and devotions. To be able to lead God’s people, he must first be able to lead his own (1 Ti 3:4). Left & Right The left and right branches, like the head, largely deal with the outward or institutional elements of the ministry. Centred are the administration of the ordinance of baptism and the Lord’s supper. However, ministry is more than the ordinances, and involves personal study and heartfelt personal prayer (left) and the affectionate catechism of the people, especially children. Centre While preaching may be the head, at the centre is nevertheless something that is vital for an effective ministry--visitation. The shepherd must know his sheep, both to be trusted but also to know how to effectively minister to their need, questions, etc. Taken together, this sculpture encompasses many key ingredients in an elders ministry. Rooted in Scripture, this is what elders do. Have Baptists ever had elders?
In recent times most Baptists have held the pastor-deacon model (where deacons were essentially mini-elders but also had to serve as deacons). The trend towards having elders has gained popularity in recent years as Baptists re-evaluate their polity in light of Scripture. Post-Christianity is helpfully seeing a reformation and reformation in leadership leads to renewal. Initially both English and Scottish Baptists had multiple elders. This is true of the first English General as well as Particular Baptists and well documented in the stories of early Baptists/congregational histories. The Scotch Baptists were the most devout to this practice. In England either due to the want of leaders or the impression (persecution) of the Anglican priestly system, most Baptists adopted an Elder-Deacons model (later this mirrored the city church as a corporation model from the late Victorian period, which increasingly saw the pastor as the CEO). Nevertheless, all early 'pastors' in Upper Canada/Canada West/Ontario held the title 'Elder' and many congregations had a plurality of them or they worked together with congregations as a plurality of missionaries. A professionalization of the clergy in the late nineteenth century also did much to strengthen the solo-pastor model (not that training for elders, or lead elders, is a bad thing). Amongst American Baptists W. B. Johnson advocated for a plurality (1846) while J.M. Pendleton (1867) believed one elder could suffice. In our post-Christian era an increasing number of Baptist churches around the world, especially the UK (sometimes through Presbyterian or Brethren influences) and USA (e.g. 9 Marks), have led the way in returning to a biblical model of plurality. While many denominations have solitary church offices (Catholic and Anglican Priests, Pentecostal Pastors or even Baptists Ministers), the Bible speaks of the office of elder/overseer/shepherd (pastor), which are synonymous (c.f. 1 Pet 5:1–2), as being plural. For example, 1 Pet 5:1 is addressed to the ‘elders’ and Paul installed ‘elders’ in his missions (Acts 14:23) and wrote to the ‘overseers and deacons’ (Phil 1:1). Even Clement of Rome, considered an early Pope by Catholics, spoke of overseers in his letter to the Corinthians (e.g. 1 Clement 42). While there would of necessity always be an elder who acted as a ‘first among equals’ (c.f. Lk 8:41- the synagogue ruler), there was a plural team of elders. This all followed an ancient pattern going back to Moses, the Sanhedrin and the synagogues.
So why in God’s wisdom did He will a plurality of elders. There are at least 6 simple reasons. Perhaps you can think of more:
Further Reading: Jeramie Rinne, Church Elders: How to Shepherd God’s People like Jesus. (9 Marks) |
