Our Elders Are Dying! What Do We Do Now? - Joey Ferrell

I grew up hearing the story of Chicken Little (you know “the sky is falling, the sky is falling") and I know this title sounds a little like that, but there is some reality in what the title means….

Let’s take a few minutes to look at what is becoming a major problem within the church of today, and what the biblical idea is that can help us to determine “what do we do now?"

(Disclaimer: I do not serve as an elder. I have not served as an elder. In my current role in ministry working with The Gospel of Christ, I do not feel that even if all of the “boxes” are checked (which I indeed struggle with at times), serving as an elder would not be practical in my opinion, whatever that is worth, to serve the kingdom in the local church in that capacity being that I travel many Sundays to preach and to events across the country. I have served in capacity in the past as a deacon for a congregation, and have studied the roles of leadership in depth; however, I do not claim to be the authority, nor infallible in my thoughts.)

The bible has a clear idea on biblical leadership in the church as given in several passages. The overarching picture given is the idea of “shepherding” a flock as can be seen in 1 Peter 5 where Peter, himself being an elder, encourages and instructs his fellow elders using the three classifications that we might label as “elder (pastor), bishop, and shepherd.”

In the United States, the church faces a challenge and has for many years. Many good men have stepped into the role of an elder and served in that capacity until they were unable for various reasons…or they die. Unfortunately, when this happens, it can be very devastating not only to the point at hand in the congregation, but it also may include a dissolve of leadership completely as is established through the words of scripture in having a plurality of elders. One man cannot serve as a “pastor” even though the common language of our day misuses the term to identify those who preach often that may never be qualified to serve in the biblical practicality of qualifications in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1. We won’t take this post to go over all of those qualifications, but we will touch on the idea of how one gets to that point.

So, with our elders “dying” with age or ability to serve, what do we do? Should we be concerned that the church may not have elders in the future or even in present? What is God’s prescription for elders in the church? Well, Paul told Titus to stay in Crete until there were elders and he told both Titus and Timothy what would be required, so there is definitely a biblical narrative that we need elders…in every congregation…when it is at all possible…so what do we do?

First off, we need to pray. Every congregation that does not have elders needs to pray about the future. Every congregation that has elders needs to pray about the future. Every congregation that has “issues” within the eldership of unqualified men, or sin in the camp or…needs to pray about the future.

Secondly, elders don’t just show up one day. As a matter of fact and expediency, it is probably unwise for a fairly new member (even if not a novice - which would disqualify one anyway) to serve as an elder. Why? Well, the principal of shepherding….a shepherd MUST know his sheep, and the sheep MUST know their shepherd. This takes time. This takes encouragement. This takes an open mind to both the man who may serve and the sheep who need him to serve to not be an impulse decision to “fill a spot” in absence.

Thirdly, elders need to be qualified. The church is NOT a business, a corporation or a social club where leaders are hired, appointed, or voted in because of their popularity or accomplishments…even though sometimes those lines are blurred because of the characteristics of good leadership in these latter mentioned organizations. Putting a man into a position that is not qualified is as equal to not having elders at all as they are in name only and not fulfilling the will of God.

Fourth, stop making it too difficult for men to become elders….hold on, read this again. For years, I have heard a lot of negative stories of how bad elders were treated…and it is even far greater to hear how preachers are treated at times! Why would any man want to serve (or his wife want him to serve) in a role that would constantly be torn down, mocked, challenged, scolded for decisions, and so on? Some state that a man is not qualified if he does not desire the work of a bishop (as we see in 1 Timothy 3); however, please pay closer attention to that context. The desire is a characteristic of the man, not a qualification. No man should serve that does not desire, but at the same time, qualified men should want to and work to have the desire….and that takes ALL of us to help encourage that desire, not just his own attitude. While it is true that some may desire the position in order to advance themselves, or to be in control (See 3 John about Diotrophese), or because they want to show their leadership talent, most elders I have ever met start with the true desire to serve God’s church and in turn His desires from a good place in their own heart. Stop questioning their motives, but also, men, please never ever think that this position is something that will change your status in the church or the community to elevate your importance.

Fifth, plant the tree now! It has been said in many an illustration that the best time to plant a tree you want to use for shade was many years ago….but the next best time is yesterday or today. You cannot expect a man that is living a worldly life one day to be converted tomorrow and be qualified to serve as an elder in two years. It just does not happen like that. Many times when a man is considered a reasonable age to become an elder, he has lived an entire life. Sometimes that life has things that have happened that would disqualify him…as early as he became an accountable age and knowledge of sin was known, even if before becoming a Christian (i.e., unscriptural marriages). The time for us to be seeking elders is always now, but it is not always the typical candidates that we seek. We need to be training our young me (and women) to keep their lives on track to become “elder” or “elder’s wife” material (deacon can also be substituted as the qualifications are very similar). Our young boys need to know what an elder is and how they can become one one day. They need to see the joy in desire of the office. The teenagers need to know that the role of elder is one that they can look up to and strive to be. The young adults that recently were married need to know that God has a purpose for their lives in the kingdom. The middle-aged couple that has been faithful in their Christian walk needs to be encouraged to consider working toward that goal of desire and qualifications. We need to plant the tree today!

I was asked recently, and this is not a new question, why do we not have “elder training” schools sort of like we do preaching schools. Well, there would probably be a half dozen answers to that and all would be possibly correct, or incorrect. But, we do have elder training in the form of studying the qualifications together as a church family, preaching from the pulpit as a preacher, going to classes that are offered by various congregations and other lectureship events, and as we started off - praying for open hearts to the idea and the right path for congregations and members alike to find and grow qualified men to lead and shepherd the church of God!