Elders in Business
It has been more than a generation since anyone at Corinth formally held the title of “elder.” No one has made any decision about whether to bring the title back, but as I have raised the issue with current church leaders, I wanted to know what the rest of the congregation might think. Share your thoughts with a response post to this blog.
Here’s what I have shared the last few weeks about our heritage.
The New Testament makes no distinction between pastors, elders, and bishops. Their role is oversight, prayer, discernment, teaching and preaching, visitation of the sick, and being examples. Click here for week 1.
In John Calvin’s 16th century Geneva, elders were to supervise individual conduct, warn backsliders, and exercise discipline for disorderly conduct. Click here for week 2.
In the German Reformed tradition as well as the Evangelical and Reformed Church, primary responsibility for the church had shifted to the professional pastor, for whom lay elders were to be assistants – in discipline, in worship, and in visitation. Click here for week 3 and week 4.
So how does that compare to Corinth’s system of government? According to our bylaws, lay leaders serve on the Consistory and/or Spiritual Council for duties such as these –
· Transact the business of the church
· Keep the church records
· Evaluate the pastor
· Propose and monitor the budget
· Advise, assist, and support the pastor
· Prepare the Lord’s Supper
· Approve new members
· Establish committees to assist in various areas
What do you see in this development of the role of the elder (and deacon)? What I see is a great divide between clergy and laity, which may have both possibilities and hazards. More importantly, I see a loss of confidence in the lay leaders to serve as true spiritual overseers. Their role has diminished over time to that of caretakers for minor details.
Whether or not we bring back the title, we need to recover a deeper sense of what an elder can and should be.