Tim Curious: Well, I have read through all the material you showed me and am convinced of biblical eldership (BE). Where do I start?
Paul Mentor: Well, the first thing is to determine which scenario best fits your situation.
Tim: Scenario? You mean like how big our church is?
Paul: No, what I mean is that how you go about implementing biblical eldership depends on your role in the church and your church’s particular situation
Tim: So you customize a plan for each church?
Paul: No, that would be impossible for us to do for each church. After all, we are trying to provide a resource for churches around the world!
Tim: So, it’s a “cookie-cutter” approach, the implementation process is the same for every church?
Paul: Not really. We have discerned that there are five basic scenarios, or situations, that churches find themselves in when they are seeking a change of leadership structure. For each of these scenarios, many of the steps are similar or overlap, but there are important differences.
Tim: Now I see what you are getting at. So I need to figure out where I and my church fit into your schemes, right?
Paul: Well, one of the five scenarios will provide implementation guidelines that will fit your situation more closely than the other scenarios.
Tim: What happens if we don’t fit any of them?
Paul: Well, then call us and we can help you think through the situation. However, I think you will find that one of the scenarios will fit your situation closely, or at least one which you can adapt.
Tim: OK, let’s get started, what are the five scenarios?
Welcome
You who are reading this may be a pastor, a board member, or a member of the congregation. The implementation steps you take will depend on which scenario best describes your situation:
Pastor: When the pastor has a growing conviction and desires transition to BE, he should take the lead—he already has the respect of the congregation and is accepted as the leader.
Board: When the church is currently without a pastor and the board desires to implement BE:
- One or two key leaders in the congregation should take the initiative. These could be members of the governing board or influential, reputable members of the congregation who have the confidence of the church body.
- Plans to find a new pastor should wait until the transition to BE has been completed. Once a functioning elder board is in place, you will be in a better position to evaluate whether help is needed and how the full-time pastor/elder will function within the new leadership structure. Any new member of the shepherding ministry must be committed to BE.
Congregation member(s): When someone not in a recognized leadership role desires to influence the church toward a BE model, the emphasis will be on how to approach the leadership.
Divided leadership: When some (not all) of the ruling board (deacons/elders/pastors) seek BE, there may be disagreement in principle among an otherwise healthy ruling board, dissatisfaction with the leadership abilities of those in key positions, or general tension and conflict among board members
New church: Beginning from scratch has its unique challenges for implementing BE. But, in some regards this is the easiest time to implement BE.
General Principles
Benjamin L. Merkle, in his book 40 Questions About Elders and Deacons (192-196), outlines six essential elements for leading a church in the transition to plurality of elders:.
- Entreat the Lord – Seek the Lord’s direction and wisdom.
- Establish trust –The congregation must come to trust the catalyst (whether he is the pastor, a board member or another leader) and be convinced he is not driven by a special agenda, but “is humbly seeking to obey God’s Word.”
- Evaluate the leadership structure – “Before a church can transition to something, it must properly identify what it is changing from.” Is the church following in practice what its governing documents proscribe?
- Educate the congregation – Teaching about BE must take place in the context of embracing inspiration and authority of Scripture and God’s design for the church. (Note: We would add that it would be wise to begin first with teaching the existing leaders or governing board of the church.)
- Emphasize qualifications – “Without godly, qualified men leading the church, all the talk about biblical eldership is useless.”
- Engage the plan slowly – “Slow implementation is crucial for a smooth and (relatively) painless transition to take place.”
What’s Next?
Click on the scenario sub-menu item that best describes your situation.