(wordy but worth it) excerpt from Phil Ryken Exodus commentary:<\/p>\n
The story of how Israel got organized raises an obvious practical question:
\nHow should God\u2019s people be governed today? Do the principles from this
\npassage apply to the church? And if so, how do they apply?<\/p>\nThe first thing to point out is one crucial difference: We no longer have
\na prophet like Moses. We no longer need one because God has sent his Son
\nto be our Savior. First Jesus Christ died for our sins on the cross. Then God
\nraised him from the dead. Now he is our Prophet, the one who reveals to us
\nGod\u2019s will. As God the Father said to the first disciples, \u201cThis is my Son,
\nwhom I love. Listen to him!\u201d (Mark 9:7). This is a great advantage for us,
\nbecause unlike Moses, Jesus never gets tired out. He has already carried the
\nfull weight of our sin, and now he is more than able to bear the daily burden
\nof our spiritual needs.<\/p>\nThe way Jesus teaches us God\u2019s will is not by some new revelation but
\nby his Spirit speaking in Scripture. This is beautifully explained in the preface
\nto The Book of Church Order of the Presbyterian Church in America,
\nwhich announces: \u201cJesus, the Mediator, the sole Priest, Prophet, King,
\nSaviour, and Head of the Church, contains in Himself, by way of eminency,
\nall the offices in His Church. . . . He is present with the Church by His Word
\nand Spirit, and the benefits of all His offices are effectually applied by the
\nHoly Ghost.\u201d This is the foundation of all church government: Jesus alone
\nis the supreme Head of the church, and he exercises his authority by the Spirit
\nand the Word.<\/p>\nBut there is more. According to Scripture, Jesus Christ has called certain
\nmen to provide Biblical instruction and spiritual care on his behalf. The Book
\nof Church Order explains, \u201cIt belongs to His Majesty from His throne of
\nglory to rule and teach the Church through His Word and Spirit by the ministry
\nof men; thus mediately exercising His own authority and enforcing
\nHis own laws, unto the edification and establishment of His Kingdom\u201d
\n(emphasis added). In other words, today Jesus exercises his authority through
\nthe church, specifically through its pastors and elders.<\/p>\nFirst there is the work of the minister, who in presbyterian churches is
\ncalled a teaching elder. In many ways his work is analogous to that of Moses.
\nHis primary task is to teach the Bible, both in public and in private. But it is
\nnot enough simply to know what the Bible says; Christians must also do what
\nGod commands. So the minister shows God\u2019s people how to live, how to
\nput what they are learning into practice.<\/p>\nIf ministers tried to do this work all by themselves, they would soon have
\nthe same problem Moses had. They would be overwhelmed, which would be
\nbad for them and bad for the church. But God has also provided godly men
\nto share the work. In presbyterian churches these men are called ruling elders.
\nIn Romans 12:8 ruling (or \u201cleadership\u201d) is identified as one of the spiritual
\ngifts. Then 1 Timothy 5:17 says, \u201cThe elders who direct the affairs of
\nthe church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is
\npreaching and teaching.\u201d This verse teaches that elders are called to govern
\nthe church. It also seems to distinguish between pastors, who do most of
\nthe teaching, and the other elders, who share the burden of spiritual care.
\nThis form of church government follows the same basic principles for
\nspiritual leadership that Jethro commended to Moses.<\/p>\nFirst, spiritual leadership must be mature. In 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1, the New Testament carefully
\nlists the qualifications of elders. These lists are longer than the one
\nthat Jethro gave to Moses, but the emphasis is the same. Elders must be
\ngodly, trustworthy men. Therefore anyone who aspires to become an elder
\nmust learn to fear God instead of men and must demonstrate that he can be
\ntrusted to lead a ministry. Without such men, the church will fail to fulfill
\nits calling to reach the world for Jesus Christ.<\/p>\nSecond, spiritual leadership should be representative. Elders should
\nbe nominated by the people of God from across the congregation. In the end
\ntheir qualifications must be confirmed by those who already serve as elders,
\nbut the congregation helps recognize their calling. Like the ancient Israelites, we want to have elders \u201cfrom all the people\u201d (Exod. 18:21).<\/p>\nThird, spiritual leadership should be shared. Teaching and ruling elders
\nare jointly responsible to provide spiritual care for the local church. Shared
\nleadership is the heart of presbyterianism, which is the general form of
\nchurch government taught in Scripture.<\/p>\nChurch government may not seem like a very important topic.
\nAdmittedly, other aspects of Christianity are more central. It would be a
\nmistake to give so much attention to the organization of the church that we
\nneglect the saving work of Jesus Christ, which is the most important thing
\nof all. But church government is important. It must be important because it
\nis taught in the Bible, including in Exodus 18. Why was this passage included
\nin the Bible if not partly to teach basic principles of spiritual leadership and
\nauthority? Furthermore, sound church government is essential to the welfare
\nof the church. Without the right leaders leading in the right way, the work
\nof the gospel will falter.<\/p>\nEvery Christian has a responsibility to promote good church government. Spiritual leaders do this by leading. Yet sadly, pastors and elders tend to commit one of two errors. Either they are too timid to exercise their true
\nspiritual authority or they try to claim more authority for themselves than
\nthey have been given by Christ. Roger Beardmore writes:
\nIn evangelical circles today we are witnessing the abuse of ecclesiastical
\nauthority in two directions. There is, on the one hand, an abdication of
\nchurch authority by some. Confronted with the individualistic, anti-law
\nspirit of our time, cowardly church officers refuse to exercise the biblical
\noversight entrusted to them by Christ. In many circles authoritative preaching
\nand corrective church discipline are conspicuously absent. Equally dangerous,
\nhowever, is the tendency by others to overreact against such laxity.
\nChurch leaders lose sight of the fine line between the virtue of biblical
\ncounsel and guidance and the vice of usurping control over the conscience.
\n. . . Counsel becomes control, control becomes coercion, and coercion
\nbecomes tyranny over the conscience.<\/p>\nThe way to avoid these errors is by exercising authority in a godly way.
\nElders who are timid should remember that they are called to promote the
\nhonor of Christ. Elders who love to rule should be careful to do so with
\ngentleness, leading by persuasion and example.<\/p>\nFollowers should follow. We should seek the instruction of our pastors
\nand the wisdom of our elders. It is the duty of every church member to
\nhonor God by submitting to spiritual authority. Sadly, too many Christians
\nare like the Israelites: We reserve the right to complain if we don\u2019t get our
\nway. Sometimes we even rebel against spiritual authority in the church. We
\nare called instead to honor God\u2019s plan for our spiritual care, which he has provided
\nfor our own benefit. Notice the appeal to self-interest at the end of the
\nBible\u2019s command: \u201cObey your leaders and submit to their authority. They
\nkeep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that
\ntheir work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to
\nyou\u201d (Heb. 13:17).
\nWhen the Bible says \u201cobey . . . and submit,\u201d it means what it says. The
\nGreek word translated \u201cobey\u201d (peitho) connotes persuasion. It means to have
\nminds and hearts that are open and receptive to what our pastors and elders
\nteach and counsel, so that what they say is fully persuasive to us. To submit
\nis to yield. Our natural inclination is to resist authority, especially when we
\ndisagree. But God calls us to give up on having our own way, choosing
\ninstead to place ourselves under the direction of our spiritual leaders.<\/p>\nThe Bible also commands us to love them. At the end of
\n1 Thessalonians, the Apostle Paul makes the following appeal: \u201cNow we ask
\nyou, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you
\nin the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in
\nlove because of their work. Live in peace with each other\u201d (5:12, 13).
\nSome pastors and elders are hard to love; nevertheless, we have a responsibility
\nbefore God to love them. The reason is because of their work: They
\nare God\u2019s servants. Therefore we love and obey them, not because we have
\nvery much confidence in them, but because we have complete confidence in
\nJesus Christ. He is the Lord of the church, and thus we are willing to submit
\nto his plan for its government.<\/p>\nSometimes it is easier to criticize the church than to obey its leaders.
\nPastors and elders are as fallen as anyone else, and they have all the failings
\nthat are common to the rest of humanity. But whatever we say about the
\nchurch, we should remember this: For all its weakness, it is the only institution
\nthat God has promised will last until the end of time (Matt. 16:18).
\nThis is because the church is the only organization in the world that is governed
\nby God\u2019s very own Son.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n