The local church, as described in the New Testament, was always led by a team of elders (also known as pastors, overseers, or shepherds). Woodlands Point functions in the same way, with a team of elders who work together to lead the church.

This structure provides accountability, protection, shared burden, and shared teaching responsibilities, among other things.

Because leadership is always so determinative on the well being and spiritual growth of the body of Christ, one of the first things the Apostle Paul saw to was the appointment of elders in every church as under-shepherds of God's people (Act 14:23; Tit. 1).

Two key New Testament passages (1 Tim. 3:1-13 and Tit. 1:5-9) provide us with the essential qualifications that such men must demonstrate in order to be qualified to serve the local church.

One of the designed results of these marks of maturity is that such men become examples of the Christian life and of the power of God that is available in the person and work of Jesus Christ. The responsibility of the church is to select those men who are models, examples for the flock to follow as we see in Hebrews 13:7 and 1 Peter 5:3.

Look at the disciples. With these common, average, uneducated men, the Lord launched a campaign that has reached the world and turned it upside down. Why? Because of their methodology? No. Because of their dynamic personalities or programs? No. Because these common men intimately knew the Lord and began to experience His life and character in theirs by the Spirit of God. He took common men and made them into great men who became spiritual leaders because they were experiencing Him. Our need? The selection of godly men!

In addition to the qualifications of an elder, the Bible also provides the duties of elders-pastors:

• Prayer and Scripture study (Acts 6:4)
• Ruling/leading the church (1 Timothy 5:17)
• Managing the church (1 Timothy 3:4-5)
• Caring for people in the church (1 Peter 5:2-5)
• Giving account to God for the church (Hebrews 13:17)
• Living exemplary lives (Hebrews 13:7)
• Rightly using the authority God has given them (Acts 20:28)
• Teaching the Bible correctly (Eph. 4:11; 1 Timothy 3:2)
• Preaching (1 Timothy 5:17)
• Praying for the sick (James 5:13-15)
• Teaching sound doctrine, refuting false teachings (Titus 1:9)
• Working hard (1 Thessalonians 5:12)
• Rightly using money and power (1 Peter 5:1-3)
• Protecting the church from false teachers (Acts 20:17-31)
• Disciplining unrepentant Christians (Matthew 18:15-17)