Articles for tag: Year Of The Elder

December 23, 2008

By Mark A. Taylor “Thanks, CHRISTIAN STANDARD, for being there,” one reader responded to our Year of the Elder survey published September 24. His comment was one of hundreds to support the conclusion in my first report on this survey two weeks ago: one year of articles for elders is not enough. About 400 of 600 respondents took time to give their specific answer to the question “What would help our elders do a better job?” Their replies indicate several ongoing needs among elders in our churches. Elders are facing””and sometimes failing to handle””conflict. Some replies show how disharmony is

December 10, 2008

Christian Standard

Church & Ministry Church Leadership Eldership

A Picture of the Elders in Our Churches, Part One: posted 12/10/2008

By Mark A. Taylor As CHRISTIAN STANDARD”s Year of the Elder comes to a close, we want to keep our promise to share results from the Elders Survey that appeared here September 24. Your answers yielded few surprises, but you did confirm the need for the Year of the Elder features. In fact, we”re convinced that helps for elders should continue in CHRISTIAN STANDARD, even after this 2008 emphasis comes to an end. Most who responded to the survey are from churches with 4-6 elders (42 percent of the 562 respondents). In most of these congregations (almost 61 percent) the

November 16, 2008

Christian Standard

Church & Ministry Church Leadership Eldership

Elders & Ministers: Speaking the Same Language

By Darrel Rowland Does this sound like where your church is today? “I”ve never felt hindered by any of the elder teams I”ve served with.““”Greg Marksberry, 24-year veteran of the ministry now with his third church, Heritage Christian in suburban Atlanta “There is peace, joy, and happiness in the (elders) meetings and in the church.”“”Robin Hart, minister for almost 25 years with Northside Christian near Akron, Ohio “Just as children with two mutually supportive parents gain an extra measure of confidence and security, a church with mutually supportive elders and ministers has a sense of well-being that cannot be fostered

February 27, 2008

Christian Standard

Church & Ministry Church Leadership Eldership

We Can Agree on Some Things About Elders

By Mark A. Taylor The elders described by Bob Wetzel and Roy Lawson this week seemed sure about what they were supposed to be doing. They didn”t need a Greek scholar to explain shepherd. They didn”t argue about who was “in charge” of their church; they just served it. They didn”t wait to define differences between elders” and the preacher”s role before they encouraged the preacher and interceded for him. Without fanfare or pretense they simply tended the flock of God because they loved the Lord and they loved the flock. The elders described here were a humble lot, like