Interestingly, at least for me, we have five married daughters. Four of them attend a PCA (Presbyterian Church in America) where men, and men only, serve as elders. For life. While they initially resented the fact that there were no women as elders, 'gender' has not become an issue. What is even more impressive that that those men who are chosen to be elders are incredibly godly men. The church takes the role of men as spiritual heads very seriously.
So, when they select new elders, 'gender' is never an issue. That's all they have ever known.
In the same way, when I first became an elder 40 years ago, gender was not an issue. Men were elders and deacons. Period. There was no thought, no desire to have women serve as elders.
During my early years in journalism, I used a typewriter with carbon paper. That's all I knew. I never longed for a laptop, desktop or anything digital.
I used to go to church twice on Sunday and I always wore a shirt and tie.
Times have changed. That applies equally to technology and church culture.
We shouldn't dismiss those earlier years in church when we 'only' had men as elders (in fact, there are undoubtedly hundreds of CRCs that still do) as something archaic ... where women were longing for the day when they could speak to a pastoral elder who was a woman.
The Church, and I speak of the CRC here, has often been too sensitive to the culture around us. Feminism led to the demand for women in office (though many denominations such as the PCA have resisted that).
I think I signed in with my "hello " almost a year ago. I don't think that much has come of the conversation, discussion or dialogue over the past year.
After serving numerous terms as an elder, usually as chair of council, I have discovered recently that I wasn't really qualified.
Sure, I checked all of the boxes, especially gifts of administration and organization, but I didnt have a sound biblical foundation. I couldnt easily quote scripture to parishioners when it came to providing wise counsel to families.
I readily proclaimed my love for the church and its institutions but, on hindsight, I didnt have a living, breathing relationship with Jesus.
So, the number 1 criterion for serving as an elder: have an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ and be immersed in scripture.
Dave, it's been decades since I was first installed as an elder. We've come a long way since that time in providing proper orientation for elders (and deacons).
I mourn the selection process for elders these days. We seem to be more concerned with having 'a warm body' in an elder's chair than to have someone who is spiritually mature, who at least appears to live a holy life, and someone who knows scripture.
I would like to see congregations nominate potential elders, then have them go through a series of classes that review the church's doctrine -- yes, the creeds -- with a firm understanding of the Catechism. Potential elders should be asked about their spiritual lives (ie devotions, walking with God each day), their relationships to their spouse and children, and whether or not they feel qualified to become one of the congregation's spiritual leaders. They should display gifts of leadership and decision-making.
We have, in my estimation, taken the office of elder too lightly. As overseers of the preaching of the Word, and as overseers over the spiritual lives of folks within the congregation, elders have an obligation to know their scripture so that they can carry out their office appropriately.
Your very last question -- How do you seek to know what God wants from you? -- is quite different from the heading on this piece -- Knowing what God wants you to do -- and yet the answer is the same.
God wants our obedience. God longs to have us depend on Him for all that we need, want, are.
Several years ago, after a long and varied career in communication and journalism, I took six months off to discern God's will in my life. To ask God: "What's next?" Through that intimate time of devotions, I learned to 'let go'; that it didn't really matter that I had to find out what God has in mind for me. God has it all figured out.
It took time but I did develop that mindset of 'letting go'. Depending on God. I developed this image in my mind of a bicycle built for two. I'm sitting on the back; God is up front. And each day -- I still do this -- I ask God: "Where to today? Who will I meet? How can I be used by you?" And each day His answer is the same: "Never mind; just keep peddling."
God steers and directs my life and I'm along for the ride. But this isn't a passive ride. If you stop peddling a bike, you fall off.
So, I do my work. I facilitate a pile of breakfast meetings where I expose Christian business leaders to biblical principles that apply to leadership.
Matthew 6 regularly comes to mind. "Why worry about life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear." Since God oversees Creation, he cares even more about me.
So, what does God require from me? Obedience. Being open to God's leading every day. There is, therefore, no need to worry about anything.
Here's my rule of thumb: "Only worry about the things over which you have control. Then fix them. Anything that isn't under your control is in God's hands. Let Him worry about that."
Good point about elder visits. I clearly recall being installed as an elder the first time at age 23. Newlywed, young kid. I made my first 'home visit' to a seasoned elder. He sat me down in his living room, pulled out a blank sheet of paper and drew three concentric circles ... like a target.
He said that the bulls eye was one's relationship with Christ. Circles that moved away from that involved one's relationship with family, involvement in 'church life' and in Christian organizations.
He said that sometimes folks like to talk about their faith right away; their devotions and their love of God. But sometimes they're reluctant to talk about how their faith impacts their other relationships: family, church, community.
He said that sometimes folks like to talk about everything BUT their relationship to Christ. They can talk about church involvement, chairing various committees, heavily involved in organizing 'churchy' things, but have a difficult time articulating their personal relationship to Christ and their personal devotional life.
That one-word comment also sums up the kind of teaching, training and mentoring that I received when I was first elected an elder some 40 years ago.
With the benefit of hindsight, I was probably chosen to be an elder because
1. I seemed like a nice Christian guy.
2. I went to church twice on Sundays (back when they had two morning services).
3. I displayed leadership skills.
4. I loved the Church (ie its structure, Church Order, systems, etc.)
I was never interviewed for the position of elder; never asked for doctrinal positions on matters before the church's assemblies; never grilled -- or even asked -- about my devotional life and my knowledge of Scripture. It was 'assumed'.
I was probably asked if I loved the Church -- and I would have responded enthusiastically.
I was never asked if I loved Jesus, if I was striving to live a holy life, if I felt comfortable talking to parishioners under my pastoral care about their faith and my faith.
My view of elders today? Many aren't qualified to provide spiritual direction to those under their pastoral care simply because they aren't steeped in the Word and their daily devotional life is lacking.
Elders today (and undoubtedly for the past generation or two) seem to be administrative leaders more than they are spiritual mentors over the congregation.
... just a quick note about time limits on speeches at Synod.
We have fallen victim to a Twitter society where everything needs to be said in a very few words.
I served as Synod delegate back in the early 1980s. Synod lasted two weeks and we'd spend hours ... hours .. in heated, wonderful debate on several major issues. Synod back then was indeed a 'deliberative body', filled with thoughtful dialogue and arguments.
We have lost that for the sake of efficiency and expediency ... and that is a shame. I cringe at the thought of having a meaningful debate in 2021 when the gender issues comes to the floor of synod. With speeches being confined to a two-minute soundbite, very little of substance will be raised.
When it comes to a meaningful discussion on things that shape the future of this denomination, what's the rush? Turn off your cell phones, shut down your Twitter account and become engaged in a robust, thoughtful debate. It takes time to listen, it takes time to be heard, it takes time to form a reasoned opinion before a decision can be made.
There is something almost 'holy' about bringing your offerings to the Lord on Sunday during worship. This isn't archaic or old-fashioned.
I think that a blend of technology and stewardly giving might accomplish both the church's need for regular giving and the worshipper's need to give ... and to be seen to give.
Using PAR or some similar form of electronic automatic withdrawal gives the church treasurer the assurance that the budget is being met (more or less). Parishioners are encouraged to tithe and to make that regular commitment each week or each month.
But when the offering plate is passed down the pew and it remains empty, what message is that sending to our children and grandchildren? That the offering is an option.
I suggest that the bulk of our offering be given electronically but that our true giving (as the Lord has blessed us that week) goes into the offering plate. Furthermore, our children should also be actively involved in the offering, giving a portion of their weekly allowance or income to the church. Unless children get into the habit of giving to the church, they will grow up with the view that passing an empty offering plate down the pew is some sort of archaic ritual. For many it has become precisely that.
Electronic giving fulfills the church treasurer's desire to have regular, guaranteed cash flow. It's a corporate response to what should be a very personal exercise; ie. giving unto the Lord.
This function has absolutely nothing to do with the notion of 'bringing our offerings' to church.
There is something humbling and deliberate about sitting down in the kitchen before heading off to worship and actually writing a physical check payable to the church.
I think that we need to have both: giving a portion of what we'd normally give via PAR or some other electronic plan, but then also topping that up, so to speak, with the physical exercise of putting something into the offering plate.
I just don't get it. Why do we consistently insist on a rebranding? We change the names of our mission agencies -- okay, CRWRC was cumbersome.
"Classis" has been our signature designation for the group of churches for more than a century. Every knowledgeable CRC person knows what a classis is. And yet, The Banner invariably insists on adding an identifier whenever it uses the term (ie Classis is a group of churches within a specific region).
We seem to be under the mistaken notion that there are tens of thousands of new Christians flocking into our churches and picking up The Banner and then becoming absolutely stymied when they stumble across "classis".
Can you imagine any sports league -- NFL, CFL, NHL, NBA -- changing their terminology so that fans can better understand the game? No. Fans learn the lingo.
Similarly, we should refrain from treating pew-sitting CRC folk like children. They/we KNOW the language. We know what a classis is, or a synod, or an overture, or an NIV translation.
Don't dumb down our church language. It won't attract one new convert. And that, after all -- proclaiming the gospel -- is what it really should be all about.
You raise a good point, Ken. The most important element in any church website is the Contact Us section. Unfortunately, many churches get it wrong. They simply provide a form that needs to be filled in and then "submitted" to some unknown office person at the other end.
So much for being a seeker-friendly church. Where possible, the pastor's profile and email address should be included on the website. And if it's a larger church with multiple staff, the key point persons should also be profiled along with their email address.
From a privacy perspective, or to prevent email harvesting, it may be advisable to use something like bob[at]firstchurch.
Back to the main point, each church website needs to have a Contact Us page that is very user-friendly and that includes the church's physical address, phone number and time of worship, in addition to that personal contact info.
If one is determined to streamline our organizational language, then using General Assembly instead of Synod and Regional Assembly instead of Classis may make sense. So you'd have Regional Assembly Wisconsin (RAW), for example, or Regional Assembly Toronto (RAT). Or you'd preferably put the emphasis on the location, such as Grand Rapids North Regional Assembly or Holland Regional Assembly.
Posted in: Any Current or Past Elders?
Interestingly, at least for me, we have five married daughters. Four of them attend a PCA (Presbyterian Church in America) where men, and men only, serve as elders. For life. While they initially resented the fact that there were no women as elders, 'gender' has not become an issue. What is even more impressive that that those men who are chosen to be elders are incredibly godly men. The church takes the role of men as spiritual heads very seriously.
So, when they select new elders, 'gender' is never an issue. That's all they have ever known.
In the same way, when I first became an elder 40 years ago, gender was not an issue. Men were elders and deacons. Period. There was no thought, no desire to have women serve as elders.
During my early years in journalism, I used a typewriter with carbon paper. That's all I knew. I never longed for a laptop, desktop or anything digital.
I used to go to church twice on Sunday and I always wore a shirt and tie.
Times have changed. That applies equally to technology and church culture.
We shouldn't dismiss those earlier years in church when we 'only' had men as elders (in fact, there are undoubtedly hundreds of CRCs that still do) as something archaic ... where women were longing for the day when they could speak to a pastoral elder who was a woman.
The Church, and I speak of the CRC here, has often been too sensitive to the culture around us. Feminism led to the demand for women in office (though many denominations such as the PCA have resisted that).
Posted in: Any Current or Past Elders?
I think I signed in with my "hello " almost a year ago. I don't think that much has come of the conversation, discussion or dialogue over the past year.
After serving numerous terms as an elder, usually as chair of council, I have discovered recently that I wasn't really qualified.
Sure, I checked all of the boxes, especially gifts of administration and organization, but I didnt have a sound biblical foundation. I couldnt easily quote scripture to parishioners when it came to providing wise counsel to families.
I readily proclaimed my love for the church and its institutions but, on hindsight, I didnt have a living, breathing relationship with Jesus.
So, the number 1 criterion for serving as an elder: have an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ and be immersed in scripture.
Posted in: What Do You Wish You Had Known When You Were First Installed?
Dave, it's been decades since I was first installed as an elder. We've come a long way since that time in providing proper orientation for elders (and deacons).
I mourn the selection process for elders these days. We seem to be more concerned with having 'a warm body' in an elder's chair than to have someone who is spiritually mature, who at least appears to live a holy life, and someone who knows scripture.
I would like to see congregations nominate potential elders, then have them go through a series of classes that review the church's doctrine -- yes, the creeds -- with a firm understanding of the Catechism. Potential elders should be asked about their spiritual lives (ie devotions, walking with God each day), their relationships to their spouse and children, and whether or not they feel qualified to become one of the congregation's spiritual leaders. They should display gifts of leadership and decision-making.
We have, in my estimation, taken the office of elder too lightly. As overseers of the preaching of the Word, and as overseers over the spiritual lives of folks within the congregation, elders have an obligation to know their scripture so that they can carry out their office appropriately.
Posted in: The Path of Discernment — Knowing What God Wants You to Do
Your very last question -- How do you seek to know what God wants from you? -- is quite different from the heading on this piece -- Knowing what God wants you to do -- and yet the answer is the same.
God wants our obedience. God longs to have us depend on Him for all that we need, want, are.
Several years ago, after a long and varied career in communication and journalism, I took six months off to discern God's will in my life. To ask God: "What's next?" Through that intimate time of devotions, I learned to 'let go'; that it didn't really matter that I had to find out what God has in mind for me. God has it all figured out.
It took time but I did develop that mindset of 'letting go'. Depending on God. I developed this image in my mind of a bicycle built for two. I'm sitting on the back; God is up front. And each day -- I still do this -- I ask God: "Where to today? Who will I meet? How can I be used by you?" And each day His answer is the same: "Never mind; just keep peddling."
God steers and directs my life and I'm along for the ride. But this isn't a passive ride. If you stop peddling a bike, you fall off.
So, I do my work. I facilitate a pile of breakfast meetings where I expose Christian business leaders to biblical principles that apply to leadership.
Matthew 6 regularly comes to mind. "Why worry about life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear." Since God oversees Creation, he cares even more about me.
So, what does God require from me? Obedience. Being open to God's leading every day. There is, therefore, no need to worry about anything.
Here's my rule of thumb: "Only worry about the things over which you have control. Then fix them. Anything that isn't under your control is in God's hands. Let Him worry about that."
Posted in: What Do You Wish You Had Known When You Were First Installed?
Good point about elder visits. I clearly recall being installed as an elder the first time at age 23. Newlywed, young kid. I made my first 'home visit' to a seasoned elder. He sat me down in his living room, pulled out a blank sheet of paper and drew three concentric circles ... like a target.
He said that the bulls eye was one's relationship with Christ. Circles that moved away from that involved one's relationship with family, involvement in 'church life' and in Christian organizations.
He said that sometimes folks like to talk about their faith right away; their devotions and their love of God. But sometimes they're reluctant to talk about how their faith impacts their other relationships: family, church, community.
He said that sometimes folks like to talk about everything BUT their relationship to Christ. They can talk about church involvement, chairing various committees, heavily involved in organizing 'churchy' things, but have a difficult time articulating their personal relationship to Christ and their personal devotional life.
Posted in: Any Current or Past Elders?
"Hello."
That one-word comment also sums up the kind of teaching, training and mentoring that I received when I was first elected an elder some 40 years ago.
With the benefit of hindsight, I was probably chosen to be an elder because
1. I seemed like a nice Christian guy.
2. I went to church twice on Sundays (back when they had two morning services).
3. I displayed leadership skills.
4. I loved the Church (ie its structure, Church Order, systems, etc.)
I was never interviewed for the position of elder; never asked for doctrinal positions on matters before the church's assemblies; never grilled -- or even asked -- about my devotional life and my knowledge of Scripture. It was 'assumed'.
I was probably asked if I loved the Church -- and I would have responded enthusiastically.
I was never asked if I loved Jesus, if I was striving to live a holy life, if I felt comfortable talking to parishioners under my pastoral care about their faith and my faith.
My view of elders today? Many aren't qualified to provide spiritual direction to those under their pastoral care simply because they aren't steeped in the Word and their daily devotional life is lacking.
Elders today (and undoubtedly for the past generation or two) seem to be administrative leaders more than they are spiritual mentors over the congregation.
Thus endeth my 'Hello'.
Posted in: Synod 2019 Top Tweet(s) - Wednesday, June 19
... just a quick note about time limits on speeches at Synod.
We have fallen victim to a Twitter society where everything needs to be said in a very few words.
I served as Synod delegate back in the early 1980s. Synod lasted two weeks and we'd spend hours ... hours .. in heated, wonderful debate on several major issues. Synod back then was indeed a 'deliberative body', filled with thoughtful dialogue and arguments.
We have lost that for the sake of efficiency and expediency ... and that is a shame. I cringe at the thought of having a meaningful debate in 2021 when the gender issues comes to the floor of synod. With speeches being confined to a two-minute soundbite, very little of substance will be raised.
When it comes to a meaningful discussion on things that shape the future of this denomination, what's the rush? Turn off your cell phones, shut down your Twitter account and become engaged in a robust, thoughtful debate. It takes time to listen, it takes time to be heard, it takes time to form a reasoned opinion before a decision can be made.
Posted in: Electronic Giving and YOUR Church
There is something almost 'holy' about bringing your offerings to the Lord on Sunday during worship. This isn't archaic or old-fashioned.
I think that a blend of technology and stewardly giving might accomplish both the church's need for regular giving and the worshipper's need to give ... and to be seen to give.
Using PAR or some similar form of electronic automatic withdrawal gives the church treasurer the assurance that the budget is being met (more or less). Parishioners are encouraged to tithe and to make that regular commitment each week or each month.
But when the offering plate is passed down the pew and it remains empty, what message is that sending to our children and grandchildren? That the offering is an option.
I suggest that the bulk of our offering be given electronically but that our true giving (as the Lord has blessed us that week) goes into the offering plate. Furthermore, our children should also be actively involved in the offering, giving a portion of their weekly allowance or income to the church. Unless children get into the habit of giving to the church, they will grow up with the view that passing an empty offering plate down the pew is some sort of archaic ritual. For many it has become precisely that.
Posted in: Electronic Giving and YOUR Church
Electronic giving fulfills the church treasurer's desire to have regular, guaranteed cash flow. It's a corporate response to what should be a very personal exercise; ie. giving unto the Lord.
This function has absolutely nothing to do with the notion of 'bringing our offerings' to church.
There is something humbling and deliberate about sitting down in the kitchen before heading off to worship and actually writing a physical check payable to the church.
I think that we need to have both: giving a portion of what we'd normally give via PAR or some other electronic plan, but then also topping that up, so to speak, with the physical exercise of putting something into the offering plate.
Posted in: Time to Rename Classis?
I just don't get it. Why do we consistently insist on a rebranding? We change the names of our mission agencies -- okay, CRWRC was cumbersome.
"Classis" has been our signature designation for the group of churches for more than a century. Every knowledgeable CRC person knows what a classis is. And yet, The Banner invariably insists on adding an identifier whenever it uses the term (ie Classis is a group of churches within a specific region).
We seem to be under the mistaken notion that there are tens of thousands of new Christians flocking into our churches and picking up The Banner and then becoming absolutely stymied when they stumble across "classis".
Can you imagine any sports league -- NFL, CFL, NHL, NBA -- changing their terminology so that fans can better understand the game? No. Fans learn the lingo.
Similarly, we should refrain from treating pew-sitting CRC folk like children. They/we KNOW the language. We know what a classis is, or a synod, or an overture, or an NIV translation.
Don't dumb down our church language. It won't attract one new convert. And that, after all -- proclaiming the gospel -- is what it really should be all about.
Posted in: What's in an Email Address?
You raise a good point, Ken. The most important element in any church website is the Contact Us section. Unfortunately, many churches get it wrong. They simply provide a form that needs to be filled in and then "submitted" to some unknown office person at the other end.
So much for being a seeker-friendly church. Where possible, the pastor's profile and email address should be included on the website. And if it's a larger church with multiple staff, the key point persons should also be profiled along with their email address.
From a privacy perspective, or to prevent email harvesting, it may be advisable to use something like bob[at]firstchurch.
Back to the main point, each church website needs to have a Contact Us page that is very user-friendly and that includes the church's physical address, phone number and time of worship, in addition to that personal contact info.
Posted in: Time to Rename Classis?
If one is determined to streamline our organizational language, then using General Assembly instead of Synod and Regional Assembly instead of Classis may make sense. So you'd have Regional Assembly Wisconsin (RAW), for example, or Regional Assembly Toronto (RAT). Or you'd preferably put the emphasis on the location, such as Grand Rapids North Regional Assembly or Holland Regional Assembly.