Class Notes
LESSON 8 The Ministry of the Elders
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n previous lessons we have talked about the role of the elders, to oversee the spiritual life of the church. We have also talked about the Scriptural qualifications for those who want to be elders. In this lesson we will talk about what an elder does. The goals of this lesson are: •
To understand from Scripture the ministry of the elder in the local church.
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To understand what is entailed in being an elder in a church of The Christian and Missionary Alliance.
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To evaluate the ministry of the elders in your local church.
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To discover what areas of ministry in which you can be most effective
Evangelism Everyone should be involved in the “harvest field” of evangelism. The Lord, before ascending to heaven, gave all His disciples the command to witness under the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8). The elder should model for the congregation the matter of making intentional relationships with the lost. He should be cultivating, planting and reaping on a consistent basis. 1. What should the elders’ role be in evangelism?
2. How would you present the gospel to a person who is seeking to know the Savior?
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Lesson 8 – The Ministry of the Elders
3. Would you feel comfortable leading an evangelistic home Bible study?
Class Notes
Teaching In the qualifications that the Apostle Paul lays down for elders, the only one that refers to the ministry of the elder is in the following passages: 4. What does 1Timothy 3:2 say that an elder must do in the ministry?
5. What does Titus 1:9 say that an elder must present in his teaching?
These two things—the ability to teach and to uphold sound doctrine are linked together. 6. What should an elder be doing to be able to fulfill this function?
In order to help elders improve in their ministry skills the Church Leadership Academy has developed several courses: Inductive Bible study and how to prepare Bible studies and sermons, and What We Believe (a course in basic Christian doctrine). 7. What should you do to improve your ability to teach sound doctrine?
Along with teaching, to some elders God gives them the ability to preach. In many churches in the third world, this is a requirement, because many churches don’t have full-time pastors who can present the Word of God week after week. 8. How would you go about preparing a message if called upon to do so?
9. What could you do to improve your ability to present a message in a public service?
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Preparing to Lead God’s People
Visitation Often elders are asked by the pastor to accompany him to visit members of the church or to do visitation on their own. Visitation often needs to be made to someone who is hospitalized or is at home, but ill. A visit could be to follow up on a new believer, to encourage a family who has been absent from church services, or in response to a particular need. A visit from the elders should not be merely social in nature, but rather it should become an opportunity for ministry. The elders can ask discreet questions to find out the spiritual climate of the home. The elders should be prepared to lead someone to Christ if the opportunity arises. The elders should be prepared, at the very least, to read a passage of Scripture and pray for the needs of the home or the individual they are visiting. It should be pointed out that in many of the ministries of the elders, they should work as a body, or at least minister in groups of two or three. This helps to avoid many pitfalls. 10. What kinds of things should the elders do when making a visit?
11. What should the elders avoid doing when visiting in a home?
12. What precautions should the elders take when visiting a home to avoid any hint of evil?
13. To whom should the elders report their visitation ministry?
Counseling Because they are spiritual leaders and mature Christians, the elders are often asked for counsel. Many of these counseling sessions are informal, often arising from casual questions. The elder should be ready to help people with their spiritual, family, or interpersonal problems.
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Class Notes
Lesson 8 – The Ministry of the Elders
The elders should be careful to base their counsel on Scripture more than on personal experience. The elders should also realize that often a problem is so complex or so deep that the person requires professional help. Don’t be afraid to admit that you cannot solve the problem.
Class Notes
The elders must keep strictest confidence about the problems that the people share with them. In most cases, an elder should not share even with his spouse these problems. Trust is easy to betray and difficult to establish once it is broken. 14. Why is it wise to base counsel on God’s Word rather than on one’s personal experience?
15. What circumstances would warrant divulging to the pastor or the other elders what has been told an elder in confidence?
Healing The ministry of healing is one of the ministries that Scripture ascribes to the elders. Look up James 5:13-16. 16. Who should take the initiative in the ministry of healing?
17. What is the obligation of the elders in this ministry?
18. Why is oil used in this ministry?
19. What kind of prayer is necessary in this ministry?
20. What is the importance of the confession of sins?
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Preparing to Lead God’s People
21. Should the ministry of healing be carried out in private or in public?
22. Who should do the confessing?
23. When carried out in public what precautions should be taken, especially in the confession of sins?
24. Who should exercise faith in the prayer?
25. Why is it important that the ministry of healing be carried out by the group of elders?
26. What kind of preparation should be done by the elders before the ministry of healing is carried out?
27. Should a person who does not believe that healing is a ministry for today be considered as eligible for being an elder?
Discipline The New Testament speaks of discipline in the church in various places. Paul deals with a specific case of church discipline in 1 Corinthians 5. Though the New Testament does not specifically assign the task of church discipline to the elders, it is implied. 28. According to Galatians 6:1, who should be involved in restoring the person who has been caught in a sin?
That sounds like an elder’s job, doesn’t it? The section of the Alliance Manual that deals with elders (page A5-5) specifically assigns the elders to serve as the Committee on Discipline when it is needed. The elders must be thoroughly acquainted with the procedure for applying church discipline as outlined in the Manual which begins on page E8-1.
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Class Notes
Lesson 8 – The Ministry of the Elders
In this section of the Manual, you will note that first general principles for church discipline are established, based on Scripture. Then beginning on E8-3 through page E8-14 are the regulations that establish the process of church discipline for a local church. You must understand this process thoroughly. Any time a case of church discipline comes up, these procedures must be carried out exactly as explained in the Manual. If they are not carefully followed and documentation is not kept, the church can be liable for law suits. The church still may be sued, but if the procedures were carried out carefully, then usually the courts will rule in favor of the church rather than the plaintiff.
Class Notes
Read through the section of the Manual on Church Discipline. 29. What is the ultimate goal of church discipline?
30. What should be the attitude of the elders who must deal with a case of discipline, according to Galatians 6:1?
31. What do you understand the phrase “redemptive discipline” to mean?
32. What kind of offenses require the application of church discipline?
33. In general terms, what should the procedure be for investigating a case of immorality?
34. What kind of penalties can be applied in church discipline?
35. What can a person do who feels that the penalty of discipline has been too severe?
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Preparing to Lead God’s People
36. How does the restoration process work?
Church discipline is perhaps the most difficult and humbling task that the elders face in their ministry. But it is necessary. 37. Read Joshua 7. What can happen if sin is allowed to be harbored among God’s people?
Membership Committee The Alliance Manual also assigns the elders to serve as the Membership Committee of the church. This means that the elders are usually assigned to give classes to instruct believers on what church membership means, how the church operates, and what is expected of them as members. The elders may interview the candidates for membership, or the people requesting membership may be asked to sign a membership pledge or both. 38. Outline the procedure that your church has for accepting new members.
39. Do your church’s bylaws specify different categories of membership?
The elders should also review the membership list to purge from that list people who have moved away, or have changed their membership to another church or have died. 40. What do your church bylaws stipulate about purging the membership rolls?
41. According to your church bylaws do the elders have the authority to approve members and purge the rolls or does this have to be approved by the Governing Board?
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Class Notes
Lesson 8 – The Ministry of the Elders
The Ordinances
Class Notes
The Christian and Missionary Alliance believes in two ordinances, that is, that Christ ordered us to perform two rites. 42. According to the Manual (page A5-2 & 3), what are the two ordinances?
Usually the elders are requested to help administer those ordinances, although the New Testament does not stipulate this. It is interesting that the New Testament instructs us to practice these ordinances regularly, but does not tell us how they should be practiced. 43. Which ordinance is most frequently practiced?
44. What should be the elders’ role in the celebration of the Lord’s Supper?
45. What personal preparation should the elders make in order to serve the Lord’s Supper?
The other ordinance is baptism. Preparation is also necessary before a baptismal service, and that often entails the elders. In many churches the elder give classes to the people who request baptism. 46. What should be taught in a baptismal preparation class?
Because baptism is a public testimony of Christ’s work of grace in the life of the believer, often the elders will interview the candidates for baptism to ask about their conversion experience, and to help the candidate to give a clear testimony in the baptism service. 47. As an elder, what kind of questions would you ask a person who requests baptism?
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Preparing to Lead God’s People
At times the pastor requests the elders to assist him during the baptismal service. 48. How can the elders help the pastor in a baptismal service?
During this lesson we have observed that in many types of ministry that the elders are assigned to do, they should work as a team. 49. In what kinds of ministries that the elders are called upon to do should the elders work as a team rather than as individuals?
50. What should the elders do to create a more effective team ministry?
The relationship between the elders and the pastor (or pastoral staff) The Elders should serve as an advisory council to the pastor or pastoral staff. The pastor should rely on their knowledge of the members of the congregation as well as on their spiritual perception for many decisions regarding the ministry of the church. The elders should not try to control the pastor (or pastoral staff), but to assist him. 51. What should be the principal focus of the elders’ ministry in the church?
52. Are there other ministries that the elders in your church carry out that are not mentioned in this chapter?
In some churches the elders are assigned specific responsibilities, often according to the person’s particular spiritual gifts. For instance, some churches assign a particular elder to supervise the ministry of worship, another to the ministry of prayer, another to evangelism, visitation, counseling, etc.
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Class Notes
Lesson 8 – The Ministry of the Elders
In other churches the elders are assigned to oversee the spiritual ministry to a particular group of people in the congregation, such as a small group or “cell� in the church. The elder regularly visits the people in his group and ministers to them in a Bible study or small group meeting. When someone in the group has a special need, that person contacts the elder.
Class Notes
There are any number of ways that the elders of the church, working together with the pastor, can have an effective spiritual ministry and lead the church to be Great Commission healthy.
Application: 1. What is the responsibility of the elders if the pastor should become temporarily incapacitated through illness?
2. What is the responsibility of the elders while the church is without a pastor?
3. What should the elders of your church do to make your ministry more effective?
4. What areas of ministry of the elders would you feel most comfortable in doing?
5. What could you do to develop skills in other areas of ministry?
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