Part two of Greg Gilbert’s talk on eldership given at Third Avenue Baptist in Louisville

II. We Are Looking for Men Who Already Have a Healthy Respect for Authority.

- By “healthy,” I do not mean plump or unhealthy. I mean healthy. Well-balanced.

- And here we are right back at the danger of this talk. Let me say as clearly as I can—It is not a requirement for being nominated as an elder that you agree with everything the elders do. Nor is it a requirement that you necessarily keep quiet about your disagreement when you do disagree. We are not looking for men who cannot think for themselves. We have plenty of knock-down, drag-out disagreements. Plenty of divided votes; in fact, I think it was I who was most recently on the receiving end of a 3-1 whooping.

- But with that said, let me say just as clearly that there are men in the world whose respect for authority only shows up when they are in it. We don’t want that.

- We want the kind of men described in Hebrews 13:17, who strive to make it a joy for their elders to lead them. So, a few points about what would make a person a joy to lead, with special reference to disagreement, and how to do it:

1. That person is a joy to lead who is largely content. Strive not to be a perennial item on the elders’ agenda with some complaint or another. I’m not going to pull punches here. There are some people in the world who complain all the time. Well, why isn’t everyone else complaining and upset, too? Is it that they are just not as observant as you? Or is it that they have learned to bear with some things, to just keep working, to be content?

2. That person is a joy to lead who, when he disagrees, does not usually let his first dissent be a public one. Talk to us before you air a disagreement. Of course there are exceptions. If we come to the Members’ Meeting and announce that we’re jettisoning the Trinity, let us hear it right then.

3. That person is a joy to lead who is able to weigh when it is wise to back down. You may disagree heartily with a decision, but there is wisdom involved in knowing when it is appropriate and wise to push an issue to a vote of the church. You can have strong opinions, but when the elders disagree with you, you need to weigh whether your pushing the issue would be for the church’s good.

Sure wish I had access to something like this locally in Ann Arbor – The Focus Program at Harambee Church, an Acts 29 Network church

The Focus Program was created by Harambee to help train its leaders and as a resource for personal enrichment to anyone interested. For more information contact Pastor Mike Gunn.

Harambee Church
Focus and Mentoring Program

Objective: The objective of this program is to help those that are interested in leadership and church planting to accelerate their learning at their own speed, while they are working in their ministries.

Method: Each person chooses 28 of the recommended books, and meets with their mentor as they complete each book to hash through the material (candidates should meet at least once a month). Other assignments may be suggested or assigned at this time to enhance the issues of their particular ministry needs.

Upon completion, the student will have read through and critiqued (1000 word review) 28 books, including two “electives” (books that can be chosen out of any of the categories), read through and written a paper on Genesis, Ecclesiastes, John and Romans, watched and critiqued 5 media events/movies that communicate or relate to the gospel/theology/culture, and finally written a thesis in their area of interest (theology, leadership, counseling, worship, etc.). The student will also meet with their mentor at least once a month.

Those on the church-planting track would need to draw up a philosophy of ministry, which includes an ecclesiology, and by laws.

The website then lists the book list to choose from.