Eldership

Three Resources on Elders and the Local Church

By Casey Tygrett When I was asked to write this article, I had to admit I had not read extensively in the area of eldership for some time. It isn”t exactly vacation reading for beside the pool! Especially after reading through Alexander Strauch”s classic Biblical Eldership, I had not explored other resources on the subject because I felt he had said it all in his detailed book. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the three books featured below, because they present challenges and ideas that can only serve to strengthen the leadership and character of elders in the local church.

September 24, 2008

A Simple Survey by, for, and About Elders

By Mark A. Taylor What”s the state of elders in our churches? That”s the question I”m supposed to answer in a workshop at the Indianapolis Congress of Elders October 18. I plan to remind them of helpful ideas contained in many Year of the Elder articles we”ve published so far this year. But I”d like to ask you, our readers, to help me draw an accurate picture. How do you feel about the service of the elders in your congregation? Feel free to answer if you”re an elder, or part of the church”s paid staff, or some other member. Please

August 24, 2008

Elders, Leadership, and Women

By Steve Edgington A dozen years ago the elders of Anaheim (California) First Christian Church invited the chairperson of the missions committee, a woman, to join with the elders, whenever they met together, as part of the church”s leadership council. She accepted, and served in this leadership capacity alongside the elders and the senior minister. Several years later another very capable woman became missions committee chairperson and, in turn, served on the leadership council. Whether this place on the leadership council for a woman is viewed as radical (“You”ve wrongly made a woman an elder in everything but name”) or

August 10, 2008

Where the Administrative Buck Stops

By LeRoy Lawson “Oh, we”re all equal. It”s just that Roy is more equal than we are.” That was how Rex Dernovich described the relationship between elders and senior minister in Central Christian Church. The ministers at the Phoenix-area meeting might have thought he was joking, but he wasn”t. The elder chairman”s quip goes to the heart of what attracted me to accept Central”s call in 1979. The eldership had carefully thought through the leadership issue that rips apart too many churches, and decided they needed a minister who, as they said, can “lead us to become the flagship church

June 22, 2008

What Is an Elder”s Most Important Job?

By Arron Chambers Who is an elder supposed to be? The Bible makes it clear Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect. (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God”s church?) He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall

June 18, 2008

Interview with John Chace

By Brad Dupray As an elder for 28 years at Community Christian Church in Tamarac, Florida, John Chace has experienced just about everything an elder can experience, including mushrooming growth, as Community”s attendance has grown from 900 to 2,000 in the past five months. John was in the news business for 42 years, including nearly three decades with the Florida Sun-Sentinel, where he recently retired as community news editor, after also serving as city, national, international, and state editor. He and his wife of 40 years, Pat, were high school sweethearts in Cincinnati. He graduated from the University of Cincinnati

June 18, 2008

Shepherding: A Bigger Task Than Most Are Accomplishing

By Mark A. Taylor What is the elder”s most important job? Almost 300 elders answered that question for Arron Chambers (read his article), and more than three-fourths of them said shepherding. But in the two hours or so per week most of these elders give to elder duties, they spend less than half that time actually shepherding. In fact, almost a third of those surveyed say they spend less than one-quarter of their time (that”s 30 minutes for most of them) doing the task they”ve agreed is most important. Yet Knofel Staton concluded, in the Bible study he wrote for

June 15, 2008

Elders: The Church”s Lead Caregivers

By Knofel Staton Year of the Elder What is an elder supposed to do? As a part of our 2008 Year of the Elder features, we”re looking at this question from two angles. This week, New Testament scholar and popular teacher Knofel Staton offers practical answers from a thorough Bible study. Next week, Arron Chambers shares answers to the question from hundreds of elders he surveyed earlier this year. The New Testament designates church elders with two different Greek words. Presbuteros was normally used to identify an older person (such as in John 3:4, 21:18; Acts 2:17; 1 Timothy 5:1;

June 8, 2008

God’s Word on Great Shepherds

By Michael C. Mack READ THE MAIN ARTICLE: “Good to Great Groups” READ THE SIDEBAR: “Great Small Groups Need Shepherds” God”s Word is rich in its discussion about shepherding. Here are just a few passages that describe the great shepherd-leader”s role. “Be shepherds of God”s flock that is under your care” (1 Peter 5:2). The apostle Peter addressed his appeal to elders in the first-century church. These leaders were called to shepherd the groups in a particular city or churches that met in specific homes. This passage also applies to what small group leaders are called to do in today”s

May 18, 2008

New Church, New Elders: One Church”s Process

By John E. Wasem On September 25, 1994, a long-awaited new congregation was birthed by the joint efforts of the Chicago District Evangelistic Association and the East 91st Street Christian Church of Indianapolis. As founding minister, I pledged at the grand opening of the Suncrest Christian Church in St. John, Indiana, to provide this faith community with qualified, prepared, dedicated, and “called” spiritual leaders (i.e. elders) before the church occupied its first permanent facilities. Through it all, our experience was characterized by prayer and fasting and reflection on the New Testament model. We consulted with leaders of new churches and

March 2, 2008

LeRoy Lawson

I Want to Be Like Them

LeRoy Lawson reflects on the elders who sustained his ministry. He describes the best traits of church elders—humble love, prayerful wisdom, steady encouragement, and a “grandfather” heart that leads by love.

March 2, 2008

C. Robert Wetzel

They Never Stopped Teaching Me

C. Robert Wetzel reflects on decades of ministry shaped by faithful church elders—through ordination, encouragement, and hard-won lessons in faith, humility, and love that continued teaching him long after he left home.

February 27, 2008

Mark A. Taylor

We Can Agree on Some Things About Elders

A reflection on elders who quietly shepherd, encourage their preacher, and serve without pretense. Even amid differing conclusions, the church still needs humble leaders who protect and support the local flock.

January 27, 2008

Doug Priest

Size Matters: The Changing Role of Elder

As Oaklandon Christian Church grew, its elders had to shift from managing day-to-day decisions to policy, vision, and oversight. Doug Priest explains how church size reshapes leadership and why spiritual responsibility must remain central.

January 6, 2008

By Staff

Introducing . . . The Year of the Elder

Christian Standard introduces “The Year of the Elder,” a yearlong series exploring the role of elders in the 21st-century Western church and inviting readers to join the discussion through letters, submissions, and sharing the series.

January 2, 2008

Brad Dupray

Interview with Lynn Anderson

Lynn Anderson discusses the calling of elders as shepherds who build trust and care for a flock. He addresses policy, authority, qualifications, women and age, and practical ways elders and staff can lead together.

September 30, 2007

Barney Wells

Preaching, Prayer, and Conflict

If we want to avoid conflict, our first question should be, “What does God want us to do?” Seeking God’s guidance begins in prayer. Involving the entire congregation in praying for God’s guidance makes conflict less likely.

September 30, 2007

Barney Wells

Conflict: Apt Words, Adequate Intervention

Lessons from Walnut Grove Christian Church on preventing and addressing congregational conflict—reducing anxiety through peer learning, valuing “apt words,” and intervening quickly with a Matthew 18 framework.

August 5, 2007

Matt Proctor

The Top Ten Questions for Potential Elders

A practical guide to choosing elders rooted in 1 Timothy 3:1-7. Matt Proctor offers ten questions to help congregations identify leaders with character, wisdom, and credibility—while applying biblical standards with grace.

October 22, 2006

Kendall Faull