Elders Who Rule Well
God has ordained that qualified elders be rulers over local churches of Christ. To be a qualified elder it is required that one first "rule" well his own house, and the question is asked, "For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how can he take care of the church of God?" In ruling of his own house it is his prerogative because of age, experience, wisdom, and more particularly because he is the head" of the household, to make both plans and decisions for the welfare of his household. True, any right thinking husband and father will talk matters over with the wife and children and solicit their ideas in matters of human judgment. But the final decisions are his to make in the best interest of his household, and all, the members should be willing to risk his decisions. There should be perfect acceptance on their part to his final judgments.
Since the matter of elders ruling over churches is compared to a man ruling well his own house, who could or would decide that it is not their prerogative to make the final decisions in matters of human judgment? Are they not because of age, knowledge, wisdom and experience better qualified than others to make final decisions in this realm? If the elders of a local church are completely shorn of divine right within this realm - then who has the divine right to say what shall be done and how? If you want a divided church about the quickest way to bring it about is to submit things within the realm of human judgment to popular vote. Moreover, any church which undertakes to solve it's "unrevealed" problems by inviting all the members to "vote" on it actually side-steps the judgment of the elders and moves over into the Baptist Church camp! Thus you invite the "novices", the inexperienced, the unlearned and the unwise, to help solve church problems in this way. It won't work because it hasn't worked, and it hasn't worked because it is contrary to God's plan.