I've found myself wondering who my elders are.
If I look to my local church, there is a well defined group of elders who are chosen, and help our pastoral staff guide our local congregation.
But what if I'm trying to view church as Christ's church? What if I'm trying to look beyond the local group that meets in a specific place at specific times under a specific denomination?
What if I'm trying to view church as it is often described in the new testament as "The church at (city name here)?
Who would the elders of the church at my city be? I'm actually not sure. Unfortunately the Church in my city is so divided I doubt there would be any consensus as who the elders of the church are.
Then I ask, who do I view as elders, as I am part of Christ's church.
Do they need to be elected or appointed to be elders? Were all the elders in the OT and NT elected or appointed? I don't think so.
So who are the older, wise men who I fellowship with who give me wise council?
I can think of a few. Some are inside my local 'church' and others are outside my local 'church', but definitely part of the same body of Christ that I belong to.
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