The massive number of Christians in Jerusalem (Acts 2:41; 4:4; 21:20) would have prohibited them from assembling in a single location, and only one church in Jerusalem is reported as having elders (Acts 11:30; 15:4). Is it scriptural for one eldership to oversee many groups meeting independently in one city?
When the Jerusalem church began it was initially under the oversight of the apostles (Acts 2:42; 6:2), but the vast majority of these Christians left Jerusalem within a few years (8:1). Several years later the Jerusalem church (however big or small) had elders (11:30; 12:25; 15:2, 4), with the possibility of multiple congregations with elderships throughout the region of Judea (cf. 11:29-30).
In Acts 21:20 the myriads of believing Jews were not all residents of Jerusalem but were visiting the city from distant places—including Asia Minor (21:27; 24:18) where elderships in multiple churches had been appointed (14:23; 20:17)—for the annual Pentecost celebrations (20:16; compare 2:1, 5). As ethnic Jews, this was part of their cultural heritage and family traditions.
There is no clear teaching or example in scripture of a single eldership overseeing multiple congregations. Each community of the Lord’s church is autonomous, with a plurality of qualified men serving as the principal leaders (Acts 11:30; 14:23; 15:2-6, 23; 20:17, 28; 21:17-19; Eph. 4:11-12; Phil. 1:1; 1 Tim. 3:1-7; 5:17; Tit. 1:5-9; Jas. 5:14; 1 Pet. 5:1-4; cf. 1 Thess. 5:12-13; Heb. 13:7, 17). The oversight exercised by these men is limited to the respective congregations in which they have membership (1 Pet. 5:2). At the same time, effective leaders “equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ” (Eph. 4:11-12).
--Kevin L. Moore
Related Posts: Who is Qualified to be an Elder?, Congregational Leadership Without Elders
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