Elders Take The Wheel - Stephen Jordan

Have you ever taught a teenager how to drive? Thrills await around every corner. Imaginary brake pedals will swim through your mind and your foot will instinctively respond. However, the fun of getting on the interstate and the white-knuckled fear gives way the moment they confidently push the pedal down and merge. Pro tip – use dated references such as: “Fast Mover, coming in hot” which is a Vietnam-era phrase that can be utilized when approaching stoplights. “Let’s roll, Ponch” is a CHiPs reference used when the light turns green and the car does not move. Or when the learner seems intent on doing something foolish, grab hold of something, channel your inner Maverick, and exclaim “Negative, Ghost Rider, the pattern is full.” Ultimately, the joy of handing the keys over increases with their maturity, training, and confidence. 

Maturity

Have you ever taught a man to presbyter? The pressure to fill slots can be profound. This is especially true if the church is struggling. Some churches may be tempted to employ less than desirable leadership selection standards, such as:

· The Mirror Test - placing a mirror under his nose, and if it fogs, he is made an elder

· The Warm Body – electing the guy who shows up to everything 

· The Therapy Model – ordaining a problem member in the vain hope that he will improve 

· Let’s Give it a Shot - giving someone a shot knowing if it doesn’t work out, he will be off the session in four years (can sometimes be found in churches that have elder rotation)

· Legacy Leadership – making a man an elder because his daddy was an elder

We do not choose to give a teenager keys to a car in this manner, why would we choose to hand someone the keys to the kingdom in this way? 

There is great joy to be had on the road to ordination and beyond. Before we put a teen behind the wheel, we look for evidence that he is ready to take on the responsibility. In the same way, elder selection ought to be marked by Christian maturity (1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:6-9). Paul calls Timothy and Titus to identify those men who already exhibit these character traits. This was also the standard for the first deacons in Acts 6 when tables could only be served if they could find “seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom” (Acts 6:3). A distinct Christian walk mattered to the early church in serving tables. How much more so in the weightier calling of shepherding the flock! 

Training

The standards of the ARP church state that the session is responsible for adequately training all elders. God’s Word is the only inerrant and infallible truth, but great resources exist in the Westminster Confession, Form of Government, Directory of Public Worship, and Book of Discipline. Ordination vows declare that these documents reflect an elder’s own belief. Paul’s letters to Timothy and Titus are passionate about the need to train church leadership. Our rich heritage is filled with men who poured themselves into theology and understanding. We have inherited the most rigorous theological scholarship the Church world has ever known. So, what has happened? 

Perhaps today’s leader has no time for such studies. A well-known church scholar bemoaned this problem stating, “if it cannot be boiled down to a pamphlet, can we get an elder to read it?” After all, balancing family, church, and work in the 21st century is difficult enough before the addition of examining the finer points of Presbyterian polity, theology, and leadership theory.

Or perhaps elders don’t even know what they don’t know and would have no idea where to start if they did know what they didn’t know. A recent study was conducted which explored the scope and sequence of elder training before and after ordination. Most respondents stated they received very little instruction or none at all. A few recounted being told as candidates that eldership required merely “showing up to a meeting once a month.” 

And more encouraging to read, those who have been elders for over a decade noted benefiting greatly from the ARP Elder and Deacon Training that was published in 2006 by Christian Education Ministries. Thankfully, our circles have many gifted leaders who have poured themselves into serious training. We are indebted to these men. These resources need to be taught strategically and consistently. 

Confidence 

This brings us to our final point: confidence in the Lord. Identifying and teaching a mature Christian who is called to lead gives birth to humble confidence. The first instruction God gives Joshua as he begins to lead Israel into the promised land is to be strong and courageous. Moses’ training allowed this call to confidence to be within Joshua’s grasp. 

In Gary North’s book, “Crossed Fingers, How the Liberals Captured the Presbyterian Church,” he argues the failure to equip elders as the downfall of the mainline denomination. Leaders lacking confidence did not speak up when heterodox issues arose. North argues that when students came to the floor of their presbyteries, with their half-formed ideas of how the standards were wrong, elders sat on their thumbs because they had not been trained and lacked confidence. It is not uncommon to have a teenage driver unable to merge onto the interstate but instead panic and end up on the shoulder. Elders who lack maturity and training spend a lot of time on the shoulder, afraid to jump in the lane and get involved. As heterodoxy was not confronted in the mainline Presbyterian denomination, half-formed ideas became full-blown heretical beliefs. Training in theology, ecclesiology, and even secular leadership theory is essential. Failure in this can be catastrophic. 

While elders ought not to have any confidence in themselves, they must find their confidence in the Lord. When this is done, they will have courage and lead well. Such men are in our midst and worthy of great honor. 

Conclusion

When we put a teen behind the wheel, we do so with the sure knowledge that lives are on the line. When we ordain an elder there is great joy and excitement, but there is also trepidation and work. Maturity, training, and confidence are essential. If a teen does not have these three, there is a very real danger that people may die. If an elder lacks these three, there is a very real danger that people may go to hell. 

Let us pour ourselves into the task with such zeal that others may say, “Fast Mover, coming in hot” when we walk into the building. Or “Let’s roll, Ponch,” when our fellow presbyter whispers a good point that should be brought to the floor. And when he wants to nudge the congregation towards a goal she isn’t ready to do well, gently grab him and exclaim “Negative,Ghostrider, the pattern is full.” 

There is a joy in the journey. It occurs when the church rightly identifies men whom God is raising up, and when they are poured into so they can merge into leadership with confidence as they take on the responsibility of stewarding God’s people. When this happens, the church better hang on because, as Shortstack once said, “We are going for a ride.”