LUTHERAN CHURCH – CANADA eAST dISTRICT

Elders’ Workshop

The Role of Elders in a Congregation

Rudy Beharrysingh & Jeff Kriwetz

4/23/2016

“Zealous, Fervent Servants – Having Hope and Joy in Trying Times.”

Romans 12: 5-12

A presentation on “The Role of Elders in the Congregation” at the Lutheran Church Canada East District Congregational Leader’ Workshop held on Saturday April 23. 2016 at Bethel Lutheran Church, 47 Sheldon Avenue N., Kitchener, Ontario

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Agenda........................................................................................................................................................3

WELCOME AND INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................................4

OPENING PRAYER........................................................................................................................................4

YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE ROLE OF AN ELDER............................................................................................5

WHY SHOULD A CONGREGATION HAVE ELDERS.........................................................................................6

Caring within Communities.....................................................................................................................6

How are Elders Viewed............................................................................................................................7

Elders in the Old Testament....................................................................................................................8

Elders in the New Testament...................................................................................................................9

Are Elders Required by God?.................................................................................................................10

RESPONSIBILITIES OF AN ELDER................................................................................................................10

Close relationships with the Pastor.......................................................................................................10

The Congregation’s Expectations of Elders............................................................................................11

General Expectations for an Elder.....................................................................................................11

Specific Functions of An Elder............................................................................................................12

Additional Functions for Elders In Public Worship Services...............................................................14

CHARACTER OF AN ELDER.........................................................................................................................15

The Elder as a Seasoned Faithful Christian............................................................................................15

The Elder as A Spiritual Leader..............................................................................................................16

WHAT MAKES AN EFFECTIVE ELDER..........................................................................................................17

Elders Show They Care..........................................................................................................................17

Elders Work as Servants of The People.................................................................................................18

Elders Invest in Growing Their Faith......................................................................................................20

Elders Work at Worship.....................................................................................................................20

Elders Engage In Private Worship......................................................................................................21

Elders Worship with their Families....................................................................................................21

Elders Worship at Meetings Too........................................................................................................22

Elders as Ushers at Services...............................................................................................................22

Elders Pray.........................................................................................................................................22

Elders Get Into Their Bibles...............................................................................................................22

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OTHER WAYS IN WHICH AN ELDER CAN BE EFFECTIVE.............................................................................23

Through Small Groups...........................................................................................................................24

Through Home Visits.............................................................................................................................24

Through Initiating Home Bible Study Sessions.......................................................................................24

Through Contact With Families.............................................................................................................25

Being Aware of Family Life Events.....................................................................................................25

Caring for the Weak, Careless, or Straying........................................................................................25

Through Witnessing...........................................................................................................................26

Through Giving them what They need...............................................................................................26

Through Support to Members in Times of Need...............................................................................27

When Someone is Sick...................................................................................................................27

When Someone is Dying................................................................................................................28

When Someone Grieves................................................................................................................28

Through Building Up Congregational Fellowship and Support..............................................................28

What is Fellowship.............................................................................................................................28

Elders Promote Fellowship................................................................................................................28

Elders Are Good Stewards.................................................................................................................29

HOW SHOULD ELDERS BE ORGANIZED TO CARE AND SERVE....................................................................29

Board of Elders......................................................................................................................................29

Organizing in Zones to Care...................................................................................................................30

CONCLUDING THOUGHTS AND REFLECTIONS...........................................................................................31

CLOSING PRAYER.......................................................................................................................................32

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Agenda

1. Welcome and Introduction

2. Opening Prayer

3. Your thoughts on the Role of An Elder

a. Why Should a Congregation Have Elders

b. What are the Responsibilities of an Elder

c. What Spiritual Gifts or Talents should an Elder Have

d. What Makes an Effective Elder

4. Why Should a Congregation have Elders

5. Responsibilities of An Elder

6. Character of An Elder

7. What Makes an Effective Elder

8. Other Ways in Which an Elder Can be Effective

9. How Should Elders be Organized to Care and Serve

10. Concluding Thoughts and Reflections

11. Closing Prayer

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WELCOME AND INTRODUCTION

Welcome to the Elders’ Workshop. Welcome to those of you who may already be Elders in your congregation, or are prospective Elders.

We hope that, through this workshop, you will receive the information that will help you to be effective in your congregations in the role of Elder.

Today, Jeff Kriwetz and I, Rudy Beharrysingh, will be leading the discussion. We are both Elders at Christ Our King Lutheran Church in Mississauga, Ontario.

Let’s see who is attending today’s workshop. If you would not mind, please identify yourself and the name of your congregation, and whether you are currently an Elder, or are contemplating becoming one.

Allow time for each attendee to identify himself.

Well, I don’t think I will be able to remember all your names and congregations, but perhaps Jeff will as he has got quite a few years yet to catch up with me.

OPENING PRAYER

Let us begin our session with prayer.

Dear Father in heaven, we thank you that you have raised us up to take on the role of leaders, or consider doing so, in the congregations we serve. Thank You for being a loving and merciful God who has looked

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upon us here in this workshop as being worthy to serve Your people in our individual congregations, to be there to share Your love, and the love of Your Son Jesus Christ, with all those whom we encounter in our positions as Elders, or potential Elders. Thank You for the faith that You have given us, and for sending the Holy Spirit to continue to grow that faith in us. Most of all, we thank You for having sent Your Son Jesus Christ into the world to be the propitiation for our sins, to give up His body and shed His blood for us on the cross, to pay our sin-debt in full by taking all our sins to the cross and so freeing us from slavery to sin, and for defeating sin, death and the devil through His death and resurrection,. We pray that the Your Holy Spirit will continue to guide and direct us in our lives, and help us to serve those in our congregations with love and compassion.

With humility and thanksgiving, we ask all this in the name of Our Risen Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE ROLE OF AN ELDER

Before we get into the material we have gathered on the role of Elders in a congregation, let us see what you think about Elders.

1. Why should a congregation have Elders?

= Listen to responses, and write them down for review later.

2. What do you think is their responsibilities, their purpose?

= Listen to responses, and write them down for review later

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3. What spiritual gifts or talents must an Elder have to fulfill his responsibilities?

= Listen to responses, and write them down for review later

4. What makes an effective Elder?

= Listen to responses, and write them down for review later.

Let us now have a more formal look at Elders in the congregation. The material for this workshop is taken from two sources, in addition to the Holy Bible:

1. Sharing God’s Care for One Another – A Planning Guide for Elders

Author: Peter L. Steinke

2. The Caring Elder – A Training Manual for Serving

Author: Victor A. Constien

WHY SHOULD A CONGREGATION HAVE ELDERS

Caring within Communities

A goal of Christianity is the making of community among people through their common faith in Christ. We saw this in the first-century Christians. (Acts 2: 40-47)

Community is a face-to-face group in which each one has liability to care for the other. It is a sharing among people who hold common beliefs and purposes.

A congregation becomes a community as the people share in the means of God’s grace, that is, Word and Sacraments, and in their

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offering of love, compassion, and assistance to one another. To make this happen, the Spirit of God and the spirit of caring must be present.

As a community of believers, a congregation should depend not only on the pastor for personal care ministry, but on each member. “To love God is to love our neighbor.”

It is in this context that the role of elders in the church was established. The congregation needed people other than the pastor to lead and guide them in caring for each other.

As the role of elder evolved through the generations of believers, we find that the attitude of congregations towards the role of the elder in today’s church has changed over time.

How are Elders Viewed

Here is a question we can ask ourselves: Do congregation members treat elders as spiritual leaders?

= Let attendees respond

The answer is that most members in a congregation think of elders as ordinary people, as individuals who they may feel cannot guide someone’s spiritual life. They look at elders as part of the organizational setup of a congregation.

The reason for this attitude may be that congregations do not do a good job of training elders to have more than a superficial role.

If we go back in history, we find that elders in the Old and New Testaments did not serve in the same role as elders in our congregations today.

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Elders in the Old Testament

Elders in the Old Testament played significant leadership roles, obeying powerful people like Moses and Joshua, while they acted for the whole people of Israel in major events.

In the Exodus story, elders were the people who took God’s words from Moses to the people of Israel (Genesis 3:16). God directed Moses to assemble the elders of Israel. Moses and the elders together were then to go to the King of Egypt to get permission for the Israelites to go to the desert for three days, in order that they may offer sacrifices to the Lord their God. We know how this story progressed to the point where Pharaoh was forced by God to release the Israelites.

The Hebrew word for elders literally means “bearded ones”, which in those days reflected age, wisdom, experience, and influence. Elders were typically heads of families and tribes, respected positions in those days. In some cases, their duties included judicial arbitration and sentencing (Deuteronomy 22: 13-19). In other cases, they were given positions of military leadership as leaders of Israel (Joshua 8:10), and also as counsel for the people (1 Samuel 4:3)

The elders were the ones who carried God’s message regarding the Passover celebration to the people of Israel, so that they may escape the wrath of God that was brought upon the Egyptians.

Elders worked with Moses and Aaron throughout the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt, and helped to share the burden of leadership of the people. When King Saul was anointed King of Israel, the elders lost some of their leadership powers and influence.

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However, in times of crisis, kings like Ahab called in all the elders in the land for advice. The rulers of Israel coveted and needed the advice and support of the elders.

Throughout the rest of the Old Testament, there are numerous references to elders as people in positions of power and influence, in Israel, in Judah, and throughout the lands of the Bible.

Elders in the New Testament

At the time of Jesus’ birth, the Sanhedrin, the ruling body of the Jews, was also known as the Council of Elders, the chief authority for interpreting the Law and instructing the scribes.

Frequently, Jesus and His disciples were accused of not following the traditions of the elders. The elders referenced here were the leaders among the Jews, who often, in conjunction with the Chief Priests and the Teachers of the Law, were looking for ways to accuse Jesus of crimes against God for which they could punish Him.

Elders, as leaders in the newly-formed Christian congregation at Antioch, were first referenced in the New Testament in Acts 11: 30. The disciples had sent gifts, via Paul and Barnabas, to the elders among the believers in Antioch. The elders were the church leaders who, at the time, handled administrative duties, and managed the caring ministry to meet the basic needs of the people, for things such as such as food and other body essentials, while the apostles spent their time in the ministry of the Word of God.

As Paul and Barnabas evangelized communities and organized clusters of believers, they appointed elders and committed them to the Lord. Paul named the elders guardians of God’s people, and they had the

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responsibility to care for the church of God. He urged them to fend off attacks from without, and within.

After the apostles left, the elders built on the foundation that the apostles had laid. The elders preserved the teaching of the apostles, and trained and guided the company of believers.

Elders were not only given authority, but were also expected to be models for believers, responsible to Jesus Christ, the Chief Shepherd. Paul encouraged Christians to recognize the faithful service of elders, especially those who labour in preaching and teaching.

Are Elders Required by God?

Does God command congregations to appoint elders? Is the office of elder divinely mandated? The answer is No.

God does not mandate that a congregation must have Elders to be part of the administration and worship practices of the church

However, God does require that there be pastors to exercise the Office of the Keys, to offer forgiveness and absolution of sins, and to administer to the people in Word and Sacrament – Holy Baptism, Holy Communion.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF AN ELDER

Close relationships with the Pastor

A Congregation, through its constitution and bylaws, appoints a board of elders to assist the pastor, and work in close relationship with him.

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Elders are assistants to the pastor. They help generate excitement within the church for the Word of God, and provide support for the preaching and teaching of the Word.

In situations where there are two pastors, elders help to strengthen the working relationship between the pastors. Their experience and loving concern provide a creative context in which to ensure that the work of the church is being done effectively.

The Congregation’s Expectations of Elders

General Expectations for an Elder

A Christian congregation looks to its elders to model Christian worship for all its members. Paul, in Romans 12: 1-2, says that we, as Christ’s followers, should present our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God, which is our spiritual worship. We should not be conformed to the world, but be transformed by the renewal of our minds, that we may prove what is the true will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Elders, by their spiritual worship, and the renewal of their minds through the gift of faith, feel a true sense of responsibility for the general spiritual welfare of the members of the congregation. Elders are to be:

the motivators for meaningful membership the earthen vessels through whom God may share His incredible

love the agents of warnings and comfort to church members

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Elders serve all the members of the congregation, seeking the total spiritual health of each person. As a result, elders need to have intimate contact with members of other boards.

Elders may help the congregation to set short-term and long-range goals, and set up the programs or marshal the resources to accomplish them

The congregation may expect its elders to assist the pastor in all aspects pertaining to the spiritual welfare of the congregation, to supervise public worship and church discipline.

Specific Functions of An Elder

Here are a few specific functions that a congregation may expect an elder, or a Board of Elders, to perform. In some churches, some of the functions are performed by the pastor himself, or in working with the elders, or by the elders themselves, depending on what is stated in the Constitution and Bylaws of the church, and on what is agreed between the pastor and the elders.

1. Pray for, encourage, and be concerned about the spiritual, emotional and physical health and welfare of the pastor and his family. See that he receives adequate compensation, housing, free time, vacation, assistance in times of illness.

2. Counsel with the pastor so that the Word of God is preached in truth and purity; that the Holy Sacraments are administered in accordance with Christ’s institution, and Lutheran doctrine and practices are preserved in the congregation.

3. Assist the pastor in counseling of difficult cases, and in finding peaceful and God-pleasing solutions to problems in the congregation.

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4. Encourage spiritual growth through regular church attendance, study of the Word, frequent reception of the Lord’s Supper, an active prayer life, and increased involvement in the mission of the church.

5. Direct and supervise the visitation of all members, and make every effort to enlist them in the work of the church.

6. Make a strong effort to get to know every member of the elder group, and the congregation at large, to become aware of temporal needs, sickness and death in the family, and other situations in which the congregation can be of help, spiritually by prayer, and by other actions.

7. Determine membership eligibility of all individuals and families applying for membership in the church, depending on the church’s Constitution and Bylaws.

8. Exercise discipline within the church according to Scripture, the Lutheran Confessions, or to the Constitution and Bylaws.

9. Help maintain a proper relationship with Lutheran Church – Canada to support Christ’s mission throughout the world.

10.Engage in member conservation. Review church and Communion attendance, and make calls on delinquents.

11.Supervise the instruction of children, youth, and adults for baptism, confirmation, and reaffirmation of faith.

12.Be responsible for a friendly personal welcome of visitors, and for the reception, orientation, and integration of new members in conjunction with the Board of Evangelism.

13.Assist and advise in consultation with the pastor, all established auxiliary organizations. Encourage spiritual programs.

14.Participate in training events the pastor may conduct for elders.15.When the pastor moves to another assignment elsewhere, make

arrangements for an interim pastor, until a new pastor arrives.

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16.Prepare and submit an annual budget for all pastoral and worship services and supplies.

Additional Functions for Elders In Public Worship Services

The Board of Elders normally assists the pastor in planning public worship services.

Elders may assist as readers. Elders can improve their reading by studying the verses to be read, and in looking at the verses before and after to get the right context, and add meaning to the readings.

Elders may assist in distributing the Lord’s Supper. Elders should know the correct names of the Communion vessels, and how they are to be used with reverence.

Elders, in some cases, may be asked to take communion to the sick or homebound. The bread and wine must be consecrated by the pastor. However, communicants are strengthened in their faith when they hear the words of institution themselves. So it makes more sense for the pastor to do these visits, but elders can accompany him.

In Baptisms, Elders may be called upon to represent the congregation, and promise that the congregation will pray regularly for the child. Emergency baptisms may be performed by Elders in the absence of the pastor.

Elders may not act as leaders in marriages or funerals, but may assist.

Elders may also be appointed to greet visitors, and prospective or new members, and to introduce them to others to enhance their worship experience.

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CHARACTER OF AN ELDER

The Elder as a Seasoned Faithful Christian

In the early days of Christian, when elders were first appointed at Antioch, three qualities were necessary then:

1. Good Christian behaviour2. Filled with the Holy Spirit3. Filled with wisdom

Now we have somewhat more of an exhaustive list:

People who serve as elders should be recognized for their stable, balanced, Christian character, their willingness to serve Christ and their fellow human beings.

Elders should be people with spiritual characteristics who are able to carry out more practical assignments than those given to the pastor.

Elders are to be model Christians who help to uphold and demonstrate to the whole congregation the noble goals it has chosen for its ministry.

Paul describes the type of elders congregations need (1 Tim. 3: 8-13):o Serious, not double-tongued – not flippant and not insincereo Not addicted to much wine – able to resist the temptation to

over-indulge in alcoholo Not greedy for gain – should live lives of honest work and

unselfish sacrifice for the gain of others, not themselveso Hold the mystery of faith with a clear conscience – a priceless

possession is that of confidence in the forgiving mercy of God through His Son Jesus Christ

o Blameless – above reproach, with a secure faith

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o Husband of one wife – a model for Christian marriage, faithful husband with a lifelong commitment to his wife. He lovingly cares for his wife so that, by God’s grace, she reaches the potential God has for her.

o Manage their children and household well – children are brought up in the discipline and instruction of God, with parents and children together cultivating orderly obedience to God’s will.

In Titus 1, Paul again repeats these qualities and character traits for one to be an elder. He also adds the following:

o He must love what is good.o He must be self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined.o He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been

taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine, and refute others who oppose it.

By His inspired Word, God helps church members to identify, enlist, and strengthen the elders the church needs today in order to achieve its mission.

The Elder as A Spiritual Leader

Here is a list of actions that an elder can undertake in order to demonstrate his commitment to God in serving as an elder, and to show spiritual leadership as an example for the members of the Congregation

1. Show a willingness to learn and grow in God’s grace, and in the skills of serving Him and others.

2. Demonstrate a faith which has been tested and refined through years of Christian experience.

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3. Faithfully participate in worship services, the Lord’s Supper, and in small group Bible Study.

4. Pray regularly for the congregation, for the pastor and members, for the community, for all people and themselves.

5. Lovingly work with their wives to strengthen their marriage, and manage their households to fulfill God’s purposes.

6. Live personal lives which are above reproach.7. Exhibit mental and emotional stability.8. Demonstrate the ability to cultivate good inter-personal

relationships, help people work toward solving personal problems, and live in love with those with whom they frequently clash.

9. Show a deep commitment to the success of the congregation and the pastor, as measured by God’s goals for them.

10. Exhibit a willingness, for the sake of Christ and His Gospel, to forgive when frail Christians are unable to carry out all their plans perfectly.

WHAT MAKES AN EFFECTIVE ELDER

Elders Show They Care

An elder needs to show that he cares for the people in his congregation. He is a disciple of Jesus who learns by listening to the Saviour speaking in His Word. Christian elders are motivated, by the love of Christ, and through selfless service, to assist in the liberation of people from the power of sin. This work of liberation is done through the power of God’s Spirit. With the people of God freed from the power of sin, Satan, and the fear of death, they can lovingly worship God and care for the needs of their neighbours.

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Elders who serve do not pursue power and prestige. They search for opportunities to lighten the burden of others, and ease the pain of others.

Elders need to be filled with the Holy Spirit if they are to truly show that they care for the members of their church. The congregation will know if elders are filled with the Holy Spirit when they observe the elders discovering, developing, and using the gifts given to them by the Holy Spirit.

Elders also need to show that they have the gift of wisdom in them – the skill of putting knowledge about God and His ways to work in the practical decisions of everyday life, and in their interaction with members of their congregation. Through the decisions they make, they can gain the confidence of the congregation in their abilities to offer advice and assist in resolving issues.

Elders Work as Servants of The People

Jesus Himself said that He came to serve, not to be served. (Matthew 20: 28). Just as Jesus led by serving us, so also an elder learns to lead by serving. Jesus also said that “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.” (Mark 9: 33-35)

A special function of elders in a congregation is to minister to people with loving care, encouraging members to nurture themselves in their faith through Word and Sacrament, and to join in sustaining others in their faith (and to be sustained as well) through “the mutual conversation and consolation of the brethren”. (Luther)

The role of the elder can be defined as being personal, and person-centred, assisting the pastor in providing care for the members of the congregation, and for all our neighbours, whether they are part of the

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congregation, or are members of our extended families, or members of the community at large.

Care is the personal dimension of a Christian’s service to others. Martin Luther says, “As our heavenly Father has in Christ freely comes to our aid, we also ought freely to help our neighbor through our body and its works, and each one should become, as it were, a Christ to the other, that we may be Christ to one another, and Christ may be the same in all, that is, we may be truly Christians”. Care will seek to prevent difficulty, as well as to intervene in the middle of it, or offer support because of it.

True caring involves the disposition of the heart as well as the act of helping. Caring means that the elder will be dealing with feelings, values, meanings, questions and hopes. So the elder is one who takes care, not takes charge, although some aspects of taking care may also mean taking charge. Love, or care, must be patient.

For the caring elder, good order and effectiveness are only means for reaching the true goal of the building up of God’s people in faith and love. The uppermost question should well be, “what can I offer to the people for whom Christ died.”

People can be cared for in many ways – by counsel, support, encouragement, sheer listening, clarification of feelings, correction, and instruction. People who serve do lots of listening. They create hospitality, and have a sense of self-forgetfulness, or losing yourself as Jesus calls it, or putting the interest of others before yours.

A servant does not get overwhelmed by all the needs that exist, but begins by serving people one by one. He not only perceives the saddest side of life, but also cares for the joyous, admirable, and graceful things

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of life. He labours for their increase and maintenance, and so he should indulge in things that bring joy.

People who do not care are tempted to control. An elder, in his role as servant, lets the one requiring care, set the agenda. He engages the person with his own wisdom, belief and perspective.

An elder serves by loving his fellow members as they are. Out of that love, he can learn to hear their message with patience, and with a nonjudgmental attitude. Compassionate hearing clears the way to understanding.

He cares without imposing conditions on the other. To do otherwise is to have a heart that seeks its own.

Servants with grumpy voices and grudging glances are contradictions of true servanthood. So elders, as caring servants, should be wary of this behavior.

A caring helper will be persuasive without being pushy. He will be concerned, but not afraid to correct. He will be honest, but not tactless. The Law can be used to bring people to the Gospel of forgiveness

The spirit of God’s care for us is comfort – to remove anxiety, ease distress, and to encourage in Christ. A servant is offered strength, readiness, stimulations, and courage to care through Word and Sacrament. He puts his trust in God, and in His mercy to him.

Elders Invest in Growing Their Faith

Elders Work at Worship

Elders of a congregation, by their office, reflect the concerns of the church members for creative and sound worship practices.

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Christian elders can help members of their congregation worship by supporting the Word and Sacrament ministry through prayer, reflection, and participation.

Faithful worship in itself leads to growth in the service of God.

Elders Engage In Private Worship

A Christian elder can grow in the knowledge and grace of God, and in power for the elders’ tasks, by daily investing his time in reading the Bible, meditating on God’s law, and in the good news that Christ Jesus forgives his sin. Growth occurs also through prayer for himself and others.

Private worship challenges an elder to receive the Holy Spirit’s message of God’s Word with a mind and heart that are eager to incorporate God’s power into his life and work.

Through private worship, a Christian elder is reassured of his reconciliation with God through Christ, which in turn enables him to be God’s agent of reconciliation for others.

Elders Worship with their Families

Christians in a family worship all day long through their interactions with one another, sharing the love of Christ in the things they do and in time spent together.

An elder should set aside sufficient time for daily devotions with his family. Readings from the Bible, comments on what they mean for the family, prayers and spiritual songs are some happy ingredients.

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Elders Worship at Meetings Too

Worshiping our God is the business of Christians whenever they gather together. Elders’ meetings should include studies about prayer, to help elders learn to pray effectively in all situations. Elders should encourage Bible Study and prayer, not only in their meetings, but also in meetings of other church bodies.

Elders as Ushers at Services

In their service to Jesus, ushers assist those who are elderly, or have disabilities, so that they may have a meaningful worship experience. Elders need at time to be like ushers, showing compassion and a willingness to help those with physical issues.

Elders Pray

Elders pray at meetings, when they do visits, or when they are at home. Included in a well-rounded prayer should be praise to God for who He is, for His gracious acts of love toward us, confession of our sins, petitions for God’s rescue from trials and temptations for us and our neighbours, prayer for God’s power to enable us to do His will, and prayer in thanksgiving to God to acknowledge His glory.

Elders Get Into Their Bibles

Elders help others learn and teach the Gospel of Christ by studying God’s Word.

Learning and teaching the Word of God is the fundamental process by which Christian elders strengthen and instruct one another for their mission.

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Through Bible Study, elders and other church members are better equipped to face challenges to the Word of God. Some of these challenges are listed below:

Friends, neighbours, public leaders in education, industry and entertainment express open antagonism toward Christian standards of ethics.

Christian goals for marriage and family life are said to be meaningless.

People ridicule those going to church as being only a tradition. People deny Christian teachings that say they are inherently

sinful. In doing so, they reject the unending grace of God by which He freely declares sinners to be forgiven by faith in Christ.

The Bible is characterized as being outdated and altogether obsolete.

Through His Word, God builds elders up so that they can confidently face these tests and help fellow members do the same.

Elders who get into their Bibles discover again and again the peace of God that transcends all understanding, and the power of God that surpasses all imaginations as a source for overcoming the spiritual attacks of Satan, our own flesh, and the world.

Through study of the Scriptures, God instructs and empowers elders to put Jesus first in their lives.

OTHER WAYS IN WHICH AN ELDER CAN BE EFFECTIVE

There are many different ways in which an elder can help the members of his congregation grow in their faith and in service to one another. Here are some of these ways.

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Through Small Groups

Many congregations have set the goal that every member participates in a public worship service and a small group Bible Study each week. This helps Christians develop skills in understanding and living out their lives in Christ as revealed in Scripture.

Through small group study, elders receive large blessings in knowing that they are not alone in their concern for the congregation. Those attending can intentionally help one another become better church members, and more able to handle conflicts, tensions, disappointments, and losses.

A small adult class can help members move from being spectators in the congregation to actually serving God and other people.

Through Home Visits

Home visits help to create learning, teaching and nurturing situation.

The elder becomes more sensitive to the issues and plights facing church members.

Together with the members, they can use God’s Word and their own experience to discover how better to follow God’s directions and carry on His saving work.

Through Initiating Home Bible Study Sessions

Meeting in a neighbour’s home can help members relax and enjoy the informal climate.

Ordinarily, and elder does not serve as leader for a home Bible study, but helps select a person to facilitate the group’s study.

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Through Contact With Families

Being Aware of Family Life Events

A Christian elder learns early in his work to keep close tabs on family relationships among the people in his church, or zones if they are established.

He keeps track of where young adults, high school youth, and children are at any time.

He keeps in contact with those engaged to be married, those who are single, unmarried couples and parents, single parents, and the divorced.

He can either celebrate with them, or provide advice or counsel to them together with the pastor or other Christian professionals.

Elders can be the first line of support for family life education events such as marriage and family enrichment weekends.

Caring for the Weak, Careless, or Straying

Elders are expected to care about members who become weak or careless in their participation in worship, the Lord’s Supper, in their financial contributions, in fellowship events, or those who make negative comments about church activities.

God calls Christians to bear the fruit of faith, and only the person who abides in Christ can produce good works. To abide in Christ, He must nurture us by His Word and Sacraments.

Frequent contact with church members can help to prevent crisis situations where people drift away from church.

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Elders need to show that they care, and that they want to help the person work through the hurts, disappointments, and resentments connected with church membership.

Elders who can keep confidences, who have an authentic love for other adults, who want to develop new skills, and who are adaptable to change, are best qualified to represent Jesus and His church in the effort to reclaim those who drift away.

A Board of Elders which keeps a chart of calls made to inactives, and people returned to fellowship, will see the importance of patient, persistent, loving contacts with people who have become careless about their church membership.

Through Witnessing

Jesus promised the disciples that they will receive power from the Holy Spirit, and will be His witnesses in all the earth. Like early disciples, elders are called to begin their Christian witness at home, giving their family the assurance of God’s presence and His care for them, His forgiveness and hope in Jesus, His power in them to overcome temptation and to show love to others.

Elders witness from their own experience how they were brought to faith, and have kept their faith.

They publicly acknowledge their gifts from God, and that they are sinners like all others, but that God through Jesus covers all our sins.

Through Giving them what They need

The goal of Christian elders is to present Jesus to people, so that by God’s Spirit, they put their trust in God through Him, and serve Him as their Lord and Saviour.

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To present Jesus to someone involves an elder in four basic activities:

1. He explains in his own words or those of Scripture how God so loved the world that He sent His Son Jesus, so that whosoever believes in Him will have eternal life.

2. He shares his own faith in Jesus, how Jesus has changed his life, and how his sins are forgiven.

3. He speaks specifically to the situation of his listener – how the Word of God can reach this person’s fears, guilt, searching, anger, arrogance, or unbelief. When a person listens to the narrative of God’s love in Christ worded especially for him and his needs, he hears a faithful witness to Jesus.

4. By presenting Jesus, he summons a person by the power of the Holy Spirit to repent and believe the gospel. An elder is God’s agent of reconciliation who lovingly urges people to repent, thus dying to sin, and to believe God’s message of forgiveness in Christ, and so rising to a new life in Christ.

Through Support to Members in Times of Need

As servants of Jesus, elders serve others. They learn from Jesus to count others better than themselves, and they look out for the interest of others. Elders can assist the pastor in making some of these difficult visits.When Someone is Sick

An Elder’s purpose in visiting the sick is to share God’s Word, and pray that God help the sick person in His daily care, and according to His gracious will, grant new strength and wholeness.

An elder emphasizes one basic fact in his visits. Although our bodies may be broken or weak, God yearns for a strong and unbroken relationship with us.

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When Someone is Dying

Elders can emphasize the forgiving grace of God in our Lord Jesus Christ, and eternal life through Christ.When Someone Grieves

Elders support grieving Christians by assuring them that grief is a normal process for dealing with important losses, and that grief often continues for a while.

Elders can give those saddened by death an opportunity to talk and pray about the loss they feel. Elders can help a person grasp by faith the power of God in Christ Jesus to continue daily life, in spite of the loss.

Through Building Up Congregational Fellowship and Support

Elders play a vital role in building the spirit of Christian fellowship and support in their congregation.What is Fellowship

It is an expression of faith in Jesus. To live in fellowship with Christ is to live in fellowship with others.

Fellowship for church members is giving to, and taking from, one another in their partnership in faith in Jesus, and sharing burdens with one another, and sharing in their joys and sorrows.Elders Promote Fellowship

Elders promote fellowship by cultivating stronger faith in the Saviour. As Christians sense a vital and growing link with Christ, they become aware of their growing interaction with all those who call Him Lord.

Only the Gospel of Christ, powerful in God’s grace, creates in people a commitment to one another in the love of Christ.

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Elders who support and encourage fellow Christians to read, hear, meditate on, and live out the Gospel of Christ, are connecting those believers up with one another in a vigorous interlacing of God’s love.

Elders encourage frequent participation in the Lord’s Supper to bring members to closer fellowship. Partaking of the body and blood of Christ, Christians both receive and testify to their unity with Christ and with one another.

Elders support Christian fellowship when they help parish groups concentrate on who they are: people who are frail because they are sinners, but new and growing in service through faith in Christ.

As groups recognize and emphasize the worth of each individual member, they express the love of Christ for all.Elders Are Good Stewards

A Christian elder rehearses for himself and others how God has called them to be good stewards of God’s varied grace.

An elder is first a steward of God’s Word, both Law and Gospel. God has entrusted to him the management and administration of that Word.

An elder’s highest privilege as God’s steward is to share God’s Word with others in his care.

HOW SHOULD ELDERS BE ORGANIZED TO CARE AND SERVE

Board of Elders

Typically, each congregation will have a Board of Elders.

In order to better focus the board on some of its main responsibilities, a Board of Elders may have sub-committees, such as:

1. A Worship Committee to plan and organize public worship services, and ensure that all the resources (people, worship elements) that are needed to run the services are available.

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2. A Membership Committee to study and implement ways of increasing attendance, and reviewing membership and attendance records.

3. A Ministry Committee that ministers to, and with the pastor to the congregation, and takes care of his needs

Organizing in Zones to Care

There are some practical steps that a Board of Elders can take to put care into practice.

Each elder may be assigned a group of people for his care – perhaps geographically, or by demographics, where age and lifestyle may be similar.

The primary purpose of a zone is to enable the members of the congregation to intentionally and more intimately care for the well-being of each other in Christian fellowship.

Members in zones can more readily identify ways to bring healing to those who hurt, encourage those who despair, physically help those who are sick, help those who feel guilt to receive God’s forgiveness, and provide friendship to those who are lonely.

The elder can keep in personal contact with his assigned group through the following actions:

Doing home visits to each family from time to time, and also keeping in contact by telephone. By knowing his assigned group individually, he is more attuned to their needs and can offer care as may be necessary.

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He may send greeting cards, or e-mails, for wedding anniversaries, illness, birthdays, marriage, birth, death, confirmation, graduation, baptism, etc.

Elders can host or arrange to have events to bring together members of his group for fellowship and community building

CONCLUDING THOUGHTS AND REFLECTIONS

Before we wrap up today, let us see how the answers you gave to the four questions we asked at the beginning of the presentation compare to what you think now, after having listened so attentively to us:

1. Why should a congregation have Elders?

= Listen to responses, and compare to earlier answers

2. What do you think is their responsibilities, their purpose?

= Listen to responses, and compare to earlier answers

3. What spiritual gifts or talents must an Elder have to fulfill his responsibilities?

= Listen to responses, and compare to earlier answers

4. What makes an effective Elder?

= Listen to responses, and compare to earlier answers

Thank you for your comments.

As we move forward in our roles as elders in a congregation, we need to remind ourselves that the church of Jesus is a hospital for the healing of sinners. God does His work in the church, through pastors, elders, and other members of the church. Through God’s Word and Sacraments, and the fellowship of believers, we, as elders and

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members of a congregation, are much better off, and are much better persons than we would be apart from the church.

Many of the ideas we have presented here today are the ideals of what the role of an elder should be in a church. A lot of what an elder does for his congregation, other than the administrative functions, depends on how receptive members of his church are in involving him in their concerns and their private issues.

We trust that our presentation today may have helped to inform you of what your role as elder could or should be, and give you some practices you can employ to improve yourself in your service to God and to your fellow believers.

We thank you for attending today’s session, and pray for God’s guidance and direction to you as you continue in your service to the Lord.

Let us now finish our session with a closing prayer.

CLOSING PRAYERDear God Our heavenly Father, we come to you with a repentant spirit for our sinfulness and our failings, and for guidance and direction as we continue to serve, or are contemplating to serve, in the role of an elder in our respective churches. We wholeheartedly trust in Your personal forgiveness in Christ, and ask you to help us help others seek and trust that forgiveness for themselves.

We thank You for Your loving mercy and grace in sending Your one and only Son, Jesus Christ, to suffer and die for our sins, and be raised again to show us the way to You. There are not enough words, or works we can undertake, to show our gratitude for what You have done, and continue to do for us through Your Son Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

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We pray that You would continue to shine Your light through us, so that we may be faithful witnesses to Your love, grace, and mercy to all us sinful beings.

We ask all this in the name of our Resurrected Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who together with You and the Holy Spirit, form one God, now and forever. Amen.