The Eldership is a significant ministry in the United Reformed Church, and often spoken of as a gift of ours to offer to the wider Church. Yet we continue to share a good deal of uncertainity about the place of elders and the ministry that they may have to offer.
Elsewhere on this site we have posted the substantial address given by our Education & Training Officer David Peel to Yorkshire Synod on "Thinking about Eldership". Here we look at the work done within our own synod meeting in February 2008, when ministers and elders met in separate groups to consider some of the issues around eldership.
The summaries of those discussions, recorded below, will also be found within two leaflets due to be distributed to churches in the July 2008 synod mailing.
Are there questions for your eldership here?
Are there discussion topics for your next Church Meeting?
“We believe that the purpose of education and training in Northern Synod is to share with people in the continuous discovery of what it means to be the People of God in the world and Church – by liberating each other to use our different gifts in response to the love of God in Christ and the call of the spirit.” - Northern Synod education and training policy statement
How do you exercise spiritual leadership now?
Clearly, a range of church life activities are led by elders. These include: leading worship, Bible study groups, house groups, church membership classes.
Elders are also involved with baptisms and funerals with on-going pastoral care and support given frequent mention.
Elders are also involved in practical matters at church, like making decisions and doing other ‘management’ functions. This may be particularly true where there is a small congregation with few people to delegate such business to. Larger congregations do still have a separation of the spiritual/pastoral and management such as property & finance.
What would help to develop spiritual leadership as a key task?
Training was referred to frequently and seemed to fall into 2 categories a) task related and b) personal development.
In a) elders asked for help with pastoral visiting, ‘talking’ skills and guidance on what is actually involved in being an elder before one is elected.
In b) there was reference to prayer as a specific spiritual matter, while other thought that training could give greater confidence. Spiritual training was also asked for.
Several groups felt that training for the congregation on the role of elders would be helpful, although one group reported honestly that ‘no-one wanted training’!
It was thought that training could be delivered locally in the Mission Partnership and by Synod. It was also suggested that more guidance from the minister before becoming an elder would be helpful.
There seems to be a bit of a desert here, with few reporting any specific advice or help to enable the congregation to choose prayerfully. Obviously, smaller congregations have the advantage of knowing members well. On the other hand, small congregations mean that there may be few to choose from in any case and that it can be hard to persuade people to stand for this ministry.Do congregations consider a person’s spiritual qualities when nominating for the eldership? What help are they given to consider the need for an eldership to have varied gifts?
A few questions linger!!
Local Ecumenical Partnerships do not elect elders, but tend to have Church Councils which carry out some of the tasks of elders. Should the URC be making a stand on retaining this role of the ordained elder, believing it to be a gift to the wider Church?
Should elders be required to be trained, both before becoming ordained and after?
How would help members of the local church to be better informed about the needs of their eldership as they prepare to nominate for this office?
One helpful suggestion for new elders was that each should have a mentor as s/he learns the ropes. What do you think?
What can you do to help reclaim the eldership in your pastorate? What might help you to do this? What might hinder you from doing this?
Ministers reflected on the biblical principle of Jesus teaching the disciples and the need to be prepared now to offer training locally.
There was also a need to separate management from spiritual, and ministers also recognized the difficulty in recruiting new elders. Elders are neither functionaries nor managers.
There is a place for looking more closely at the original role of elders in the Reformation Church. Some thought that elders do reclaim their full role particularly when there is a vacancy for a minister.
There was recognition that it is possible to de-skill people (with a professional ministry?), which is not helpful. How can ministers help elders to be aware of their gifts and to value them?
There is definitely a need today for corporate leadership.
And some questions -
How can we help members to understand that the minister’s role has changed from their understanding shaped many years ago?
Why do so many members refuse to attend opportunities for Bible Study led by ministers in the local church?
If you were to be regarded as a Special Category Minister with the elders running the local church, would this enhance your ministry or would it be an obstacle? (N.B. Special Category Ministers are normally appointed to pursue a specific ministry, sometimes beyond the local church)
This raised mixed answers with some feeling that their ministry would be enhanced while others believed that local church ministry is where their calling leads them. There could be difficulties if a minister were not identified with a local church.
On the other hand, ministry could be enhanced by having a clear goal rather than trying to meet every expectation and being given everything and nothing to do.
One group did express clearly the need for the minister’s educational role with members and elders. Local church needs to have a clear vision of what it is there for and to do and be, so the minister’s role is also clear.And some questions -
Do we make clear in profiles what we expect of a minister and do we offer opportunities for local church ministers to use their gifts and skills?
Would we be prepared to encourage others to take up some of the minister’s expected roles, e.g. chairing the Elders’ Meeting, leading devotions, etc?