Many churches are committed to the concept of a plurality of elders. That is to say, the local church is not led by the pastor alone, but by a team of leaders. The elders, as a body, are shepherds and overseers of the flock, the local church. Interestingly, the norm in many churches committed to that principle is for there to only be one preacher. There’s a plurality of elders, but a single preacher. But is that healthy? And is it biblical? Should the “plurality” principle apply to preachers as well?
The classic text for making a distinction between elders who “rule” or lead, and those among them who are particularly gifted to preach and teach, is 1 Timothy 5:17. Paul says, “Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honour, especially those who labour in preaching and teaching.” He goes on to talk about not muzzling the ox while it is treading out the grain, establishing the principle that the worker is worthy of his wages. It is appropriate, he is saying, to financially support church workers. In fact, this remuneration is often seen as the “double” honour—there’s the honour of respect and also the honour of remuneration. That’s double honour.[1]
With this understanding, a model has developed where local churches have a plurality of elders, one of whom is set aside, and financially supported, to preach and teach as his full-time work. But is that what Paul envisioned? It seems significant that the “double honour” is spoken of in regard to elders who rule well, even if it is especially fitting for those who preach. And he does not then speak of “especially the one” who teaches and preaches, but “especially those” who preach and teach. His words suggest that not all the elders specifically labour in preaching and teaching, but they also suggest that multiple elders might. There may well be a plurality of preachers among the plurality of elders.
In larger churches with multiple paid pastors that is, of course, what happens. But most churches are smaller and have only one paid minister. He’s expected to preach most weeks, with a few weeks’ holiday and perhaps the occasional swap with another minister or guest preacher to help out. So one person provides over 80% of the preaching ministry.
While that model has provided well for the needs of many churches and been sustainable for many preachers, it is worth asking, is it really best? Is it the healthiest model for preachers and for churches? Or should a belief in the principle of a plurality of elders be matched by a commitment to a plurality of preachers?
The Many Benefits of a Plurality of Preachers
I’d like to suggest that a plurality of preachers is the healthiest pattern for most churches. While perhaps not always achievable, it is a healthy goal for a number of reasons:
- It helps avoid the risk of a church being overly dependent on one person. A church with a plurality of elders is not a one-man show. But because of the significance of the preaching ministry in church life, the focus easily moves toward the preaching elder.
- There are benefits to hearing the word through more than one person. Each preacher brings their own insights, preaches with their own style, and connects in different ways to different people.
- It uses and develops the gifts of many. It is unlikely, even in a fairly small church, that the minister is the only person with public teaching gifts.
- It is healthy for the preacher to sit under the ministry of the word, being fed by others, at least occasionally. We believe that is important for everyone else in the church, and it is important for the minister too.
- When the minister doesn’t have to prepare a new sermon, he can spend additional time digging his well deeper for ongoing word ministry, undertake advance preparation for an upcoming series, or invest into other areas of ministry.
- Preachers are able to share the load with each other. They can help carry each other’s burdens in times of greater stress, weariness, or harder seasons of life.
- A group of preachers can be raised up to provide for other churches in your city or region, who might be without a preacher.
- Sharing the preaching load with others in the church might lessen the singular public focus on the minister alone, and might reduce the feeling of pressure and of being alone in his tasks.
- I have also seen this prove to be a blessing in those cases when a church is without a minister for a period of time. The church is not suddenly stuck, but already has a pool of other known and loved in-house preachers, who can step in, to at least supplement supply preachers.
It’s healthier. But is it achievable? Is it possible for even a small church to have several preachers?
Raising up a Plurality of Preachers
It is likely that in a smaller church there will only be one full-time pastor. But if part of his mandate is not only to preach but to equip others to preach (as one outworking of Eph 4:11–12 and 2 Tim 2:2), then over time, a pool of preachers can be raised up.
To achieve that, many churches, sometimes working together, establish a preaching group where a few people come together to study biblical texts and learn how to structure a message, develop sound applications, and communicate in public. They may begin by preparing short talks and presenting them, giving feedback and learning from each other, while being coached by the pastor.[2] Over time, some will show capacity to prepare a longer message, and then eventually preach in church.
People who are trained in this way will typically grow spiritually through doing this. They will likely deepen in their biblical knowledge, and their concern for the church and the gospel, and also be driven to their knees in prayer. It will grow their understanding of preaching, of the Bible, of good communication, and of what is involved in feeding the flock. It may well grow the ability of elders to give feedback on the minister’s preaching, and it may also increase their empathy for him as they discover first-hand the demands of preaching.
Some may preach just once or twice a year, while others may have time and capacity to preach more often, perhaps even preach a short series of their own. In a very small church, you don’t have to be an amazing public speaker to stand in front of a few people and open up an edifying message from God’s word. When a church is a bit larger, more developed gifts are needed to speak to a greater number of people, but the pool of people to draw from is also larger.
Once a few men have begun preaching at church, still others may be encouraged to consider learning to preach as well. Preaching won’t be seen as the domain of just one person, but as one of the gifts God might give to several people, for the upbuilding of the body. Those who show marked giftedness should then be encouraged to consider going further, perhaps undertaking formal theological training in order to devote themselves to full-time work as a pastor or gospel worker. It is one thing to preach an occasional sermon; it is another thing to preach week in and week out, year after year. To do that well it is valuable to undertake in-depth theological training. But it may be the occasional preaching that leads on to theological study and life-long preaching.
Of course great care should be taken in inviting people to preach. It is a large responsibility that has a huge impact on the wellbeing of the church. Those who are trained for this work need to be sound in doctrine, apt to teach, and godly in their daily lives. But they are the qualifications for all the elders, so it is not outlandish to think that more elders, and perhaps some others who are aspiring to eldership, might be able to test, develop, and regularly exercise their gifts to preach.
It therefore seems biblical, healthy, and wise for a church to develop not only a plurality of elders, but a plurality of preachers.
[1] In Reformed and Presbyterian churches there are varying views on the relationship of elders and ministers, and whether “minister” is a separate office or not.
[2] Such training groups can also be a great help in equipping women in complementarian churches to minister the word well to other women or children.
