Derelict Shepherds
The Myth of Ruling vs. Teaching Elders in the Baptist Church
In many modern churches, a hierarchy has been erected where there should be none.
The rise of the so-called "Preaching Pastor" or "Teaching Pastor" is an intrusion into the biblical model of pastoral ministry. Some have sought to import a Presbyterian three-office view into Baptist polity, distinguishing between ruling elders and teaching elders. However, for those who hold to the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith, such a distinction is foreign to both Scripture and confessional heritage.
The 1689 and the Biblical Model of Eldership
The 1689 Confession affirms that the only two offices in the church are elders (or bishops/pastors) and deacons (26.8). Nowhere does it carve out a separate category for an elder who "rules" but does not teach. In fact, the qualifications for an elder are explicit: he must be "apt to teach" (1 Tim. 3:2; 2 Tim. 2:24). To be a pastor is to be a shepherd, and to be a shepherd is to feed the flock with the Word. There is no room for boardroom executives who govern without opening the Scriptures.
The Apostle Paul makes this clear in Ephesians 4:11, where he describes Christ's gift to the church: "pastors and teachers." The grammar of the text indicates that this is one office, not two. A pastor who does not teach is an unbiblical concept. To be called an elder is to be called to shepherd through the ministry of the Word.
The Problem with "Preaching Pastors"
The invention of the "Preaching Pastor" as a distinct office suggests that some elders are called primarily to teach while others merely "rule." This is, at best, a pragmatic accommodation to modern church structures, and at worst, a capitulation to ecclesiastical bureaucracy. A shepherd who does not feed the sheep is derelict in his duty.
Furthermore, such a distinction creates unnecessary divisions within the eldership. It implies that some pastors have a greater spiritual authority than others based on their function, rather than recognizing that all elders share the same biblical charge. This is not the model of the New Testament church, where elders jointly oversee and instruct the congregation (Acts 20:28; 1 Peter 5:1-2).
This is not to say that there is no room for specific giftings or emphasis within the office. Some will be gifted to bring the Word before the congregation, while some may be gifted to help the congregation respond to the Word of God in song. There may be some who are gifted to care for the sheep and others who are gifted to convey the truths of God to children. However all of these elders jointly instruct and care for the congregation together. They are all shepherds who feed the flock of God, and care for them in the stead of the Good Shepherd.
The Shepherding Role of Every Pastor
Baptists have historically rejected the hierarchical structures of Anglican and Presbyterian polity. The church is not ruled by a class of professional administrators, nor is it governed by a magisterial "preaching office" distinct from the pastoral ministry of the elders. The Baptist understanding of eldership is rooted in the conviction that every elder is a pastor, and every pastor is a shepherd who must be able to teach.
This does not mean that every elder will preach every Sunday, but it does mean that all elders must be capable of opening the Word and instructing the flock. If a man is not able to teach, he is not qualified to be an elder. If he does not shepherd, he is not a pastor. There is no room in Baptist polity for a "board member" elder who does not minister the Word, nor for a "preaching pastor" who functions as the CEO of the church.
The attempt to split elders into categories of "ruling" and "teaching" is a corruption of biblical church government. It is an importation of Presbyterianism into Baptist life. The 1689 Confession is clear: the church is to be led by elders who shepherd through the ministry of the Word and supported by deacons who serve the practical needs of the body. A pastor is not merely an executive, nor is he a figurehead preacher—he is a shepherd who teaches. Anything less is a distortion of biblical leadership.
If we are to be faithful Baptists, we must reject the artificial distinction between "ruling" and "teaching" elders. Every pastor must be a shepherd who feeds Christ’s flock with the Word. Let us abandon the corporate models that have crept into the church and return to the simple, biblical structure laid down in Scripture and affirmed in our confession.