Leadership is a critical issue in all churches. Experts tell us, “Everything comes down to leadership.” Leadership is the key to fruitfulness, success, and accomplishing our goals. When effective, godly leadership is present, goals are realized. One of the most important aspects of the life of a healthy church is the building of a solid, biblical elder team.
The question is, “Where are we as a movement when it comes to elders and their leadership in the typical Restoration church?”
First a disclaimer: Each church and eldership in our movement is unique unto itself. Each has its own history, culture, tradition, rituals, practices and policies.
The following observations below are drawn from experiences as we ponder the state of eldership in the Restoration Church.
The Positives About Our Elders
*Many elders are just in the beginning of their tenures of service and many are wisened veterans. These brothers are completely committed to Jesus and His kingdom. They are effective leaders who serve the body of Christ. They are men who love the Lord will all of their hearts, who serve with distinction, and make the Lord proud of their work. They are fulfilling their call from Christ and are treasures in the Kingdom of God. We are thankful for these men and their sacrifice of time, energy, and attention to the bride of Christ.
*It’s impressive and exciting about the understanding of our churches when it come to the role of the elder. Christian know the great value of having godly men lead, shepherd, and protect their church. The church’s clear understanding of this biblical guideline is always encouraging.
The Needs Facing Our Elders
There are several challenging areas when it comes to being an elder
*Many churches are not recruiting new elders as carefully as they should. Great care, prayer, and fasting should go into the selection of men to be our elders. In Acts, we repeatedly see prayer and fasting employed as leaders set aside leaders. This should be a part of all elder selections.
*A large percentage of churches still offer no training or teaching for new elders coming into service. The training regimen for most new elders is simply to watch what previous elders did and follow their pattern. This teaches new elders that their main work in the church is to go to meetings and pray in Sunday worship services! Planned training is absolutely critical in the preparation of elders.
* Some men who serve as elders should never have been placed in that role. These men make a very small minority of elders in our churches. Such men can be identified by their dramatic need for power and control. They are egotistical and can be narcissistic. These men can hopefully be led to a personal surrender to Jesus (see Romans 12:1-2 and 2 Corinthians 5:17) but placing them into an elder role before genuine conversion can be disastrous to the health and growth of a congregation. When discovered, they must be removed as soon as possible.
The Challenges Facing Our Elders
As a band of brothers, let us take to heart the truth that as “iron sharpens iron, one man sharpens another”. The Restoration church needs to resolve;
-learn, understand, and live out the qualifications given in Scripture for the service of elders.
-learn the importance of and how to build strong and lasting relationships.
-learn how to understand and interpret the culture in which we serve so we can be more effective.
-learn to teach and preach the Word of God with accuracy and effectiveness.
-learn to create a model of biblical governance as opposed to a model not found in Scripture or the adopting of the “corporate” mindset when it comes to leading the church.
-learn to build vision, mission, and values to undergird our forward progress as we develop strategic plans for our congregations.
-learn how to grow closer to Christ through the Word of God, prayer, and other spiritual disciplines.
***David Roadcup is cofounder and outreach director for e2:effective leaders. He serves as professor of discipleship and global outreach representative with TCM International Institute
