Shepherding elders –
“Following the lead of mature men of
God.”
As soon as it
became feasible, the New Testament apostles (or their
representatives) appointed men with high spiritual
qualifications to be “elders” for the local churches of
every city (Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5-9; 1 Tim. 3:1-11). The
pastoral (lit. "shepherding") leadership provided by these
men is just as critical in contemporary churches, so a
"guide" is needed to help us evaluate potential elders, to
assist those not yet qualified so they can make the
necessary advances and to recognize those who are ready to
serve. That process should include:
1.
Developing a descriptive list of elder responsibilities and
qualifications, then prayerfully and candidly evaluating
all “candidates” in light of that list.
2. Involving those who aren’t yet qualified in a program of
learning and training to help them become more so.
3. Laying-on hands and publicly ordaining those who meet
the qualifications and wish to serve a church (or network
of churches) as elders.
TEACHING
IDEAS - To
help you think further about this essential so your church
will adopt and apply it, click on this link:
Shepherding Elders.