The Calling of Elders
Exodus 33.12-23; 1 Thessalonians 1.1-10; Matt 20.20-28

The ministry of the Elder – spiritual oversight in ministry

This morning we shall elect a new Church Council of Elders.  The regulations of the Uniting Church say this: “The ministry of Elder is one of spiritual oversight, and may also be exercised in pastoral visitation, teaching, encouraging members of the Congregation to share in mission, and assisting the Minister in leadership of worship and administration of the sacraments and other areas in the life of the Congregation” (Reg 3.1.10 a).  The regulations of the Uniting Church presume that all Elders shall be members of the Church Council (Reg 3.1.12 b), whose primary job is to build up the congregation in faith and love, to sustain its members in hope, and to lead the congregation towards a fuller participation in Christ’s mission in the world (3.1.13 a).  The Elder’s essential ministry of oversight is therefore be exercised in at least two ways:

(1)  by meeting in Council with the Minister and other Elders to discuss the ministry of the whole congregation.
(2)  by sharing in the congregation’s various ministries, there offering leadership, support, encouragement and guidance.

Allow me to reflect, briefly, on each of these.

It is essential to the spiritual health of the congregation that its leaders—the Elders and the Ministers—gather regularly, in Council, to discuss how the ministry of the congregation is going.  It is difficult to see how this Council could fulfil its responsibilities to Christ and the Church without doing at least  the following each time it gathers:
Beyond the regular meeting in Council, Elders are responsible for making sure that the work of the Council actually happens.  This means that Elders also offer oversight ‘on the ground,’ so to speak, by sharing in the leadership of the congregation’s many ministries.  These ministries include:

•    Pastoral care.  Sharing with the Minister in pastoral care of the congregation.
•    Education in the faith.  Nurturing the congregation so that it grows in grace.
•    Worship.  Assisting the Minister in the conduct of public worship.
•    Managing the congregation’s finance and property matters.
•    Mission projects of evangelism and justice in and for the wider community.

In this ‘on the ground’ sense, Elders may offer leadership in two ways.  They may actually convene a ministry group, that is, take responsibility for gathering a group of people together and marshalling their resources towards a particular ministry.  Equally, however, an Elder may simply become an active member of such a group.  In this case, while someone else may actually convene the group, the Elder is nevertheless present to encourage, support and guide.  In either case, the Elder serves as a crucial human link between that ministry and the Church Council.

Elders and Ministry Groups at St. Luke’s

Over the past six months, the existing church council and its Elders committee have worked hard to organise all of our ministries into a series of 12 ministry groups.  The motivation for doing so is twofold:
  1. To ensure that these ministries continue to grow and flourish under the guidance of the new Church Council;
  2. To encourage a wider sharing in the ministry of the church by the members of the congregation who are not Elders.
The ministry groups—ranging from finance, property and the management of the Pre-School, through to social justice, pastoral care, and the running of worship—are in the process of recruiting new members so that the ministry work of our church is spread more evenly than it has been, across the whole congregation.  If you have not joined a ministry group, I would encourage you to do so.  I would especially encourage the younger members of the congregation to get involved.  It is the calling and privilege of every Christian to be involved in ministry, not as lone-rangers, but with the company and support of others. 

Each ministry group has nominated a mature Christian leader to be its representative on the new Church Council.  The current Council has also nominated people to act as Chairperson, Secretary and Treasurer of the new Church Council.  Their area of ministry is the Church Council itself.  They are responsible, along with the Ministers, to call the Council together, and to arrange for its fluid and effective functioning.   So, if you affirm all the names set before you this morning, those elected shall assume the office of Elder and together, in Council, oversee the ministry of our congregation.

Support of Elders in 2005 and beyond

An important function of the new Church Council will be to offer support and encouragement to each individual Elder as they carry out their ministry.  This is done, first of all, in the processes of the Council meeting—by listening to each other carefully, by encouraging each other to say what is on our hearts, by choosing words which are designed to build up rather than to tear down.  Sometimes we support our fellow-Elders by simply being present, even if we do not have a great deal to say on every single issue!  But our support for one another extends well beyond the boundaries of a Council meeting. 

Informal, personal support is best.  We are each responsible to look out for each other, and to enquire after each other’s welfare.  But there are other, more formal ways, in which appropriate support may be embodied.  An annual retreat provides the opportunity to discuss and discern apart from the usual constraints of time or formal meeting structures.  The group that shares your specific ministry may be looked to for practical support in the doing of tasks.  A regular, confidential, meeting with your Minister or another trained Spiritual Director may prove helpful.  And there is no substitute, I suggest, for becoming part of a small bible-study or prayer community.  Only by sharing faith and life with others in a regular way may we truly grow into mature Christian people who are able to trust Jesus because we have learned to trust his people.

The Way Forward for Elders at St. Luke’s

As is so often the case in the church, the way forward can often be discerned only by first looking back, back to the stories of the Bible, to Christ, and to the early Church.  This is as much the case for Eldership as anything else. 

For Christians, Christ became the paradigm or model of a good leader.  As Matthew makes clear, the early church did not see good leadership in terms of feudal lord type figures, who bossed other people around just because they could.  No, a good leader was more like a middle-eastern shepherd, who really cared for the sheep of his or her fold, knowing each by name and nature, and being prepared even to put their own, individual, interests aside for the sake of the flock’s well-being.  The New Testament takes this model of servant-leadership as the very definition of the Elder.  An Elder, we are told, must be mature in faith and full of compassion.  That way their leadership of people, whether it be primarily administrative or personal, will be characterised by the same wisdom and care shown us by Jesus of Nazareth.

Another insight into Eldership comes from the stories of Jesus gathering about him men and women who came to be known as ‘disciples’ and ‘apostles’.  The word ‘disciple’ means pupil or student.  It reminds us that Elders are people who share in Christ’s ministry, and who are therefore called to spend time learning what Christ would teach us through Scripture and theology.  If we attend to this teaching, first of all, then we shall not be blown here and there by every opinion or fashion that comes our way.  If we are grounded in Scripture, then we shall develop minds and spirits that are able to both discern and live the truth in our bodies.  The word ‘apostle’ means one who is sent, a minister or missionary.  Those Jesus gathered as disciples were also sent to share his good news with others, through both word and deed.  This reminds us that Elders are also apostolic.  They are not only to learn Christ’s ways, but also to teach these ways to others through their words, and through the example of their lives and behaviour.  Paul says as much when he gives thanks for the way in which the Thessalonians have come to imitate his way of life - just as he, himself, seeks to imitate Christ’s way of life.

The story of Moses can also teach us a thing or two about the calling of Elders.  In the story in Exodus 33, we find Moses praying.  In prayer, he first reminds Yahweh that God has promised to accompany the Israelites all the way to the promised land.  He then pleads with God on their behalf, asking that Yahweh remain with them, even though they are a wicked and stubborn people who can only see a glass that is half-empty.  This story teaches us that Elders are to be people of prayer.  In prayer they are called to remind God of the promises made to God’s people in baptism:  to remain with us, as a help, support and refuge, no matter what comes our way.  In prayer, they are also called to intercede for the congregation—even and especially when the congregation is being slack or unfaithful—so that God may not abandon them to the difficulties of leadership.  God is not, you see, some distant clock-maker who set the world going and is now supremely uninterested in what happens to us.  God is personal.  God responds to our prayers and cries for help.  That is why we pray.  That is why we are called to prayer.  In prayer we become intimate with God, and therefore intimate with the ways of God with our people.

In the challenges that lie ahead of us, I would counsel everyone, whether they be Elders or not, to adhere to these four principles of Christian discipleship:  that we are all of us called to caring leadership, to learning the word of Christ, to teaching that word by example and by what we say, and, to become intimate with God in prayer.  An Elder is one who, having adhered to these principles in life, is honoured for the potency of their example.  May the Elders of St. Luke’s Church continue to be both passionate and potent in their gospel calling.

Garry J. Deverell
16.10.2005
 
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