A big theme over the past 20 or more years has been the importance of churches having mission and vision statements but where should your priorities be?
Tag: elders
Elder-less Churches? A further response to Steve Kneale
My friend Steve kneale has responded to my musings on whether a church can exist without elders here. I think this is a helpful and healthy debate to have, though I don’t expect it to run on and on. Our disagreement is marginal. However, I thought it might be helpful to clarify a couple of… Continue reading Elder-less Churches? A further response to Steve Kneale
Can you have a church without elders?
This is the latest in my mini-series on elders and eldership. Here I engage with a question raised by my friend Steve Kneale’s book “Independent Elders”
Elders and leadership
Here’s a little series of videos I’ve put together looking at who elders are, what they are meant to be like and what they are meant to do.
Sheep, wolves and proximity
I’ve been picking up recently on the responsibility of elders to shepherd the flock by leading them to shelter and pasture, by providing spiritual food and protecting from wolves. In a recent sermon, I mentioned that Mike Ovey, the late principal of Oak Hill once expressed his desire that theological training would help us to… Continue reading Sheep, wolves and proximity
A message for elders, wannabe elders and those who are led by them (Acts 20:28-32)
Peter closes his first letter with an exhortation to elders to take their responsibility to provide godly leadership seriously (1 Peter 5:1-4) and for the church family to submit to the elders (1 Peter 5:5). Elsewhere, the Bible tells us to make it a joy and not a burden for our elders to lead and… Continue reading A message for elders, wannabe elders and those who are led by them (Acts 20:28-32)
The neglected leadership gift of hospitality
I’ve been thinking quite a bit recently about what we are looking for in elders. You may have picked up on some things I’ve written as well as some videos I’ve shared .This arises out of a theme that if we lead, then it is not primarily to get a church to where we want… Continue reading The neglected leadership gift of hospitality
Developing pastoral care systems
One of the things that I’ve been thinking quite a bit about recently is how a church develops pastoral care as it grows from being a small church plant, a group of young friends that know each other well to being a medium to large sized established multigenerational and multi-cultural church. You can listen to… Continue reading Developing pastoral care systems
What really are the qualifications of an elder/pastor?
I’ve been thinking about this because there is a trend amongst theological educators to talk about the need to emphasise spiritual formation as much as theological training for potential pastors. However, when you look at what the Bible says about the qualifications of an elder in 1 Timothy 3, it says that they are to… Continue reading What really are the qualifications of an elder/pastor?
A little proposal, what if we got rid of the distinction between elders conpletely?
My friend Steve Kneale recently wrote in praise of unpaid elders. He began by talking. about the problems with different descriptions for paid and unpaid elders. I agree 100 percent with him. In fact the one thing I’d want to do is make explicitly clear that there is no Biblical foundation for the presbyterian distinction… Continue reading A little proposal, what if we got rid of the distinction between elders conpletely?
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