And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church. Acts 20:17
A young Christian was frustrated by the opposition by a member of the Assembly oversight to his plans for a Bible study club in conjunction with some young people from a nearby denominational church. The young man – let’s call him Jack – could not understand what would be wrong with such a plan, and began criticizing the oversight as a bunch of old fashioned diehards who had no interest in progress. But one of his friends, a little older and wiser, advised Jack to sit down with the oversight and discuss his concerns, and to do so with an open mind. Jack did so, and received a great eye-opener. He was impressed with the love that the older men had for the Assembly and its preservation. He was surprised at their warm attitude toward him and their desire for him to grow in his appreciation for New Testament Assembly principles. Impressed with their openness and kindness, Jack apologized for his earlier criticism. There are times when we all owe the Assembly oversight an apology.
One man who knew the important of the elders of an Assembly was the apostle Paul. Although he was unable to make a trip to Ephesus at this time, he arranged for the elders of that Assembly to meet him in Miletus. He knew that if the Assembly oversight was well grounded in the truth, the Assembly itself would do well. We have seen the truth of Paul’s approach. We have seen Assemblies where the elders have compromised on one issue or another and have seen error and problems creep in. We have seen Assemblies where one or more elders have clashed with the others and have created chaos and division. We have seen Assemblies where elders have fallen into serious error and have led the company into destruction. And we have seen many Assemblies where elders have quietly and unitedly worked to maintain unity and promote spiritual growth and have experienced stability and a good testimony for the Lord. As the oversight goes, so goes the Assembly.
Elders in our Assemblies make mistakes. They are human. Because of the scriptural principle of a plurality of elders, mistakes are kept to a minimum, we trust. It is possible for one or more elders to become uncaring or opinionated or biased toward or against some in the Assembly. It is also possible for elders to abandon some of the truths they once held. These things should not be, and thankfully do not occur often. But this is why the Assembly needs to pray for its elders that their wisdom in the things of God will remain intact.
Paul understood the critical role of the Assembly oversight and did all that he could to build them up. Do we? -Jim MacIntosh