Looking for examples of changes to elder-led structure

First, I would not move too quickly. This is a long process and from those who have done it, it can take years to lay the proper groundwork.

Some examples of people I know who enacted Elders include:

Mark Dever- I would not recommend you use him as a study on how to enact Elders. Mark can be a little bit of a bull in a China Shop and, as many Pastor friends of mine often say, what Mark can do and get away with, no other Pastor can do and get away with.

Fred Malone- He is probably a better example of a man who humbly and wisely prepares a church and Godly men to have Elders.

A friend in VA also enacted Elders at his church. His approach was extremely wise.

The formation of Elders can take years. There has to be ground work laid, training done, education of the people, and shepherding throughout the process. Many People have successfully reached the goal of having Elders at the sacrifice of many sheep in the congregation. A wise Pastor can both shepherd and lead the congregation into Biblical Eldership. The most important task for you is to find a new Pastor who will preach faithfully the Word of God... it is that Word that will prepare and help the church to accept Biblical Eldership and the church will grow in obedience as a result.

 

Horrible experience here with this "plurality of elders" nonsense.
Pastor refused adding a youth pastor, etc.; was insistent on installing some "elders" scheme. Ended up in a church split; saints who left, fed up with the steamrolling, lies, etc., were called "dead wood" that God was pruning from the church.:tear:

 

There is a great need to involve the congregation with full disclosure - they are the church and should, in my mind, make the switch because they feel it is Biblical.

 

Multiple pastors are fine, particularly for larger congregations.
The "plurality of elders" oligarchy scheme adapted from Presbyterianism is something quite different.

 

Many, many Baptist churches have welcomed the addition of youth pastors, associate pastors, etc; why do you think that would be controversial?

The Bible also uses the term "bishop". Bible churches had "bishop(s) and deacons", often collectively referred to as "elders". Nowhere is a Bible church mentioned as having "elders and deacons".

Unfortunately the episcopal and presbyterian schemes have tainted our understanding and use of the terms "bishop" and "elder". Neither a "one-man rule" Bishop (or monarchical pastor!) nor an oligarchical "plurality of elders" is biblical.

 

This isn't a debate forum. However, I must point out that you do not see a church in the NT without multiple elders. That said, I wouldn't say there is a prescribed form of govt either. Baptists historically had multiple elders. Only in fairly recent modern times have we gone to a single-elder form of model

Now there is a huge difference between multiple elders in the church, a co-pastorate (seems to be what one or two have referenced), and having multiple staff.

And remember, Baptists already have elder rule....but we call them deacons
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As Moderator, let me remind us all, this is not a debate forum. if you want to debate the theology of ecclesial structures, do it in the Theology forum please.

 

Yes, I agree that at some point talking about it is needed. However, I think that is best done through faithful exposition of the Word of God. The men I have known who have transitioned from a single Pastor to something else, transitioned it first by expository preaching. When the congregation hears the Word of God preached through expository means, they find it harder to argue against God's Word. It is easier to argue against an idea that you don't see in the Bible, but it is harder to argue against an idea as it is faithfully exegeted from the Bible.

Thus, I would focus on finding a great man of God who is faithful in the exposition of Scripture. I have seen well intentioned people who try to rush things actually poison people against things like Elders because they rushed ahead of the exposition of Scripture. Take your time and let whoever comes in to do it through the teaching of the Bible. I think you will get more support and while there may still be some knee jerk reactions, there will be fewer when the focus has been on the text of the Bible.

 

I do not know how many times you have worked through organizational change or tried to change things in a church as a Pastor. It is a very tricky thing to do. Having done it in non-profit areas, church, and the business world, the hardest by far (imho) is within a church. The good news, time is on your side. You may think 10 or 15 years the church may die... but the good news is that you don't know. But I will address that later.

One wise man once told me (and I wished I had listened the first time he said it) that the most important part of change is not getting there, but how you get there. I found his words both wise and Biblical. The goal should not be to get Elders, but the goal should be to do this in the most shepherding and loving way possible.

When Mark Dever started change at Capitol Hill, he started simply by recommending books. If I were not the Pastor of a Church and I wanted to encourage change, that is what I would do. I would simply hand out books to people and say, "You may want to read this, I would be interested in what you think." Mark did this on several issues and I believe this may have been his greatest single work towards change. BTW (back to the dying church issue), when he arrived at Capitol Hill, it was a dying church... smaller than your church and with many obstacles. Yet, time was on his side and he waited almost 10 years to see Elders.

You see, the churches I have been around (except for the last couple, which have been very refreshing) often reject anything once they feel like they are being driven to a certain point. If they feel someone is pushing them towards a certain direction, they immediately push back, even if it is a good idea. This is probably mere human nature.

I would start by handing out books more than just on Elders but on a myriad of topics. Hand out a book on the Church, which may also happen to have a section on Elders. I would include books on Biblical Counseling that also deals with Church Discipline. I would pass out works on the purpose of the church that deals with expository preaching (you can also get good preaching tapes).

If you believe this is the time to open up dialog, I would start by merely talking and getting solid literature in people's hands... then just listening to their thoughts. Then find other good resources and pass more out and listen some more. Then do it again.

Mixed with solid expository preaching on the topic, you may see a church willing to embrace (and sometimes pushing to embrace) Elders. Yet, putting this forward too soon and making people feel like they are being pushed could delay the process 10-15 years or never. Your intention may not be to "push" them, but new ideas are often scary ideas and may make them feel uneasy and pressured. Let them come to the realization this is good... then it becomes an easier change.

This won't happen overnight, and it just might happen without you even trying to push it... it just might happen as people listen and hear God's words taught. THen, you would merely be one voting for the change not the one leading change.

 

Not sure I'm understanding the difference between multiple pastors and multiple elders? Where does Scripture show a difference?

 

We're a small elder lead church. There are at least two other nearby baptistic sister churches we associate with that are elder lead as well,
Gracepoint Newtown and Langhorne Terrace Ministries.

The transformation takes time and work.

Inevitably there will be a Leader Elder, a full time paid elder, probably the preacher.

His task will be to communicate to the congregation that he is a part of a team, one of many.

There are a couple books, particularly some by Strauch that are good resources.

Rob

 

You weren't. But there are some on this board that will debate your birthday if they get half the chance. :tongue3: