I exhort the elders among you as a fellow elder and witness to the sufferings of Christ, as well as one who shares in the glory about to be revealed: Shepherd God’s flock among you, not overseeing out of compulsion but willingly, as God would have you; not out of greed for money but eagerly; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.

– 1 Pet 5:1-3

Peter says that elders are called to “Shepherd God’s flock”. “The flock” includes all those whom the Lord brings into our church body as members (“those entrusted to you”). That shepherding assignment includes, as it does in the natural world of sheep, feeding them (teaching the Word of God), protecting them (from wolves and other spiritual enemies; guarding doctrine), caring for and leading His people (exercising oversight), and lovingly providing correction and discipline.

The elders of NHC are men who give sacrificially of their time, energy, and gifts to serve the church body as her leaders, under Christ's leadership.

The NT never shows a single pastor/elder ruling a local church alone or holding a higher  level of authority than every other leader. Leadership is always plural. 

• Acts 14:23 – “…they… appointed elders (plural)… in every church (singular)…”
• Acts 20:17 - Paul called “the elders” (plural) “of the church” (singular) in Ephesus.
• Titus 1:5 - Titus is to “appoint elders in every town.” 
• 1 Pet 5:1–4 - Peter addresses “the elders among you” and instructs them to shepherd the flock collectively.

At NHC, the collective of elders is referred to as the Elder Board. The term "board" is not  biblical, but is used to convey plurality and governing authority within the NHC body.

All elders have equal participation and voting authority during elder meetings. 

Per our Constitution, we seek to maintain a group minimum of seven elders. This number  helps ensure representation of gifts and experiences and is needed to manage the Elder  Board's workload. 

No elder is permanently considered “first among equals.” Rather, we seek to rule well by wisely deferring to expertise, experience, and giftedness. We also seek to honor and give consideration to elders who are especially moved by the Holy Spirit on a specific matter. Practically, this results in different elders being “first among equals” in different situations.

The local church is not a democracy. It is a benevolent dictatorship. Jesus is Lord, and He  has delegated leadership of local church bodies to His under-shepherds, the elders.

Members are called to honor and submit to the godly authority of the elders and trust their  leadership, as long as it doesn't contradict Scripture: 

• 1 Thess 5:12-13 – “…we ask you, brothers and sisters, to give recognition to those who  labor among you and lead you in the Lord and admonish you, and to regard them very  highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.” 
• 1 Tim 5:17 – “Let the elders who rule (proistēmi – “to be over, to superintend, preside  over”) well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching  and teaching.” 
• Heb 13:17 – “Obey your leaders and submit to them, since they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account…” 
• 1 Tim 3:4–5 – An elder must “manage (proistēmi again) his own household competently,” because “If anyone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take  care of God’s church?” 
• Acts 20:28 – The Holy Spirit makes the elders “overseers to shepherd (poimainō  – “to  rule, govern”) the church of God…” 

At NHC, members are encouraged to bring their questions, concerns, ideas/suggestions,  requests, and needs to the elders. However, it is the elders who make decisions affecting  our church body. 

When making decisions, the elders discuss, research, and seek the Lord’s guidance through  prayer, the Word, and wise counsel until they feel they can move forward in unity. 

While our Constitution & Bylaws require a minimum majority vote of 75% on the Elder  Board, we practice unanimity in our decision-making, as each elder honors the gifting and  integrity of their fellow elders when differing views and concerns arise. 

Because of the Bible’s teaching that the elders are called by God to lead the local church, and because of our structure and practices, the elders’ recommendations are expected to carry significant weight with the congregation. It is not merely an opinion; it is their conclusion on the direction they believe the Lord would have the church go. While members retain the right to vote against the elders’ recommendations, doing so should be considered a serious action, akin to saying, “I believe the elders have not been diligent in their work before offering this recommendation,” or “I believe the elders have not heard  correctly from the Lord in this matter.”

The congregation has real, but limited, authority: 

• They vote to affirm new elders (Acts 14:23 – cheirotoneō can imply the church’s participation in selection; the scriptural qualifications for elders are public).
• They take part in significant cases of church discipline (Matt 18:17; 1 Cor 5:4–5; 2 Cor 2:6 – “the majority”). 
• They have input on certain major decisions (Acts 6:5; 15:22, 25, 28)

As shared in point 3, at NHC, members are encouraged to bring their questions, concerns,  ideas/suggestions, requests, and needs to the elders at any time. We believe this to be the  most biblical approach to communication between the body and the elders. 

The congregation is called to pray for their elders (1 Tim 2:1-2). 

Members (including existing elders) are invited to nominate suitable elder candidates for consideration by the elders. The elders then evaluate the candidate’s suitability based on the biblical qualifications for elders (1 Tim 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9) and seek the Lord’s guidance to identify those He, the good, great, and Chief Shepherd, has selected to be His “under shepherds”.

Our Constitution identifies several significant church-wide decisions that must be ratified by a membership vote for the sake of unity. We believe this helps encourage transparency and clear, detailed communication from the elders, especially on issues where the unified support of all members is paramount. These member issues are listed as follows:

• Approve or change the church's budget. 
• Allow the church to borrow money or incur debt. 
• Elect Church Elders. 
• Hire or terminate the Senior Pastor. 
• Start or discontinue permanent commissions for ministry. 
• Buy, sell, or transfer church property or land. 
• Make changes to the church's Constitution and Bylaws. 
• Resolve matters brought forward by the elders. 

Many elder-led churches designate one elder (often paid and full-time) as the primary  preacher/teacher (i.e., a senior/lead pastor). Others may be part of a preaching team or given oversight of other specialized areas of leadership in the church. 

1 Tim 5:17 instructs churches to provide financial remuneration for elders who are “good leaders” and/or especially devote themselves to “preaching and teaching.”

A senior/lead pastor is still under the authority of the other elders and does not have unilateral authority. 

Deacons serve, but do not govern or teach authoritatively (1 Tim 3:1–13; Acts 6:1–6). 

At NHC, some of our Commission Leads fulfill the role of deacons. We may adjust our terminology (to “deacons”) and expand the ministry of deacons at NHC in the future.

This model (the New Heights Church model) is sometimes called “Elder-led Congregationalism” (to distinguish it from pure Presbyterianism, which adds higher external authorities, or pure Congregationalism, which gives ultimate authority to the members’ meeting). 

For a thorough biblical study of eldership, we recommend Alexander Strauch’s book  “Biblical Eldership.”