By God’s grace, when our sending church planted us, we were able to establish as a church with two elders: one staff pastor and one lay pastor. After only four months of being a church and allowing the congregation time to observe two brothers in their biblical qualifications and shepherding practices, two more brothers were affirmed as elders by the congregation.
It might sound like we rushed these brothers into serving in the office of an elder, but both men were in the elder process of our sending church and continued that process when they decided to join our church plant. For a year leading up to our first service, these brothers helped in our core team meetings and helped shepherd the 47 people who would covenant together as this new church.
I recognize this is not the story of every church plant. This won’t be possible in every context or at every time, but I want to exhort those who desire to plant a new church to, when possible, prioritize a plurality of elders when covenanting together as a new church. As pastors, we should be careful to ensure that every elder is biblically qualified and ready to serve in this capacity.
Titus’ Example in Crete
As a new church, our pastors preached through Paul’s letter to Titus, who was church-planting on the island of Crete. Titus was left in Crete so that he “might put what remained into order” (Titus 1:5).
Paul and Titus shared the gospel in Crete, and God produced the fruit of new believers. Titus was left to organize these new followers of Jesus into local churches. Paul’s first task to Titus is to “appoint elders in every town” (Titus 1:5). Paul emphasizes the importance of a plurality of elders in these freshly forming churches.
Paul’s Pattern in Acts
This exhortation follows Paul’s pattern of church planting that we see in the historical account given by Luke in the book of Acts. In Acts 14, we receive a summary of what Paul and Barnabas prioritized in the new churches they helped plant.
When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, 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. 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
Notice the emphasis on a continuance in the faith. The apostles teach, appoint elders in every church, pray over them, and commit them to the Lord. Don’t miss the plurality of pastoral oversight that is put in place as explained in Paul and Barnabas’ second concern. “They had appointed elders for them in every church” (Acts 14:23). For Paul and Barnabas, a plurality of elders was vital to the health of the local church.
Planting churches is the ordinary way of spreading the gospel in new areas and obeying the Great Commission.
If we look to Acts, specifically the ministry of Paul, for instruction and exhortation to missions, we cannot overlook the direct link Paul understands between missions and planting churches. Paul seems to believe that planting churches was the ordinary way of spreading the gospel in new areas and obeying the Great Commission. He places great importance on the blessings of a plurality of pastors who are shepherding the members of local churches (Acts 11:30, 14:20–23; 1 Timothy 5:17–25; Titus 1:5; James 5:14–15; 1 Peter 1:1, 5:1).
The Blessings of a Plurality of Elders
In some cases, prolonging or ignoring the necessity of a plurality of elders will leave lingering disorder in the church (1 Timothy 1:5).
A church that plants with more than one elder protects the church from being built around one man’s vision and preferences. We are not starting our churches. We are gathering followers of Jesus who will covenant together for his glory. In other words, we are planting Christ’s churches. If that is true, then we need to plant them under Christ’s authority by prioritizing the leadership model he has instructed through his Word: a plurality of shepherds. When a church covenants with a plurality of pastors, it promotes humility, protects against abuse of authority and provides shepherding that will last for the long haul.
A church that plants with more than one elder protects the church from being built around one man’s vision and preferences.
May we never think that a plurality of pastors is the key to “a successful church plant.” It is not a strategy for success, but a call to humility and faithfulness. It’s not about securing multiple pastors but affirming qualified men who look like elders described in the Word (1 Timothy 3; Titus 1; 1 Peter 5). God has commanded a plurality for the church’s good and his glory. As we seek to plant churches among the nations, let’s seek to do so healthily and biblically. Brothers, celebrate and prioritize the slow process of raising up a plurality of elders in your church planting process.
Marshall is the Lead Pastor of Emmaus Church in Georgetown, Texas. He earned his M.Div. from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Marshall previously served as an Associate Pastor at High Pointe Baptist Church in Austin, Texas. He is married to Alexandra, and they have three children; Kimberly, Hosea, and Ezekiel.
