Church Leadership Trust Between Elders and Ministers
Darrel Rowland shares reflections from Ernie Graf and Jim Sloderbeck, two leaders who have served both as elders and as church staff members. Their comments highlight the need for communication, trust, and mutual respect between ministers and elders.
- Ernie Graf emphasizes that elders and ministers must understand the pressures and responsibilities each side carries.
- Jim Sloderbeck identifies trust as the first mark of healthy leadership between elders and ministers.
- Both leaders point to unity, communication, and shared commitment as essential for church leadership teams.
By Darrel Rowland
With apologies to Judy Collins, we could say that Ernie Graf and Jim Sloderbeck have looked at church from both sides now.
Their unique perspective comes because both were veteran elders and both now serve on their church’s ministerial staff.
Graf is minister of administration for Northside Christian Church near Akron, Ohio. He majored in accounting and has a degree in business administration, which he used for 35 years in the private sector.
When Northside created the administrative post in 2003, he took early retirement and joined the staff.
Sloderbeck has been executive pastor of Heritage Christian Church near Atlanta since 2006. Previously he was an emergency room doctor for nearly 30 years.
On the church’s Web site he notes, “The ‘emergencies’ here are a little different—usually, no one is bleeding—but the ER was great preparation for what I do now.”
Here are, verbatim, some of their thoughts about life from both sides of the elder-minister divide.
Mutual Respect
Ernie Graf: As an elder, I was fascinated with what goes on at the church on a day-to-day basis. I had little knowledge of the dynamics of a week in the life of a minister. I could not understand that if I called the church and asked to speak to a staff member why they might be tied up or out of the office. I did not understand why sometimes it took longer for things to get done than I thought it should.
In my mind, I was thinking how I would do things, not taking into consideration that while we hesitate to call the church a business, it is a business—a people business. A church’s main product is working with people, and every person is different. Now I see from my pastoral chair how the best-laid plans can fall apart with a phone call or unexpected visit from an individual with physical or spiritual concerns. Priorities change quickly.
I learned how important it is to be prepared for unexpected calls in the evening or weekend from people with problems. I learned how important a phone call or hospital visit is to those who are hurting or have fears and need to hear a voice of comfort or a prayer of support.
Also from the administrator’s chair I found out that staff members are people too, and they have families and concerns just like other people. They need vacations and employee benefits like other people, but also need direction and encouragement in their ministry areas. They need to make sure their families do not get left out when their ministry schedules get too demanding. . . .
Ministers who have never worked outside of ministry need to understand some of the issues elders deal with in their professions, whether it is business, industry, construction, farming, etc. These men are responsible for performing a minimum of 40 hours of work each week, sometimes many more, to provide for their families, and in many cases their performance or decisions affect the livelihood of others. . . .
As much as we would like for them to be “on call” at a moment’s notice, their employment situations may prevent them from providing an instant answer. They too have families they need to lead. They need to be respected for their willingness to take on the responsibility as well as the time involvement of leadership in God’s church.
Having the opportunity to sit in both positions, I think the key to functioning well is communication and mutual respect. Power struggles or hidden agendas can damage or cripple the unity necessary for a well-functioning leadership team. They need to listen, love, learn, and lead as a group—not as individuals—focused on serving God. Together they make a great team.
Trust
Jim Sloderbeck: The first mark of a well-functioning leadership is a high degree of trust between ministers and elders. If the elders do not trust the senior minister, they will be unwilling to let him lead the staff and the congregation, and will constantly be second-guessing his plans. If the senior minister doesn’t trust the elders, he will be tentative in his decisions, he will see opposition even when none exists, and he will have difficulty staying fully committed to the congregation where he is currently serving.
With trust, the elders can let the senior minister lead and cast vision, confident he will listen to their input. Their decisions can stay at the policy level, and they will not try to react to every situation where someone voices a complaint. They can function as pastors—not rulers—of the congregation. . . .
As longtime members, elders are invested in a congregation in a way ministers may underestimate. A building campaign that goes bad looks different from the viewpoint of someone who has spent a lifetime in a community at one congregation.
In general, elders and their families are “over-volunteered,” yet are the “go-to” guys when a need arises. It’s easy to forget how busy most elders are, and have unrealistic expectations about what they can do.
Most ministers have moved at least once in their career, but elders often don’t consider how the minister’s relationship with previous congregations’ elders affects the current situation. Memories of past confrontations, politics, etc. can take a long time to fade.
I think most people, including elders, don’t realize how lonely it can be as a senior minister. Some guys have no really close friends where they serve. Although I think it’s better than it used to be, the advice many ministers heard in Bible college was, “Be wary of having friends in your congregation.”
Lack of unity and vision is the most serious basis for disputes. If the senior minister feels God is calling him to lead the church in a particular direction, and the elders don’t understand or agree with that call, major disputes are inevitable.
Elders trying to micromanage instead of exercising oversight at a high level can be a source of friction as well. The flip side of this is usually the minister who refuses to accept input, and doesn’t receive the wisdom of well-reasoned dissent.
In the end, the attitude elders and ministers have to display is “We’re in this together—I’ve got your back.” If the minister knows an elder’s first response to a member who complains will be supportive of the minister, it makes a huge difference.
Darrel Rowland is public affairs editor of The Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch and an adult Bible fellowship teacher at Worthington Christian Church.
Read More on Elder-Minister Relationships
READ ALL THE ARTICLES ON THIS TOPIC written by Darrel Rowland:
“Two Elders Now Ministers Talk About Elder-Minister Relationships”
“Elders & Ministers: Speaking the Same Language”
“Should the Minister Be One of the Elders?”
“What Elders Don’t Understand About Ministers”
“What Ministers Don’t Understand About Elders”
