Elders in Every Church

Every church in the New Testament had multiple elders to shepherd and oversee the flock of God. This practice was universal in the church for over a hundred years until Ignatius of Antioch elevated one of the elders over the others as a single bishop "in the place of God." This laid the foundation for what developed into the Roman Catholic papacy, but also set a precedent for the majority of Protestant churches in our day who have a "lead," "head," or "senior" pastor, without precedent for the practice in the New Testament. God did not put one sinful man over His church for good reason, and we must help churches come back to the model God designed for them.