On Elders
So you wanna' be an 'Elder' do you?
Here is some info for you to peruse as you consider this potential sense of calling to serve God's Church...
But listen to this first...
WHAT DOES AN 'ELDER RUN' CHURCH LOOK LIKE?
There are typically two kinds of churches. 'Congregational' churches and 'Elder Run' churches. Congregational churches are churches where the members of the congregation (and every church has a different set of 'hoops' you have to jump through to become a 'voting' member) nominate and vote into office the Elders of the congregation. This is a problem on two levels. 1) It's not the model we find in the Bible 2) anecdotally--in my experience and that of many of my peers who are abundantly wiser than I--most of the nasty problems you hear of in churches are because of the congregational model. When a church runs on the votes of the members, a church can become like our government with special interest groups lobbying to get their 'needs' met and electing leaders who will service their particular agenda. We all know how well our government works. Just ask any church kid you know. Most of their past church experience will be NASTY and that's because nasty people had the power to do nasty things in their churches because they were Congregationally governed.
Kind of like letting the lunatics run the asylum.
Biblically we see the Church run by Elders who were appointed by Jesus. If you want to look up the qualifications for Elders you can find them in the book of 1st Timothy 3:1-7 and in the book of Titus 1:5-9. In short here's what it takes and means to be an Elder in God's Church.
An Elder must be:
-Called. A man must 'desire' the office of Elder all by himself. This means that Jesus calls a man to be an Elder and that man 'self-nominates' going to his Elders and telling them that he's feeling called to be an Elder. The other Elders then decide if a) they affirm his call and, if they do, b) begin a process of training/approving him.
-Above reproach. This is a 'catch all' category meaning "Hey, if we missed something, the whole 'above reproach' thing ought to cover it." It is exemplary men, men you'd follow out of a bunker into battle, who are fit to lead God's Church.
-A man who loves his wife and adores her only. One wife for life. You love her, devote yourself to her, cultivate her. She's the apex, the one you chase. One woman. Everybody knows that that guy is nuts about his wife and he's shown himself faithful to her over the long term--or shows strong promise of it. That kind of guy is Elder material.
-Sober-minded. Not the kind of guy who's going to fly off the handle. A guy who's patient and hard to rattle.
-Self-controlled. Not a 'road rager' or a 'hater' or an addictive personality type. Able to keep a rein on himself.
-Respectable. Other men would follow him. Other families would respect his.
-Hospitable. Welcoming of strangers. This doesn't mean all the christians in his church get to go hang out at his house but that he and his wife welcome non-believers and people who are seeking spiritual answers into their home. A dude who knows and loves culture and hangs out with real people in the real world.
-Able to teach. This doesn't necessarily mean he has to be a barn-stormer of a preacher but it does mean that only Elders can preach the Bible with authority in God's Church (ie: 'This is what it says and this is how you must respond...' kind of authority and the kind of authority that sets doctrine and right practice in the Church) and it means an Elder must be 'able' to teach. The pulpit ministry in a Church is Elder work. Elders must also be able to teach classes, or kids, or even dogs how to roll over. If the dude can't get 'Rover' to listen to him he's not going to stand a chance with some of the nut jobs you meet in church. You've got to be a guy who has something to say that's worth learning. Most of this 'wisdom' comes out of the wealth of your life lived in friendship with Jesus.
-Not a drunkard. Habitual drunkenness is not Elder behavior. Can an Elder drink or have a good time with his friends? Sure. Can he be a drunkard? No.
-Not violent but gentle. Pretty clear.
-Not quarrelsome. An Elder shouldn't be a persistent pessimist or always be seeking to pick a fight or point out someone's weaknesses just for the sake of it. An Elder should be a guy who makes for good friendship material.
-Not a lover of money. Money should have no hold on him. He should love Jesus, his wife, his kids, then his job. He should see all money as God's money and look to use it as a tool and be generous with it.
-Manage his household well. If his house is always messy and his lawn is never cut and his kids are out of control and his wife is a problem and he's letting himself go and he doesn't earn a living that supports his family--within their means--he's not an Elder. Elders should be guys whose manner of life you could (and would) imitate. "Gee, I could learn some things from that guy..." is what we want you thinking of your Elders.
-Dignified. You know a leader when you see/meet him. Your Elders should be that kind of guy.
-Keeping his children submissive. If he can't discipline and teach and lead the lunatics in his own household how can we expect him to do the same with the lunatics in our church?
-Not a recent convert. Elder work is serious work. Man's work. It's serious business and it takes some history with Jesus and some years lived as His follower to be the kind of guy who won't let power go to his head or fall into temptation.
-Well thought of by outsiders. Is he respected in the community or by his co-workers? Do the other parents at soccer like him? Are the neighbors impressed with him or do they think he's a loafer? Elders are well thought of. This doesn't mean everyone 'likes' them but that they're worthy or respect.
-A 'Bible Guy'. He must love the Bible and believe it and know Jesus through it and be able to teach the Bible about Jesus to his people in such a way that his people's lives are changed through the power of the Holy Spirit at work in his teaching. He must also not be fearful of people's opinion so that he is able to rebuke people who contradict the clear teachings of Scripture.
If you're this kind of guy and you feel God calling you to be an Elder please email Pastor Todd. toddc@tmginc.com
