Resource Browser Page
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| January 7, 2010 |
On Vision: A Brief ReflectionClarifying VisionVision is a way of helping us stay focused on the central mission of the church’s life. Through clarifying vision, decision making has a constant reference point. Through clarifying vision, the church has common language to deepen its sense of community. Through clarifying vision the church gives its various ministries the ability to integrate with and support each other. Typically vision statements respond to three different calls from Christ... |
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| January 9, 2010 |
Do I Have What It Takes?First Time Elder Often I am perplexed by the mystery of the human person. The more I learn and see, the more I wonder: Do I really have what it takes to be a spiritual guide to the people I meet? My experience is not unique.
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| January 9, 2010 |
The Role of an Elder: Responsibilities and LimitationsLeadership To be called as an elder is to take on a new role in your relationship to the congregation. It is important to reflect on your new role and face some of its demands and limitations.
First observe that you already have a number of roles that affect your relationships in the congregation:
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| January 9, 2010 |
Responsibilities of Elder According to the Church OrderOne avenue to discover the responsibilities of eldership is to examine the Church Order. The church order has a number of articles that outline some of aspects of eldership. I have put the basic Articles of the church order in together for your information.
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| January 9, 2010 |
Form of SubscriptionChurch Order Below we have the most recent Form of Subscription, along with some supplemental material found in the church order. For more discussion on the signing of this form read the Form of Subscription Revision Committee Report. While Synod did not approve that report because it seemed to weaken the bonds of faith between us, it does demonstrate the struggles we have had in understanding the value and importance of this form.
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| January 9, 2010 |
Give Them Intimacy, Not AnswersPastoral Care People need intimacy, not answers—that is what we must remember when we are trying to comfort someone who is hurting. Unfortunately the typical response to another’s distress is to try to give answers. Our tongues swing into high speed, and we overflow with glib sayings and spiritual moralisms. Few of our words ...
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| January 9, 2010 |
Getting Started as a First-Time ElderFirst Time Elder I watched my granddaughter come up to the front of the church for the first time. She did not know what to do. Where would she sit? To which children did she belong? What was she supposed to do? Or not do?
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| January 9, 2010 |
The Various Roles of an ElderLeadership The calling of an elder gets us involved in many parts of the church's life. We get involved in different ways. We make visits, attend committee meetings as liaisons, and attend elders meetings and council meetings. In each instance, we take on a particular distinct role in which we can define responsibilities and face limitations.
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| January 11, 2010 |
Spiritual Formation: Becoming Like ChristSpiritual Formation When our first child entered our lives, we wondered about her growth. Was it normal for her to sleep so much? What about her smile? When would she learn to turn over on her own? So we bought a book called The First Twelve Months. It gave us a month-by-month description ...
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| January 15, 2010 |
A resource on visitingPastoral Care Here are some pointers on visiting from Jim Dekker (pastor's network). |
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| January 21, 2010 |
Getting Started On LeadershipLeadership In the last few weeks, I read two articles in the Financial Post on leadership. One article, quoting Dr Rowe, said: “I am not actually sure leadership is something that can be taught in the classroom …” it continued “many of the characteristics seen in good leaders, such as self-awareness, reliability, sensitivity to the strengths and weaknesses of colleagues, are also features of good followers.” |
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| January 22, 2010 |
Characteristics of a Healthy ChurchAdministration We offer the following characteristics of healthy churches that are seen in the biblical history of God’s people. |
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| January 25, 2010 |
Record Keeping: Elder's VisitAdministration We keep records to be accountable and to remember. The question is what needs to be recorded and for what purpose.
Not so long ago, a clerk of council had to go through the records of the church to find out some information about a decision made a long time ago. Along the way, he read many more minutes than anyone would wish...
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| January 28, 2010 |
Elders and Spiritual FormationSpiritual Formation In our tradition, the elders are encouraged (required by article 65 of the church order) to make an annual home visit. The purpose of these visits have varied over time: providing pastoral care, applying the preaching to the life of the members, supervising of the Lord’s Supper, ensuring that the church programs were effective. Each of these had a different slant on the way to conduct the home visit.
At its root the concern was similar. |
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| February 25, 2010 |
Responsibilities According to the Charge to EldersChurch Order I charge you, elders, to "guard yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood" (Acts 20:28). |
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| March 12, 2010 |
Pastoral Care for Those 'Living Together'Pastoral Care Many times in my ministry, the topic of a couple “living together” without a proper wedding is placed on the agenda of elder’s meeting. How do we provide pastoral care? What should we say? What do we think? While most agree that what is best is a deep commitment blessed by their respective families, celebrated in community, blessed by God and firmly established in law, having a couple do less raises questions. In simple terms, we wonder “How do we bring good news”? |
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| March 29, 2010 |
Caring for Someone in a Nursing HomePastoral Care Among the vulnerable in any congregation are people who through loss of health have diminished capabilities. Many times their limitations confine them to home or a nursing home. To care for them requires discerning ears and gentle words. In this article, Karen Mulder and Ginger Jurries share helpful pointers in our journey of care. |
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| April 12, 2010 |
On Process: Finding Ways to Make Progress as a CommunityLeadership Every process has its opportunity and its limitations. Choosing an appropriate process is one of the tasks of leadership. The way we do things is important. So often all of us fall into our default approach without considering alternatives. Yet we can accomplish much more by deliberately considering the way we seek to work ... |
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| April 23, 2010 |
Leadership, Covenant and Holiness: Reflections as I Read Moses PavaLeadership We often look around for material on leadership that might inspire us our imagination. Reading Moses Pava helped me, in part because he used two words hardly ever used at the same time as the word leadership, namely, covenant and holiness. |
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| May 12, 2010 |
When Jesus Guides: ConformingSpiritual Formation Conformity is not a popular word or image. In our imagination, conformity means to be shaped by what is socially and acceptable and expected of the group to which we belong. It is a loss of individuality. Becoming ourselves means finding our own identity and way in the world. So to speak about conformity will never be particularly engaging. Yet the Christian life is an invitation to conform. |
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| January 9, 2010 |
Just-in-Time LearningIn our just in time culture, just in time learning has come to work of elders. Very few churches have a program of preparation in which people are enrolled prior to their call to be an elder. Which means most elders start the work of eldership feeling unprepared for the challenge of the work. Learning needs to happen on many fronts. Just by reading this, you are seeking information and encouragement for the challenges you face.
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| January 23, 2010 |
Contentment and Spiritual FormationSpiritual Formation Christians have always remarked that contentment is rooted not in the circumstances of our lives but in God who gives life. We would do well to ask: what is my source of contentment? How do the habits of my life display that I find more contentment in the Lord than a trip to the mall?
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| January 25, 2010 |
Confusion in Communication StrategiesAdministration At a council meeting, we were talking about communicating a particular concern and decision to the congregation. That’s where it began. The ones who were dealing with the youth suggested that we put in on facebook. The ones with email thought that was adequate. The luddites suggested that the mailslots in the church were adequate. Everyone agreed that just putting it in the bulletin was inadequate: it is never read well enough.
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| January 28, 2010 |
Do You Love Me?Spiritual Formation It is the question Jesus asked Peter. It is the question every member asks the elder.
When we become an elder, the tasks of the office loom before us. We will have to attend meetings, engage in church management, arrange visits with members, and take on leadership responsibilities. If you are a first time elder, these responsibilities can be overwhelming.
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| February 8, 2010 |
Reflections on Prayer While Reading HOMESpiritual Formation Sometimes by the time we get to pray we have already fretted and considered. By the time we come to God, our prayers reveal the solution to our crisis. God give me what I believe I need so that this moment will pass leaving me with the “appearance of dignity”. |
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| February 22, 2010 |
On Good QuestionsLeadership So I began to wonder what have been some of the best questions in the context of the elder’s work in the congregation. Leading the congregation in good conversations that create fresh consideration of the way we seek to live our lives faithful to God is vital to our call. |
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| March 1, 2010 |
Nomination TimeAdministration A name is mentioned. There is a collective hesitation. No one really wishes to speak. To open a conversation is to open the story of a mixed past. |
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| March 5, 2010 |
On Reading Mel Lawrenz Whole Church: Book ReflectionLeadership In church council we are always concerned about vision in the life of the church. We are also concerned about building unity in our common life. This book addresses both. His vision is summarized as “engaging God, God’s people, community, and mission to the world”. |
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| March 18, 2010 |
Fresh Eyes EarsSpiritual Formation My grandchildren have me looking as if for the first time once again. They see what I pass over. They are delighted with what I consider common. They hear in a fresh way. Observing them takes me out of my world and into theirs. Fresh ears and eyes that see and hear with wonder. It reminds me of what Jesus said: “unless you become like a child.” |
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| March 22, 2010 |
Nudges, Entrepreneurs and Christ’s Grand ProjectLeadership Over the last number of years I have come to the conclusion that we need to allow more chaos into the life of the church. Not the chaos that leads to violence, but the chaos that makes us open to the nudges of God. |
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| March 29, 2010 |
Taking Care of the PastorLeadership Spring is slowly awakening my garden. We don’t plant much food. A little lettuce. Some beans. Still it is nourishment. In order for us to get the nourishment from this small plot, we need to tend the plot, ensure adequate water, and get rid of the weeds. It is neither instant nor effortless. Often times the image of feeding is used to speak about preaching... |
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| April 7, 2010 |
The Easter Story and the Way of the ElderSpiritual Formation As I was thinking about the sermons for Good Friday and Easter Sunday, it struck me (once again) that the story we tell was not intended to simply give us a wonderful celebration 2000 years later. Jesus came to bring change. |
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| April 12, 2010 |
Self-DeceptionSpiritual Formation The range of what we think or do Is limited by what we fail to notice...Failing to notice is a strategy we use to avoid truth that demands change. We all believe that we ought to love our neighbour. In fact most of us think we are doing alright in this regard. Of course we tend to surround ourselves with... |
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| April 19, 2010 |
On Justifying SelfSpiritual Formation As I woke up this morning, I was having imagined conversations with some people in the church and who were once members of the church. I wanted reasons for their actions. I was asking the question every young child asks: Why? For instance: why do you attend that other church? Why have you stopped attending church altogether? |
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| April 23, 2010 |
Leading When We Feel Like Tottering FencesSpiritual Formation Yesterday, we reflected on what happened in elders lives this past year. When they said yes to serving as elder, they considered the pros and cons, their schedules and abilities. They knew they faced challenges. But all things considered they accepted, as the form says, that this was the call of God on their lives. Then life happened... |
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| May 6, 2010 |
Reliability and Spiritual LifeSpiritual Formation I started looking for a new car. It is an interesting journey. One question I ask involved reliability. I want to drive the vehicle for a long time. This means I am looking not only at first impressions or even cheapest price; I want the vehicle that has long haul credibility. I will accept fewer luxuries to gain greater reliability. Reliability is a quality of the Christian life... |
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| May 11, 2010 |
Ascension DaySpiritual Formation To confess Jesus is Lord is to say The Market is not, the President is not, the Banks are not, the Taliban is not. This is counter-cultural. We need many occasion to remind ourselves of this truth we so easily forget in the day to day demands on our lives. |
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| May 17, 2010 |
Filling Broken CisternsSpiritual Formation Jon Foreman uses an image of “broken cisterns” in his song “Cure for Pain” that grabbed my attention: I'm not sure why it always goes downhill Why broken cisterns never could stay filled |
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| May 25, 2010 |
Waiting for the SpiritSpiritual Formation Acts 1 begins with Jesus telling the disciples “wait”. It is not that the disciples were without skills or abilities. But that was beside the point. The basic principle is simple: not by might, nor by power, but by the Holy Spirit. |
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| May 31, 2010 |
Spirit and DesireSpiritual Formation What do you want? It is a simple question. But the answers touch on many complex matters of the human heart. Dealing with human desire is one of the common features of spirituality in many religious traditions. Each one agrees on this: getting what we want often leads us astray. |
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| January 9, 2010 |
Guiding the Faith Journey: A Map for Spiritual LeadersSpiritual Formation I've written this book to help church leaders guide others on their spiritual journey. The 19 brief chapters can be used for devotions at council meetings, where participants can examine their own spiritual growth and explore how to discuss topics with others. |
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| January 26, 2010 |
Elder Visitation RecordAdministration Sample form for record keeping of elder's visits to church members. This is designed ot be used as the first page of an elder's visitation log of visits to a church member. For subsequent pages, use the Elder Visitation Record page 2. Use with appropriate caution and discernment regarding confidentiality and privacy laws. |
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| January 26, 2010 |
Elder Visitation Record Page 2Administration Sample form for record keeping of elder's visits to church members. This is designed to be used as subsequent pages after Elder Visitation Record. Use with appropriate caution and discernment regarding confidentiality and privacy laws. |
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| January 26, 2010 |
Member Involvement LetterAdministration This sample letter can be used by an elder to assess the gifts of church members and their willingness for participation and involvement in caring for other members within their district |
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| January 28, 2010 |
Conversations for Listening GroupsSpiritual Formation Listening Groups have one purpose: to listen to God. The people may change, the questions may change, and the circumstances may differ but as we gather together one thing remains the same: we know that the Word and Spirit will guide us to follow Christ and bring glory to God, our Father. |
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| November 2, 2010 |
Introducing Our Church (PowerPoint)Leadership This is the PowerPoint presentation we use in our "Woody Nook 101" class that introduces new people to our church. You can use it as a sample for building your own. |
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| January 9, 2010 |
Elder's Institute (PCC)Leadership The Presbyterian Church of Canada provides their elders with training. THis site gives you a window into their training and provides a number of very useful resources. Take a look. |
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| January 9, 2010 |
Building Church LeadersLeadership Christianity Today has developed this site with many helpful resources. Browse away. |
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| January 9, 2010 |
Alban InstituteLeadership I have often found very helpful articles and books on this site. They have provided leadership as church consultants. |
