A question has come: "Should a current eldership have any voice in the selection of additional elders?"

Before the Jerusalem church had elders, a problem arose about the daily food deliveries to some widows (Acts 6:1). The apostles were in charge. They asked "the multitude of the disciples" (6:2) to choose, to select (episkeptomai) "from yourselves seven reputable men who are full of the Spirit and of wisdom" (6:3). The mechanics of the selection process is not given, but it is clear that, after church members did the selecting, the apostles did the appointing (kathistemi, Acts 6:3).

The appointment ceremony consisted of prayer and hand-laying (Acts 6:6). In this case the handlaying was not only an appointment gesture, but it included the miraculous bestowal of miraculous power (as later displayed by Stephen and Philip, Acts 6:8; 8:6). Other New Testament handlaying, not by an apostle, was only an outward gesture of endorsement (Acts 13:3; 1 Timothy 4:14; 5:22).

The seven appointed at Jerusalem were not the first church deacons, though they did work that church deacons would do. First, the qualifications for church deacons (1 Timothy 3:8-13) are not the same as for the seven at Jerusalem (Acts 6:3). Second, church deacons, not being the "overseers" of the church, a responsibility given only to elders (Acts 20:28), work under the oversight of the elders. But at the time of the emergency appointment of the seven, no elders had yet been appointed for the Jerusalem church. Therefore, the seven were simply a charity committee appointed for one service in an emergency. Some have mistakenly alleged that since the word from which the word "deacon" is derived (diakonein, to serve) is used (Acts 6:2), therefore the seven were church deacons. However, that same word is used by the apostles in referring to themselves: "But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry (diakonia) of the word" (Acts 6:4). Therefore, if the Greek word proves that the seven were church deacons, it also proves that the apostles were church deacons.

Before the churches on the island of Crete had elders, Titus was left there to "set in order the things that were lacking, and to appoint (kathistemi) elders (1:5). As the apostles at Jerusalem did not select the appointees, so Titus was not told to select the appointees for the Cretan churches. As the apostles at Jerusalem appointed the men whom the church had selected, in parallel one concludes that Titus was authorized to appoint the men whom the churches had selected. Since the New Testament does not give a more specific plan, new churches being established today follow the same plan: doing all things "in love" (1 Corinthians 16:14), a new congregation selects and an evangelist appoints the new elders.

In churches today which already have elders, and additional ones are needed, the present elders are "the overseers" (Acts 20:28) of the congregation, and being the overseers, they should initiate the selection of new elders.

If some non-elders initiate the process, they are making themselves overseers, and their action is a testimony that they have no confidence in the present eldership. The non-elders so acting do not "esteem" the present elders "very highly in love" (1 Thessalonians 5:13), and they become trouble-makers.

On the other hand, and normally, when additional elders are needed, the whole church looks to the present eldership to begin and ultimately to finalize the appointment of new elders. Then the present elders ask the members to submit the names of men they think are qualified. The present elders will then consult with the men whose names have been submitted and find out if they would be willing to serve.

Then the present elders will announce the names of men willing to serve, and ask any member, who knows of a Bible reason why any one of the men is not qualified, to write the objection and sign it and give it to the elders. The wisdom of the present elders then will decide with prayer what names will be presented to be new elders. After the presentation of the names, the elders will announce that on a certain Lord’s day (say, two weeks away), if no objections are heard, the newly selected men will then be appointed (say, by a local evangelist, or by the present eldership) as new elders.