“Need to Look Round Again:” Spurgeon’s Reliance on His Elders
In 1861, with the construction and opening of the Metropolitan Tabernacle, a magnificent new building that seated 6,000, the question was: How can anyone pastor such a large congregation? For Spurgeon, the answer lay in his elders.
Implementing elders
When he first arrived at the New Park Street Chapel in 1854, five faithful deacons cared for the congregations of a few dozen people. Soon, however, the few dozen grew into hundreds. By 1856, membership reached 595. By 1858, it reached 1046, with many more professing faith and coming forward for membership. The challenge was not only administrative but pastoral. How could a pastor and a handful of deacons care for so many? In all this, Spurgeon was overworked, the deacons were swamped, and something needed to change. As Spurgeon looked to the New Testament, he knew the solution lay in implementing the office of elders. As the solo pastor, he needed a plurality of elders to serve alongside him.
So patiently, Spurgeon began to find opportunities to teach on this office. Whether in making application points in his sermons or drawing Scripture readings from relevant passages, Spurgeon looked for ways to highlight how a plurality of pastors—not a solo pastor—led the New Testament church. By 1859, he convinced the congregation. They approved the office of the eldership and appointed their first elders. From that time on, church leadership would be divided between the pastors and the deacons, with the elders attending to the spiritual affairs of the church and the deacons caring for practical matters. With a plurality of pastors in place, the church would be positioned to remain a church rather than turning into a preaching station. Membership would be more than just names on a roll. It would be the commitment of the elders to watch over the flock, feeding them from the Word and guarding them spiritually.
At the opening of the Metropolitan Tabernacle, Spurgeon declared that “it would have been utterly impossible for that Church to have existed, except as a mere sham and huge pretence, if it had not been for the Scriptural and most expedient office of the eldership.”1
Finding elders
Going forward, one of Spurgeon’s most important pastoral responsibilities was leading the elders and looking for additional gifted pastors to serve alongside them. As the elders decided on potential elder candidates, Spurgeon took the lead in conversing with these candidates about serving as elders. The Spurgeon Library in Kansas City, Mo., contains a letter that Spurgeon once wrote to his elders, reporting on six such conversations.
Dear friends,
In reference to brethren whom I was to see about the eldership, I have to report as follows:
Brother Bantick is very grateful for the good opinion of the brethren & would gladly do all in his power but business so occupies him that he cannot fulfill the duties of the office & therefore declines.
Brother Hayles had a stroke of paralysis on the brain a few days ago & therefore cannot be expected to undertake the work.
Brother S. Johnson cannot take Wednesday evening work as it is his class night, but in any other way, he will act with us & I believe he will be a most efficient worker. We may heartily recommend him to the Church.
Brother Stubbs can undertake the work & is quite willing to do so. He will, I trust, prove to be a helpful brother.
Brother Woolacott in the kindest manner declines on account of the distance at which he resides & his business engagements.
Brother Wigney to my great regret feels that his class demands all his time & that he could not fulfill elder’s duties.
We have these, dear brethren, need to look round again.
Yours ever truly,
C. H. Spurgeon
A few things stand out about this letter. First, these six men understood the high calling of eldership. They did not want to overcommit and then fail to follow through. If anything, Spurgeon is urging them to take it on, but they are cautious. I imagine it would have been a public honor to serve as an elder at the Metropolitan Tabernacle alongside the most famous preacher of their day. And yet, as exciting as it was, the truth is that pastoral work is not glamorous. It’s hard work. It’s a weighty stewardship. These men took James’ warning seriously, “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.” (James 3:1)
Second, it’s clear that the elders were particularly looking for those who were already engaged in pastoral work. There was no eldering pipeline at the Tabernacle, where you could go through a course and come out on the other end ready to be an elder. Rather, Spurgeon understood that pastoring was a gift given by the Spirit. So rather than creating a process, the elders looked for men who were already pastoring. We see here that a number of these folks were already teaching and leading Bible classes, which was an important teaching and discipling ministry of the church. In many ways, these men were already pastoring those classes. For Spurgeon, it was not about making elders but looking for those already doing eldering, exhibiting the qualifications and gifts of 1 Timothy 3:1-7.
Finally, Spurgeon understood that he could not lead and shepherd the church without elders serving alongside him. His conclusion is striking: “We have these, dear brethren, need to look round again.” Certainly, he’s encouraged by the two who are on board. But he needs more pulling alongside him. Without more elders, the pastoral care of the church will suffer. As busy as Spurgeon was, this matter was so important that he was personally involved in interviewing these potential elders. As the lead pastor, identifying new elders was a significant aspect of his pastoral care and leadership.
Conclusion
One evidence of Christ’s reign is that our ascended Lord gives gifts of pastors and teachers to His church (Eph. 4:11) to teach God’s Word and equip the Body for ministry and full maturity. If you are a solo pastor in your church, realize that you cannot do the work of caring for God’s people alone. Christ gives good gifts to His church, and you need faithful brothers working alongside you, supporting you, filling out your gifts, and providing their wisdom. If there are no qualified men, teach the congregation on the office of elders. Disciple men in the church to handle God’s Word and to exercise pastoral care. And most of all, call the church together to pray to the risen Christ that He would graciously give gifts of faithful shepherds.
©2023 Geoff Chang. Used with permission.
- MTP 7:261. ↩︎
About The Author

Geoffrey Chang
Geoffrey Chang is assistant professor of historical theology and curator of the Spurgeon Library at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Mo. He is the editor and author of Spurgeon the Pastor.