Elders
Front (l – r): Laurie Brescacin, Pastor Bill Coleman, Pete Olver
Back (l – r): Dave House, Pastor Barry Pearce, Bill Houghton, Al House
Selection of Elders and their Role at Faith
Faith – A Church for our Community –St. Thomas,Ontario- 20120126
Who are the Elders? The Bible teaches that the local church is a spiritual body made up of followers of Jesus Christ, who have embraced Him by faith as their Saviour, followed His example in baptism, and voluntarily joined together to fulfill Christ’s purpose and mission for His church. We summarize Christ’s purpose and mission as “giving glory to God through helping as many people as possible experience the eternal and abundant life Jesus Christ came to offer.” TheElders are the spiritual leaders of the local church, who along with the ministry of other gifted leaders, such as pastors (Ephesians 4:11-16), other serving men and women as Team leaders and many volunteers, carry out the ministry of the church.
Who is the Senior Pastor? The Senior Pastor is an Elder, serving under the authority of the Elders, reporting directly to the Chair of the Elders. He is the main teaching pastor and the leader of the staff and volunteers, who carry out the vision and day to day ministries of the church, in fulfilling Christ’s purpose and mission.
How does the Bible describe the role of an Elder? The simplest definition of an Elder is found in Acts 20:1-38, where in verses 28 and 29, they are called “overseers” of the flock, whose role is to insure pastoral care and protection of the flock, including protection from harmful theological or divisive forces from within or without the congregation (cp. Acts 15:1-3ff; 16:4; 21:18). They are the keepers of Christ’s purpose, mission, and the church’s vision. Hebrews 13:7, 17-18, instructs the congregation to “remember” or “respect,” “obey,” and “pray” for their spiritual leaders. In other places, the spiritual leaders are instructed to lead as servant leaders, “not domineering over those in your charge” (1 Peter 5:3).
What are the qualifications of an Elder? The following Scriptures explain the qualifications. The footnotes define how Faith understands certain specific words or phrases:
1 Timothy 3:1 “The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. 2 Therefore an overseer must be above reproach[1], the husband of one wife[2], sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not a drunkard[3], not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money[4]. 4 He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive[5], 5 for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? 6 He must not be a recent convert[6], or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. 7 Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders[7], so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.”
Titus 1:5 “This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you— 6 if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. 7 For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, 8 but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. 9 He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it[8].”
1 Peter 5:1 “So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: 2 shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion[9], but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; 3 not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. 5 Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him[10], firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 10 And after you have suffered[11] a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 11 To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
1 Timothy 3:10 And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless[12].
How do we select Elders? The members of the church, after studying God’s Word on the qualifications of Elders, seeking Him in prayer, make recommendations to the Elders of potential candidates, using the Elder Selection Form, or submitting names to elders@path2faith.com. The Elders will seek God in prayer over the submitted names, and when they arrive at a unanimous decision on a particular candidate or candidates, which always involves various interviews, that person or persons will be presented to the membership of the congregation for ratification based on one question:
“Does this person fulfill the biblical requirements? Yes No Don’t Know.”
Each member can participate by submitting an Official Ballot/Elder Response Form in person at a meeting called for this purpose, or Official Proxy Vote Form. The Elder Response Forms are considered as “ballots” for the purposes of our By-Laws, when used at official meetings. Any person, including non-members, may submit the Elder’s Selection or Response Forms with comments, recommendations, and questions; however, only active members can make the final ratification. (For information of becoming a voting member, contact office@path2faith.com.)
Upon ratification by the congregation, the Elder will be installed at a Sunday morning service by the laying on of hands by the Elders (Acts 14:23; 1 Timothy 4:4). Elders serve a 5 year term, which is renewable at the fifth year Annual Meeting, when the leadership positions are ratified by the congregation.
Anyone submitting the Elder’s Selection or Response Form with questions, wishing a call-back, will be contacted by an Elder or member of the pastoral team.
What do I do now? Become very familiar with what the Scriptures teach by looking up the passages and studying God’s Word. The three epistles of 1-2 Timothy and Titus were written to church leaders. These would be helpful to read in their entirety. Seek God in prayer. If you wish to make a recommendation, use an Elder Selection Response Form (available from the Welcome Centre or office and give it to one of our current Elders, or place it in the Big Gray Box on the wall by the Main Office window. You may also email the elders@path2faith.com.
In time, the Elders will present their choices to the congregation whereby any Active Member may submit their official anonymous ballot. If 75% of our responses, according to our By-Laws, are met, the individual will be installed. May God bless you as we seek His will.
The Elders:
Laurie Brescacin
Bill Coleman
Bill Houghton
Al House
Dave House
Pete Olver, Sr., Chair
Barry Pearce
[1] No one is perfect; but, this literally means “not correctly charged with an unrepentant illegal, immoral, or unethical lifestyle.”
[2] Literally, “a one woman man.” Therefore, the Elder is a man who, if married, is faithful to his wife, and by implication would have appropriate relationships with the opposite sex.
[3] At Faith, our Elders, as examples to the flock, choose to abstain from the recreational use of addictive substances, such as tobacco, alcohol, and drugs.
[4] Everyone needs money to live, of course; but, this is a reference to a life clearly marked by a pursuit of material things and by implication would apply to the proper stewardship of one’s finances. Faith’s Elders, as examples to the flock are regular givers to the church’s financial needs.
[5] References to the Elders and their children are clearly minor children who live at home as this verse states. When an Elder’s household is unhealthy, he will not have the strength or ability to help others.
[6] Although the word “recent” is not defined in Scripture, Faith requires allElders to be part of the Active Membership of the Church for a minimum of three years. (see footnote later)
[7] This refers to reputation in the community.
[8] An Elder must be deeply grounded in the Scripture where he can teach others and defend the church’s beliefs.
[9] The role of Elder is a calling just like the calling of a pastor. It is not the result of a political process whereby a person feels compelled or pressured to fill the role.
[10] An Elder must be very aware of spiritual warfare and be a warrior against the forces of evil.
[11] An Elder must be willing to “pay the price” for this high calling, which at times includes long hours, difficult problems, and other forms of suffering; but, always in the strength of the Holy Spirit.
[12] 1 Timothy 3:10, although applied to Team Leaders (i.e. deacons), nevertheless, lays down the principle that a spiritual leader must first be proved before given a responsibility. At Faith, ourElders have to be at least 30 years old at the time of their appointment, have a minimum of 3 years of Active Membership at Faith, and have served in a variety of ministries giving them a broad field of experience at our church.