Elder Cohort
How it works
As we seek to establish healthy, biblical leadership for Historic Providence Church, developing and selecting a plurality of elders (pastors) to lead the church is a top priority. For the church to be orderly and effective, Paul’s first charge to Titus was “appointing elders” (Titus 1:5). Appointing elders should not be a frivolous thing. A man must meet the qualifications of Titus 1:5-9, I Timothy 3:1-7, and I Peter 5:1-4. In discerning whether a man meets these qualifications, it is helpful to create environments for him to display his desire, knowledge, and ability. This is why we are developing an “Elder Cohort” – to discern a call, to develop this call, and to display that potential call for the affirmation of the congregation.
What is involved
We meet twice a month on Sunday mornings for one year. The trainings vary, but generally are interactive and have open discussion. The year is broken down into two halves consisting of four particular focuses: Desiring, Walking, Teaching, Defending. The first half of the program is a holistic view of what biblical eldership is, focusing on the desire (“Desiring”) to be an elder and the personal qualifications he must possess (“Walking”). Over the course of the cohort, potential elders have opportunities to lead discussions, teach brief studies, and eventually pray or share words of encouragement in front of the congregation. The second half of the cohort focuses on doctrine and knowledge of God’s Word (“Teaching” and “Defending”). An elder needs the desire and conviction to care for Christ and his church, the character to model Christ to his church, but also the competency to teach and defend Christ to his church.
FAQ
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Email, Call, or Text Ryan Smith to set up initial conversation.
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Typically, if true desire is present, the knowledge will catch up over time. This can also be discussed with Ryan during preliminary discussion to see if a candidate is fit to participate. My initial advice would be to try it out.
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This can be discussed on a personal level with Ryan. Granted, we all sin and have “thorns” we deal with. Honesty and confession are always the correct options. This answer depends on where you are at in the fight and what parameters you currently have in place to deal with the sin.
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A desire is a “strong, internal compulsion” to do something. Do you have a strong, internal compulsion given by God to serve and lead in his church? Have others encouraged you in your gifts, knowledge, and abilities? If so, consider joining. If not, continue to pray about where God would have you serve in his church. If this answer doesn’t suffice, feel free to contact Ryan to discuss.
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25 and up. This is obviously an arbitrary number. However, this age allows plenty of time for a young man to have matured, while also weathering some important seasons in life (i.e. – school, full-time employment, and potentially, marriage).
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Yes. If you have the desire to oversee, lead, and teach, we invite you to join!
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Yes. Anyone that desires any leadership position in the church should be a member. It is important that a leader desires to commit himself to the church he leads, but also understands the importance of church membership.
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Yes.
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We certainly want to respect everyone’s time and schedule, but also must keep a high bar for eldership. This is not an easy and relaxed volunteer position in the church. The Lord requires a lot of elders (Acts 20:17-38). You will be required to meet twice a month and complete readings. Eventually, you will be asked to teach a lesson, facilitate a study/discussion, and also speak in front of the congregation.
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Yes.
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No. I Timothy 5:17 shows us that a team of elders consists of paid and unpaid men. Due to the nature of the position, Staff elders generally take the bulk of oversight, while Congregational elders supplement, although all are equal in authority.
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No. While all elders must be able to teach and defend God’s Word, not all will preach (I Tim. 5:17).
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No. While we value the role of women greatly in our church, Christ has ordained the elder role to be a role specifically designed for men (I Tim. 2:11-12, 3:2, 4; Titus 1:5-7, 9). We will have an elders’ wives cohort that will happen alongside the mens cohort. Over time, we will provide multiple avenues for women to serve and use their gifts for the church.
Elder’s Wives Cohort
As we seek to establish healthy, biblical eldership at Historic Providence Church, one underlying, yet essential factor in this process is a strong support system in the home. Being an elder is a noble task and a high call, but is also met with great challenges and intense persecution from Satan. When a man is called to be an elder, his wife is called to be an elder’s wife. Biblically, the husband and wife are one. Therefore, the elder and elder’s wife are one. As the marriage goes, so goes the home. As the elder’s marriage goes, so goes the church. Proverbs 31:10-12 says, “An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life.” The spiritual maturity of the wife can further qualify or disqualify an elder. While training elders is of high importance, it is of equal importance that their wives are equipped and qualified as well.
As a result, we’ve developed an Elders Wives Cohort that runs parallel to the men’s cohort. This is not a special or elite group or a clique. It is designed to build healthy church leadership for the sake of healthy church unity.
We read the book One With a Shepherd: The Tears and Triumphs of a Ministry Marriage by Mary Somerville. This group is not optional and must be attended by an aspiring elder’s wife. While this group is of great importance to us, it does not require as much as the men’s cohort. An elder’s wife is not required to teach or speak in front of people (although they may). Therefore, these areas are not tested as the men’s. Instead, the character of the wife, the support of her husband, and her devotion to the church are of supreme interest to us.