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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.
Here is the most recent Form of Subscription, along with some supplemental material found in the church order.
Will we ever know Scripture well enough, pray faithfully enough, be wise enough? So how do we hear these words as a calling and an encouragement?
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.
How does Jesus call us into service? In my mind there are at least three ways.
The following are characteristics of healthy churches that are seen in the biblical history of God’s people.
Our best identity is not found in exploration of self independent from others, but self in relationship to others. Here are at least four ways in which Jesus guidance will lead to us to live more deeply as and with community.
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.
The basic guidance that Jesus as Lord gives through his Word and Spirit to us as a community include 1) the call to conformity, 2) the call to service, and 3) the call to community. In this article I will focus on the first.
Here are some pointers on visiting from Jim Dekker (pastor's network).
Strategies for elders to support members of the church to grow in faith and service in the Lord.
In Leadership we position ourselves in relationship to God and others for the sake of the Kingdom of God. Some basic relatively simple principles keep us on the right track.
Vision is a way of helping us stay focused on the central mission of the church’s life. Vision is a journey of change, not a destination. Read more about vision in this article.
There is no doubt that the process of evaluation can be helpful in the growth of a pastor and in the mutual ministry of pastors and elders. Yet, it may get tricky for a whole lot of reasons. Let me pick up on two aspects of the dilemma.
No elder will ever get through a period in office without facing the dynamics of family dysfunctions. Understanding these dysfunctions help us gain relational wisdom in congregational life. It essentially comes down to a few questions.
Home visitation allows the office bearer to encourage spiritual development among members of the congregation. I prepared the following materials for the elders of my previous congregation to use as a guideline in making home visits.
How do we provide pastoral care? What should we say? What do we think?
What we need to know about depression? How can elders help? Here are a few of learnings I believe are helpful.
Every community has its habits. They are so ordinary that no one either questions them or names them. But for someone walking into the room for the first time they are the first encounters into a new world. What are you supposed to do as a first-time elder?
What do we mean by family devotions? How do devotions nurture out faith? What can these devotions look like? Read this article to find some great tips.
I believe that the work of the elders can be enhanced by deliberately using different processes in our meetings. Let me mention a few and I encourage others to add to the list.
Leaders need to be aware of our tendency to let fear and control undermine God’s intention to liberate and restore our humanity including such things as participation, taking responsibility, creativity, and the freedom to explore. How can we do this?
Economic life has become more unpredictable than ever. Some of the unfortunate people may sit next to you in church on Sunday, and their number may well increase in the coming years.
When a person chooses to live with God, there is a consequence. God chooses to transform her life. Knowledge grows. Faith increases. The fruits of the Spirit become evident. For all the differences between people, there is a similarity in the work that the Spirit does in our lives.
People need intimacy, not answers—that is what we must remember when we are trying to comfort someone who is hurting.