So you have “Elders” but want Elders?
By Matt Walker
It was a “dupe!” After the first washing, the paint on my daughter’s new water bottle began to fade. Apparently (so my kids tell me), dupes are a thing these days, from clothing to electronics to jewelry. From a distance, these products look like the real thing, but on closer inspection they lack the durability and substance of the name brand emblazoned on it. But dupes are not merely in the marketplace. They can also be in the church.
Elders in Principle
When I accepted the call to be the senior pastor of my current church fifteen years ago, I was thrilled that the church had transitioned to a plurality of elders a few years earlier. Before long, however, I discovered that many of the lay elders had unintentionally become “dupes” – they had the title but they lacked some of the elder substance. They had been taught that the pastor is the one who did all the shepherding and they were there as business managers.
I realized this when one of the elders always began our elder meetings by asking, “what did you do since our last meeting, pastor?” The other elders would sometimes give updates on finances and chime in on building issues, but they rarely made a shepherding comment or showed much interest in the spiritual oversight of the flock. This realization came as a shock.
After sitting through a few of these meetings and answering the same question, I found enough courage to ask my fellow elders the same question: “what did you do, pastor?” I could tell by the look on some of their faces that it was, perhaps, a brash question. In God’s kindness, it led to some good discussion and eventually to a transition from men with the title “elder” to godly, shepherding elders.
As with any church transition, it wasn’t without its difficulties and challenges, but in the end, it was worth it! If you find yourself with dupe elders here are a few recommended steps:
Five Steps to Help Elders Move from Principle to Practice
1) Practice patience
Avoid trying to immediately “fix” their understanding of what it means to be an elder. If you show up to the next elder meeting with your theological axe to grind, it probably won’t end well. Whether the problem is idleness or ignorance, the solution is the same: “be patient with them all.” (1 Thess. 5:14) You did not become an elder overnight and neither will they.
2) Shepherd the shepherds
Model being an elder for the brothers by shepherding the shepherds. The apostle Paul’s consistent Christ-like compassion and care for others, including other elders, provided a tangible illustration for the truth he proclaimed. (Acts 20:18-21) Ask them how you can pray for them, pray for them, and then follow up a couple weeks later. Ask them about their marriage, parenting, or how they are doing spiritually. May we be able to say together with Paul: “be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 11:1)
3) Review the biblical qualifications of elder
Commit to working through portions of 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:6-9 at the beginning of each elder meeting. Ask good, probing questions that provide opportunity for both personal and corporate assessment: Do you aspire to be the type of elder scripture describes? What qualification do you find most challenging? What qualification do others think I need to improve upon the most? Be willing to admit your own struggles and desire to grow in Christ-likeness. You may find that some men recognize they are not qualified to serve in their role. You may find other men spurred on to greater realization of these qualifications.
4) Study the biblical role of elders
Study and memorize elder “job description” texts like 1 Peter 5:1–4 and Acts 20:17–35. Talk through the specific shepherding tasks mentioned and evaluate together areas of strengths and weaknesses in your church.
5) Use elder meetings intentionally
Study the bible, pray for members by name, and read shepherding books like Pray for the Flock, The Deliberate Church, Comfort the Grieving, Visit the Sick, and The Trellis and the Vine. Good books help to both lay the theological framework and fill that framework with a practical picture of shepherding God’s church. Hearing other voices can also help persuade and affirm the kind of shepherding you are commending in a less threatening manner.
The End Goal
Throughout the process, pray that the Holy Spirit would bring each of the men to the point where they understand the role of an elder and have a desire to continue serving. Desire, after all, is one of the first qualifications given in 1 Timothy 3. No church wants an elder who is serving under compulsion!
By God’s grace, after many months, the elders at our church realized they weren’t serving as elders and two groups began to emerge. Some took on more shepherding responsibilities and some did not. Our elder meetings began shifting away from primarily “business” to shepherding and prayer for the flock. Ultimately, we decided to have two meetings a month; one for business and one focused on member care. The longer of the two quickly became our member care meeting where we prayed for members by name, discussed how we can better shepherd them, and in some cases sent elders to pursue wandering or hurting sheep.
It wasn’t long before one man even said, “this isn’t what I signed up for,” and graciously offered to step down when his term ended a couple months later. Not everyone will arrive at that conclusion. Eventually, you may need to have a hard, private conversation with some of the men, but it is a conversation you must have. If that time comes, remember two words: wisdom and compassion.
Remember, the men serving have been put in place by the church and are likely well-loved by the church, even if they aren’t fulfilling the role of elder. Both the man and the church may have a hard time with him no longer having the title of elder. Speak and act with wisdom and compassion.
Conclusion
Dupes may be hard to spot. It can be disorienting and confusing when they are discovered. However, if dupe elders are allowed to continue, the paint will begin to fade even more when the difficulties of shepherding rub against them and no one will be served well, not the man nor the church.
If you think you may be dealing with “dupes,” be patient, model shepherding, and use elder meetings wisely, studying what scripture says on the roles and responsibilities for elders. Then, trust the Lord to build his church in wisdom and faithfulness.
Transitioning from elders-in-principle to elders-in-practice will be a long, slow, and unexpected process for a new pastor. However, qualified elders functioning as genuine shepherds is a joy-filled, God-honoring, Christ-exalting, church-strengthening endeavor, making the transition process worth the perseverance.
Matt has pastored churches in Iowa and Indiana for over 20 years, most recently serving as Senior Pastor of Geist Community Church in McCordsville, IN since 2009. He earned a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University and a Th.M. from Dallas Theological Seminary. Matt also serves the community as a fire department chaplain and on the board of Indianapolis Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Anna, have been happily married since 2002 and they have two teenagers.