Preparing Elders For Their Term in Office

Martin Dam has an excellent article on Advice for New Elders in the latest Banner.

I've been there . . . first as a 23-year-old newlywed who was elected as youth elder but then suddenly 'given a district' to shepherd and visit.

I think that our process to train new elders is hopelessly mixed up. Elders come into their position poorly prepared. And they are supposed to be the church's spiritual leaders!

Consider this:

Council nominates or otherwise elects new elders. Especially if they are a first time elder, they will spend the next year in Elder Training after which they are formally installed so begin that work. During that year of training they will go through the Heidelberg Catechism, they will memorize pertinent biblical texts to help them in their spiritual counselling, they will become steeped in doctrine, they will become exposed to potential crises situations.

This is the kind of training that our parishioners should expect from their elders.

One can also anticipate a similar track of training for deacons, with a strong focus on stewardship, giving, and exposure to local outreach agencies.

Back to my first term as a young elder, I made my first family visit to a retired elder. I thought he'd be gentle. He was. He sat me down and said: "I will show you how to conduct a home visit."  He pulled out a sheet of paper and drew a target on there with a number of concentric circles. He said that Jesus is the bull's eye. Every conversation needs to focus there. The outer circles focus on their involvement in Christian schools, support for other church ministries, etc. He said that some people love to focus on their relationship with Jesus but have a difficult time translating their faith into other spheres of life. And some people love to talk about the Christian school or related organizations but have a difficult time speaking about their faith Jesus.

Which points out the importance of mentorship. A first time elder or deacon should be paired up with a seasoned veteran to provide coaching, admonition and encouragement.

Each church council needs to create an atmosphere of learning and training for elders and deacons. I can't imagine a better way than a full year of intense training before they are formally installed.