21 When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, 22 strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. 23 And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.

Acts 14:21-23 ESV

As Paul and Barnabas travelled through the cities to preach the gospel, they also had a mind to establish local congregations in these remote locations with viable and responsive leadership. This they did when they "…appointed elders for them in every church…"

This is a critical statement for those who seek not to reform the church to man's whims or fleeting philosophical trends, but those who seek to restore the church to what God has always desired for her. Several things can be observed in this process of establishing local congregations with faithful leaders who will guide disciples in following Jesus.

First, elders were appointed. A plurality, more than one person was charged with leadership of the congregation. This provided a greater stability because the church would be without any leaders if that one man were arrested or even executed for the faith.

Second, this guarded against the corruption of the leadership. One man can more easily be misled or deceived, but multiple men can hold each other in check to oppose corruption or error.

Finally, multiple elders can get more work done in strengthening the believers, building up the church and proclaiming the message of salvation to their city or community.

The elders in the churches were men who met specific, rigorous qualifications which were revealed by God through the Holy Spirit in the letters of the apostle Paul (1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9).

What we can say right here is that the apostles didn't establish a priest system (Clergy and Laity), such as you find in the Catholic or Episcopalian churches, or the singular pastor system, such as you find in most Protestant denominations.

The apostle Peter gives this exhortation to those who served in the capacity of an elder, a capacity in which Peter himself says that he served. He charged these spiritual leaders saying,"…shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight,…" (I Peter 5:2a).

God's great wisdom for the establishment of His church is clearly seen in the scriptural pattern for her leadership being vested in more than one scripturally qualified elder in each local congregation. This is what Paul and Barnabas established in these early churches and this is the pattern for the Lord's church even today.

Michael Franklin