Elders and the Church

What is an elder?

            The concept of Elder (aged, mature, example among the people) is definitely tied to the concept of overseer (supervisor, looks after) and shepherd (pastoring the flock).  However, in I Peter 5, Elder is the noun, oversight and shepherd are the verbs.  We should be careful not to assign titles where they are unnecessary.  The less titles in the church the better.

            Taking a broad overview of scripture leads me to this conclusion.  Elders are mature men of the faith, equipped and called by God to set an example for the church in word and deed.

            This means that they are to be examples of what it is to follow Christ, prior to being recognized as an elder.  Whether it is an outsider or part of the family, others should look at an elder and think, “that is what it means to be a Christian.”  Not perfection, but a Gospel-centered, humble lifestyle that seeks to give God glory in every area.

            It also means that they should already be teaching others how to follow Christ.  They should be leading a Gospel Community, regularly involved with both believers and unbelievers.  All of their relationships should be intentional disciple making relationships.  One should be recognized as an elder among the people, not handed a title.

What does an elder do?

            In 1 Timothy 3, the term elder is not used, but the noun form of overseer is.  The description of this “office” is very similar to Titus 1 where Paul writes about elders.  It is probably safe to assume that the usage of Elder and Overseer is fairly interchangeable.  This makes a great deal of sense based on the OT usage of elders.  They were to look after the people, make judgments, and lead families in following God’s ways.

            It would seem that the responsibility of an elder should be to oversee the Gospel Communities.  This is where we live out our faith.  The best way to do this would be through two methods.

1)  Coaching the Gospel Community leaders in a cluster

2)  Meeting regularly to discuss matters related to the extended church family (teaching, discipline, support, planting, sending, etc)

            Elders, like everyone else in the church, should work within their gifting.  Some are teachers, some are pastors, some are prophets, etc.  No two elders are alike.  We must celebrate our differences so we can become a more holistic body.  Because of this, some elders will be paid by the church, some will not.  Some will focus on the gathering, some on church planting, some on global missions, some on gospel communities.  It will depend largely on their gifting by the Spirit.  What a freeing concept!

How do we recognize elders?

            As mentioned before, men become elders not through titles or elections, but through living as an example.  Therefore, we do not appoint, approve, or vote in an elder, rather we recognize elders that God has raised up.  They should be confirmed through a system.

            I Timothy 3 says, “if anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task.”  The aspiration to be recognized as an elder should first come from the individual.  They may be encouraged by others and even “recruited” by current elders, but ultimately the individual should have to take the first step.

            Once they have submitted themselves, the elders should conduct a thorough investigation.  How are they doing leading their family?  How are they doing leading their Gospel Community?  What kind of reputation do they have at work or in their neighborhood?  This process should involve interviewing both the potential elder, his family, his Gospel Community, and several outsiders.

            After enough information has been gathered about the potential elder, the elder body should discuss whether the individual meets the criteria of scripture.  There are other factors that should come into play as well.  The 4 C’s (from North Point):

            -Character (I Tim 3, Titus 1, and I Peter 5)

            -Competence (can they coach others and teach people)

            -Chemistry (is “now” the right time for them with the current team)

            -Culture (do we agree doctrinally and philosophically)

How long should an elder serve?

            When we see the church as family, this question seems a bit odd.  Eldership is a role that the elder should continually aspire to.  In fact, if at any point he does not want the responsibility of eldership, he has neglected the first qualification in I Timothy 3.  Elders are elders for life, because that is who they are.

            However, because being an elder is based on who you are and not what you do, if the individual ceases to be worthy of the recognition of elder, he should also be stripped of the title.  All elders should be formally evaluated yearly and informally evaluated every day.  If the elder is failing to fulfill his calling as an elder, he needs to repent and take appropriate action.  If he refuses to act on his own, then the other elders must take actions to bring him to repentance and reconciliation.

The Hezekiah Commitment

Last month I preached a sermon on Biblical Giving.  At the end of that sermon (you can see the notes here) I reference a commitment to lead like Hezekiah does in II Chronicles.  I wanted to take some time to expand on that here.

Too often, churches accept the current state of things because that's the way they have been.  Leaders are guilty of the same drift.  Churches and leaders both get tired, worn out, and become paralyzed from continuing to pursue Godly change and repentance.  We stop asking the hard questions, stop looking for the areas to grow in.  I believe that giving and finances are one of those areas in the church.

We have accepted "giving to the church", the tithe, the need for buildings, programs, and debt as proper uses of how the church should handle her finances.  But in studying the scriptures on this subject I found some eye-opening realities.

The first and most challenge was the relative smallness of the "tithe" in all of scripture.  The tithe (meaning tenth) only consisted of a portion of the overall giving to the tabernacle/temple and priests in the Old Testament.  The tithe did not include sacrifices, offerings, freewill offerings, and many other forms of giving or sacrifice.  Why did we zero in on the tithe?  The NT only references in 3 locations, twice speaking against the legalism which it represented and once in referring to Melchizedek and Abraham.  So why do we perpetuate this concept?  I believe it limits our freedom in giving, uses a concept that is strange to people not raised in the church, and is not true to the NT heart of giving.  There is no where in the New Testament the idea that a tenth of what we have should be "given to the church".  You just won't find it.

So what does the NT say about followers of Jesus and giving (since it says so little about tithing)?  Well first and foremost it covers the same themes from the Old Testament.  Giving should be for the benefit of widows, orphans, those in hardships, the poor, and those working on the church (preaching, teaching, etc).  Too many churches today make business decisions with their money, not spiritual decisions.  I know the arguments against this stance.  That spending money on programs and buildings allows us to reach more people for Jesus.  Make that argument if you want, but the bottom line is you won't find support for that kind of thinking in the scriptures.  Money is meant to be a means of grace in the lives of those around us, not a way to attract the masses.

So my commitment is this.  As far as I am concerned, 4 categories take precedence in all financial decisions using money given by the church:
1)Caring for widows, orphans, and others in hardships.
2)Caring for the poor and impoverished.
3)Supplying the needs of those working on the church.
4)Supplying the needs of those spreading the Gospel globally.

I understand this leaves off a lot of what we do with money in the current church environment.  Am I saying the other uses of money are evil?  No, but what I am saying is that we have lost our priorities.  And I believe that when we pursue this kind of integrity with our spending as a church, we will see God move like He did in II Chronicles 29-31.

Diagram of Identities (mostly borrowed from Soma Communities)

I am working on some things regarding what it means to be a church, especially what that should look like structurally.  I believe that God is calling our attention to examine our structures and what they say about what we believe theologically.  I picked up on this from Soma Communities in Tacoma, WA a while ago (thanks Jesse Kegg) and have been praying and thinking about it.  You can see their full identities and rhythms here.

This diagram is meant to help the church examine her main identities, with worshipers being the central identity that informs all the others.  It is also interesting that these identities are not just true for the church, but for anyone that worships anything (which is all of us.)  Take sports for example.  If you worship a sports team, then you will belong to a family (the fanbase), you will be a missionary (trying to convince others why your team is the best), you will sacrificially serve for the sake of the team (miss bdays, have people over to watch the game, etc.), and you will learn as much as you can about the team.  I would love to hear the thoughts of others on this.  Any feedback would be much appreciated.

Pray For Your Family!

Some of you know my family or are my family so you'll understand how powerful these words are.  This was written in a Wednesday email by my Aunt Pat who lives in Texas.  Please pray great prayers for your families today!

Good morning! "This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it"! Easy to say, very hard to do most of the time. We take on so much stuff of this world that we tend to forget that God is the Creator and Designer. He made all things and He is in control of all things. We hit rough spots and hard times and we try to take over because we don't like the way He is doing things, but we just have to step back and trust HIM. He knew you before you were even formed! He knows the number of hairs on your head! How awesome is that! He changes not! You must open your hands and empty yourself to Him! Give Him every detail of your life. As a parent, I know that is hard to do, but I can tell you that when I turned my children over to God and said "they are Yours, and I can not carry the burden any more", He took over and although there have been some rough spots from where I sit, I think my children have become pretty good adults. I know that Granny gave us to God on a daily basis. Both she and Daddy prayed for their family daily. I will never forget some of the sweetest things I ever heard from my sweet Daddy. Toward the end of his life, when I would call home, I would be talking to Mother and could hear Daddy in the background talking and saying names of family members. I asked her what he was talking about and she said, "oh, he's just praying." What a comfort. So, parents, pray for your children. Give them to God and trust Him!

Ministry Priorities

Recently something has been bothering me.  Why does it seem that so many well intentioned members of God's people get distracted from doing the things that God has designed them for?  If we hold to a Biblical understanding of the church then we know that God has given different gifts or tasks to the various members of His body.  Some are prophets, some are teachers, some are administrators, some are hospitable, some have the gift of mercy, and so on.  But it seems that we find ourselves sucked into the lie that good christians possess all the gifts and can be anything at any given time.  And I believe it creates ministry distraction.

The apostles were faced with a serious dilemma in Acts 6.  There was a problem with the distribution of food to the hellenist christian widows.  Because the church had been growing so rapidly in those days, the issue I'm sure was rather large and needed immediate attention.  So it was brought before the leadership, specifically the Apostles.  What a test this is!  Serving and distributing food to widows is a critical aspect of the ministry of the church.  At the same time, for the disciples to undertake this task would mean that they would have to cut back on their ministries of prayer and the word.  What would they decide?

I could ask here what would you choose to do.  But I am not going to ask that question.  Instead, what have you done in the past?  You see I believe that we often choose to do the things that we feel need to get done, even if someone else should be doing those things.  The Apostles could have chosen to serve food to the widows and we would have applauded them for this.  But instead they made the harder decision that most of refuse to make.

They put it back on the church.  They said find 7 men that could do this task, because we have been commissioned to ministries of the word and prayer.  Notice that they acknowledge the significance of this ministry, but that they understand that the rest of the body has responsibility here.  I wonder what the people thought?  I know the pressure in most churches.  "Oh well, they don't have a servants heart, putting it back on the church."  "That's just lazy."  "How much time do they really need to pray and preach?  I mean isn't being a christian about helping people?"

But I know for a fact, from experience, that the pressure of others is nothing like the pressure I put on myself.  "What will people think if I don't do this?"  I have tried in the past to measure up to "their" expectations many times in ministry, uncertain of who they really are.  "They" always seem to show up in leadership meetings, nameless and faceless, but having lots of pull.  Thank God that the Apostles were not this insecure.

The appointment of these 7 proved to be the right decision.  But it wasn't the right decision just because the church grew and Stephen and Philip turned out to be powerful witnesses to the Gospel.  It was the right decision because the Apostles stayed focused on their role in the body.  They would not be distracted by good things, they were focused on the right things.  

So where are you in your ministry priority?  What's the one thing God is tugging at you to do it?  Why aren't you doing it?  Let me suggest some ideas for finding out your ministry priority:

• Pray that God would show you how He wants to use you in the body.
• Get a copy of The 3 Colors of Ministry and begin discovering your Spiritual Gifts.
• Write down on paper what are the things that God has specifically designed you to do.
• In one sentence, what is the one ministry that you should be doing within the kingdom?
• Stay focused on the ministry He is giving you to do.

Let US Choose A Leader?

While in the Wilderness, the Lord spoke to Moses and told him to send one man from each of the 12 tribes of Israel to spy out the promised land. The men went and came back. 10 of the 12 men gave a fearful report and spoke against treading into unknown territory. They were afraid of the tall people that inhabited the land and all of the unforeseeable dangers. But the Lord was not asking for their opinion on whether to go or not.

The people heard the report and were afraid. They began to speak out against Moses and the plan to enter into Canaan. Here is what is recorded in Numbers 14:1-4:

Then all the congregation raised a loud cry, and the people wept that night. And all the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The whole congregation said to them, “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness! Why is the Lord bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become a prey. Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt?” And they said to one another, “Let us choose a leader and go back to Egypt.”

It is also interesting to note that in Numbers 12 Aaron and Miriam had also questioned the leadership of Moses. And the Lord rebuked them as well. The people here are so angry that when Joshua and Caleb speak up and warn the people, the people pick up stones to kill them. But then God shows up in power. Numbers 14:11-12:

And the Lord said to Moses, "How long will this people despise me? And how long will they not believe in me, in spite of all the signs that I have done among them? I will strike them with the pestilence and disinherit them, and I will make of you a nation greater and mightier than they."

But Moses, just like in the golden calf incident, chooses to turn down God's offer and pray on behalf of the people. He begs forgiveness for a people who had rejected his God given leadership. What a powerful testimony of leadership. God listens and instead punishes the rebellious adults above the age of 20 to wander for 40 years and then die.

There are a couple of powerful lessons here. One is that we should trust a leader who has been given spiritual authority by God. Now understand me, this is not measured in terms of positions, titles, or claimed authority. Spiritual authority is handed out only by the Lord Himself. The greatest in His kingdom are actually those who become least, and that's why Numbers 12 says that Moses was the meekest man in all the world. Those who imitate Christ in being servant leaders have this spiritual authority.

But so often I see churches rejecting Godly leadership out of fear. Fear of change, fear of the unknown, fear of losing something, or fear of other people. Notice that the vast majority of people were against Moses, Aaron, Joshua, and Caleb. In our churches today in America we would have settled this with a vote. And we would have been the ones wandering in the wilderness! We must understand that in God's kingdom we do not follow the wants of the people but the commands of our king, Jesus. As Isaiah 2:22 says, "Stop regarding man in whose nostrils is breath, for of what account is he?" Our only fear is of the Lord and we must follow Him and listen carefully when leaders who have a track record of following Him point in the direction that they feel God is leading us.

The second thing to notice is the heart of Moses. Rejected, despised, and ready to be killed by the people, he never ceases to pray for them. They wanted to KILL him. I have been disliked and kicked in ministry, but to my knowledge no one has attempted to murder me. Slander maybe, but not physically take my life. And yet Moses prays that the people might be spared from the wrath of God. This is a Godly leader.

If you are in leadership in a church, you must have a heart like this. A heart that says no matter what the odds or difficulties, you won't tuck your tail and run. You trust in God for vindication and pray for the souls of the people entrusted to you. They are sheep and are in need of the Good Shepherd. Our primary work is to seek out the face of God and pray that He might bring forgiveness and healing one at a time. And those that need to suffer His wrath, we must allow Him to bring the punishment, not us.

What a lesson this is for me. I must pray for those who persecute me. I must pray for those who are my enemies. I must pray for those who betray trust. I must pray for those who attempt to injure me. I must pray for any and all that hate me. This is compassion. This is mercy. This is Godly leadership.

The sad thing is that people will rarely choose leaders like this. They will choose Aaron's who give them up in the hard times. They will choose Saul's who rule harshly. They will choose Eli's that don't know how to control their own homes. They will choose kings that let them do whatever they want.

But pray with me now that God will send His leaders. Spiritual men with His anointing. Men ready to call His people to repentance and will pray for their souls. Men who are not trying to be Savior, but lamps pointing to the Morning Star. Men who will not quit when they are rejected, but will fall down in mourning and pray for the people.

Leadership Lessons from Charles Swindoll

Some really good insights from the latest email newsletter of PreachingNow. Just something for all of God's servants to consider:

SWINDOLL'S LEADERSHIP LESSONS

Chuck Swindoll was given a Lifetime Achievement Award at last week's Catalyst '09 Conference. During his presentation, he described "10 Things I Have Learned During Nearly 50 Years in Leadership." Here's the list:

1) It's lonely to lead. Leadership involves tough decisions. The tougher the decision, the lonelier it is.

2) It's dangerous to succeed. I'm most concerned for those who aren't even 30 and are very gifted and successful. Sometimes God uses someone right out of youth, but usually He uses leaders who have been crushed.

3) It's hardest at home. No one ever told me this in seminary.

4) It's essential to be real. If there's one realm where phoniness is common, it's among leaders. Stay real.

5) It's painful to obey. The Lord will direct you to do some things that won't be your choice. Invariably you will give up what you want to do for the cross.

6) Brokenness and failure are necessary.

7) Attitude is more important than actions. Your family may not have told you: Some of you are hard to be around. A bad attitude overshadows good actions.

8) Integrity eclipses image. Today we highlight image, but it's what you're doing behind the scenes.

9) God's way is better than my way.

10) Christ-likeness begins and ends with humility.