What is the context?
Opponents arrive from Antioch and Iconium, win over the crowd and stone Paul. They drag him outside Lystra, presuming him dead. After the disciples gather around him, he gets up and returns to the city, then leaves with Barnabas for Derbe the next day. Luke describes the attackers’ assumption without stating that Paul had actually died.
After making many disciples in Derbe, the two return through the places where they had faced danger. They strengthen the believers and encourage them to continue in the faith, explaining that entering God’s kingdom involves many hardships. The new communities need ongoing care after their first response.
Paul and Barnabas appoint elders in each church, with prayer and fasting, and entrust the believers to the Lord. The word translated appointed is χειροτονέω (cheirotoneō, khay-roh-toh-NEH-oh). Thayer’s entry includes choosing by a raised-hand vote and the broader sense of appointing; it places this verse under that broader use. Luke identifies the messengers as appointing the elders but does not describe every step by which the people are selected.
They continue through Pisidia and Pamphylia, speak in Perga and sail from Attalia to the Antioch that sent them. The gathered church hears what God has done through them and how He has opened faith to Gentiles. They remain with the disciples for a considerable time.
How is this passage commonly understood?
Christians commonly see the appointment of elders as provision for continuing care and teaching. Traditions differ over how this relates to the selection, ordination and authority of church leaders.
The Catholic Church’s Catechism, paragraphs 1562–1567, describes priests, also called presbyters, as sharing in the bishop’s mission and serve in communion with him and under his authority.
The Reformed Orthodox Presbyterian Church’s Form of Government, chapter XXV, requires a congregation to elect qualified elders who share in its oversight and calls for them to be formally set apart for that work. The 1689 Baptist Confession, chapter 26, paragraph 9, directly cites Acts 14:23 for choosing an elder by the congregation’s vote, with fasting, prayer and the laying on of elders’ hands.
Within the Wesleyan tradition, the United Methodist Church’s Book of Discipline, paragraph 304.3, places authorization with the ordained members of the annual conference, a regional church body, and ordination with the bishop. These are distinct church arrangements, rather than a claim that the Greek word alone sets out each complete system.
Where does this fit in God's plan?
The work continues beyond the arrival of new believers. Ephesians 4:11–16 explains the purpose of Christ’s gifts of ministry: equipping His people and helping the whole body grow toward maturity in Him. Teaching, encouragement and local care here fit that wider purpose.
Titus 1:5–9 also describes appointing elders and connects their qualifications with faithful teaching and care. The prayer and entrusting in Acts keep that responsibility dependent on the Lord, rather than treating leadership as a substitute for His keeping of the church.
What is our position?
Who Shepherds the Church? cites Acts 14:23 alongside Titus 1:5 as a clear example of appointing elders. The study emphasizes shared responsibility among elders who teach and care for the people, rather than building a ladder of ranks above them. Its point here is recognized care shared among elders within each community.