I have posed the following concern to several pastors and New Testament scholars: If you serve as a pastor, it is taken for granted by the apostle Paul that you are also an elder. Ironically, most “Bible” churches have only one or perhaps a few of their pastors on the elder board. I have asked why this is and the common refrain is that people are worried about all the pastors forming some kind of voting bloc. What kind of message does this send about the trustworthiness of the pastors? Not much, I’m afraid.
Further, I have looked at many evangelical church web sites and the vast majority only list the “staff.” It is common to find the elders not even mentioned! Prominently featured are the pastors, but where are the elders? Some list the elders, but give no background while there is lots of ink spilled on the “senior pastor.”
We don’t need Big Kahunas, but pastors!
I have puzzled over the whole issue of the relationship between the eldership and the staff for years. I was raised in a church where no staff member was even allowed to be an elder. On the other hand, I am now attending a church where only one or two of the senior pastors are considered to be elders, and no one else in the congregation.
My own conclusion is that there needs to be a proper balance between (a) assuring true accountability of the senior staff to the whole congregation and (b) recognizing the unique leadership position of the pastors so that they do not become disenfranchised. It is rare to find a church where that balance is achieved.