Developing Elders in the Local Church

The Scriptures teach that there are many resources within each congregation at two levels: (1) in gifts and callings of lay ministry and (2) in lay leadership. God has designed the church, the body of Christ, to produce growth within itself through development of these two areas. The church needs leaders who can “equip the saints to do the work of the ministry,” and throughout the Bible we find references and descriptions of those who are called “elders.” Deeper study and reflection reveal the strength and key roles they have within any community of believers. They are examples, they feed, protect, care for, and equip the flock, and they stimulate community by their presence and service. In a group context of “working by agreement or consensus,” they find themselves both under authority and called to exercise authority and protect the church over which they have been made overseers. This session looks at how such men are found, developed, and recognised to serve the local church.