The arrangement and organizational structure of local churches are ordained of God.  When writing to the local church at Philippi, Paul addressed all the saints, which included the overseers (elders) and deacons (Philippians 1:1).   The place of elders in a local church is indispensable.  I have been preaching the gospel on a local level for 34 years, and I can testify to the value and worth of elders in a local church.  Of my years of preaching, I have had only one bump in the road.  The one work in which we experienced some difficulties in doing the Lord’s work was with a church that did not have an eldership.   God’s way is always the best.

We know that elders bear huge responsibility in the local church, but what is our responsibility to the elders?  The Hebrews writer wrote something very helpful here.

Hebrews 13:17 (ESV)
¹⁷  Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.  

To obey in this passage means, “to listen to, yield to, or to comply.”  That it refers to elders is clear from the fact that they are the only ones who have the responsibility to keep watch over our souls.  This duty alone should endear them to us, and be motivation for us to obey them, doing so with the right attitude.

The word submits means, “to give in to; to be in subjection to the wishes of the elders; to let their decisions prevail over ours”  (Thayer).  Notice that “to let their decisions prevail” refers to an attitude more than to specific action.  H.E. Philips says that this means to desire to obey. One can obey (keep the letter of the law), without really submitting, and this usually leads to trouble.    When it comes to the elders of a local church, a willingness to obey is almost as important as the obedience itself.

We must determine that we will submit and obey the elders as they lead us by the Word of God.  This good attitude toward the elders, an attitude of obedience, will help us to cooperate with them, even when we do not necessarily like a decision that they make, which will help them to rule over us with joy and not grief.

There is something else that we should consider about elders, especially when they make hard decisions that might be unpopular with the saints.  According to Hebrews 13:17, elders not only watch over our souls, but they will also have to give an account to God for what kind of job they do.  Elders cannot always afford to worry about whether or not their decisions make members happy or sad,  Yes, good elders will, at times, consider the feelings of the souls they are overseeing, but since they ultimately have to give an account for how they have watched over us, what is best for the souls of every member is what has to take priority.

Some might conclude that the men who serve as elders are hard and uncaring, much like children sometimes view their parents when they do not like the rules or restrictions that are enforced.  Let us avoid such a conclusion.  Most children grow up and realize that the tough rules and unpopular decisions of their parents were exactly what they needed, and that their parents made the decisions that they did, not because they did not care, but to the contrary, they made them because they did care.

Let us always be thankful that we are members of a church with good elders who watch over our souls.  Let it never be lost on us when we struggle with decisions that the elders might make, that they are doing their best to do what is right for all of us, and in the end, we are better off for it.  With the proper attitude toward our shepherds, let us do all we can to help them watch over our souls with joy, not grief.