Why elders?

In the New Testament, churches are governed by multiple elders (Acts 14:23, Titus 1:5). This benefits the leadership, since it gives the leadership more wisdom and talent. It also benefits the church, since it gives the church more shepherding.

This may be new for some of us. But in the Bible, God speaks for our good. So if we want our good, let’s lean in to what the Bible says.

How might we raise and install elders?

• Pray: The church prays for God’s will in its leadership.
• Process: The leaders process what the Bible has to say about eldership.
• Plan: The leaders plan how to make the transition.
• Preach: After gaining trust, the pastors preach what the Bible says about eldership (with plenty of time for feedback/questions).
• Practice: The church begins to practice this.

Why so slow?

It may take several years to transition to elder governance. This is partly because our church needs time to grow together in its understanding, and partly because we need time to grow and train potential elders.

We’re a big ship…

This transition may seem unreasonably slow to some.

But our church is a big ship. It has a lot of people on board.

 …not a speed boat

And if we make quick turns like it’s a speedboat, some people will be thrown over.

We don’t just want change. We want to care for people.

It’s wiser to move slowly and patiently. And it’s more important to develop godly, gifted leaders than to rush immature men into place.

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