Producing the Next Generation of Elders

With the church”s future in mind, we must turn to God”s strength and prayerfully watch for and identify potential elders. Then we must train and trust those potential leaders to take our place as leaders, trusting the Holy Spirit to show us the right time. Successful leaders like Jesus, Paul, and Moses, did exactly that. Long-standing, thriving Christian churches have humble elders who do that today.

In The Maxwell Leadership Bible, John Maxwell states, “Success without a successor means failure.” If the shepherd leaves behind only sheep, how long will the sheep last without the newly anointed shepherd-leader? Not long.

The Moses Model

Moses knew this to be true. God led Moses to select Joshua as one of the 12 spies to scope out the promised land. Joshua and Caleb returned from that mission with reports very different from the other 10 spies. Joshua saw the land with God-directed vision. As a result, he spoke of promise not problems, fulfillment not fear, and blessing not beasts. This leadership challenge identified Joshua as a potential next-generation leader for Moses.

J. Oswald Sanders, in his classic book Spiritual Leadership, wrote, “In the ultimate it is God and not man who prepares and selects those who are to assume positions of leadership in his kingdom. No work that he has initiated will be left unprovided for until his purpose through it has been achieved.”

Our Process

At Eastview Christian Church, Normal, Illinois, the elders ask our staff to identify servant-leaders who have displayed the Spirit”s anointing of the gift of leadership, who are seeing the world through God”s eyes, and are advancing God”s vision for the church through word and action.

We look first for evidence of fearless faith. What has a person done or attempted to do that was impossible to accomplish but for the power and grace of God upon them? Does the person give fearlessly, does he serve fearlessly, is he a fearless witness, and does he lead fearlessly?

Second, following Paul”s wise counsel to Timothy, we seek confirmation of the characteristics for elders (1 Timothy 3:2-7 and Titus 1:6-9) in those potential elders.

And last, we examine each person”s leadership competence. Is the person a leader of leaders, or do the fears of others who lack God”s vision sway their decision making? An elder who acts based upon any fear other than the fear of God is not competent to lead. But before we identify and before we call, we pray. Jesus prayed all night (Luke 6:12) before he picked the apostles. How much more should we pray when considering leaders for the church?

While it is imperative for existing elders to train the next generation of elders to develop their spiritual potential, we are tempted to jump into the training without seeking direction from God”s Word and the Holy Spirit. One element of training is the modeling of leadership. Before sending out the apostles, Jesus demonstrated how to pray, how to serve, how to battle spiritually, and how to lead. As for Moses” model, it was Joshua who stood guard outside the tent where Moses met with God, and Joshua did not leave that tent. Paul encouraged others to follow him as he followed Christ Jesus. In addition to modeling the right leadership behavior, Paul tutored Timothy on handling crises. He enabled Timothy to share the preaching duties.

Leaders are not produced en masse. The trainer takes time to discipline, instruct, enlighten, nurture, and train one by one those who are younger. The elder trains in order to one day turn over the leadership. Who is your Timothy?

The Example of Jesus

Jesus gave the church three gifts to help it grow””his Spirit, his Word, and the next generation of leaders. Ultimately, elders are called to entrust and turn over his church to the next generation of elders. Leadership change must happen. The fact is that no man, however gifted and devoted, is indispensable to the work of God”s kingdom.

In Spiritual Leadership, Sanders wrote, “Since we have a Leader who conducts his work on the power of an endless life, the same yesterday, and today and forever, changes in human leadership need not shake or dismay us.” In fact, as Jesus spent so much time identifying, training, and preparing leaders for his church, elders must prepare for the transition as well. Jesus extended his reach by developing not just followers, but leaders. As a result, his church did not merely grow by adding followers; his church multiplied innumerable times over throughout the world by multiplying leaders. If we yield to his call to identify, train, and entrust the next generation of elders, his church will do more than last; it will magnify his glory.

John Ashenfelter is an attorney living in Bloomington, Illinois. He has been an elder with Eastview Christian Church, Normal, Illinois, for more than 15 years.