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). Appoin<ng 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 will meet twice a month on Sunday mornings for one year (this does not mean it will take one year to have a team of elders). The trainings will vary, but generally will be interactive and open discussion. The year will be broken down into two halves consisting of 4 particular focuses: Desiring, Walking, Teaching, Defending. October 2024-May 2025 will be 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”). We will be reading and discussing the book Biblical Eldership by Alexander Strauch. Over the course of the cohort, potential elders will have opportunities to lead discussions, teach brief studies, and eventually pray or share words of encouragement in front of the congregation. The 2nd half of the cohort will focus 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. In addition, over the course of this cohort, Ryan will meet with each potential elder on a personal level for accountability and to regularly discuss elder qualifications.

Program Schedule

We will meet the 1st and 3rd Sunday mornings of the month before service beginning October 20. These trainings will last roughly 1 hour and 15 minutes.

This list of dates marks the first half of the program.

11/3 – Introduction/New Principles for Leadership (introduction and ch 1)

11/17 – Pastoral Leadership (ch 2)

12/1 – Shared Leadership (ch 3)

12/15 – Qualified Leadership (ch 4)

1/5 – Luke’s Record of the First Chris=an Elders (ch 6-7)

1/19 – Paul’s Final Charge to the Ephesian Elders (ch 8-10)

2/2 – Who Are the Overseers at Philippi?/The Biblical Qualifications for Elders (ch 11-12)

2/16 – The Biblical Qualifications for Elders (ch 13-15)

3/2 – Showing Double Honor (ch 16-17)

3/16 – Protecting and Discipling Elders (ch 18-19)

4/6 – The Biblical Qualifications for Pastoral Elders (ch 20-23)

4/20 – Shepherd God’s Flock in God’s Way/Praying For the Sick (ch 24-25)

5/4 – Loving, Honoring, and Obeying the Elders (ch 26-27)

5/18 – Loving, Honoring, and Obeying the Elders (ch 28-30)

FAQ

  • Email, Call, or Text Ryan Smith to set up initial conversation.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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).m description

  • Yes. If you have the desire to oversee, lead, and teach, we invite you to join!

  • Yes. Although this cohort will likely begin before membership classes, you must plan to join the church if you want to participate in leadership roles within the church. It is important that we know the character and beliefs of those who leading in our church.

  • Yes.

  • 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.

  • Yes.

  • 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.

  • No. While all elders must be able to teach and defend God’s Word, not all will preach (I Tim. 5:17).

  • 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.

  • October 6. This will give us plenty of time to order extra books if needed, as well as conduct an initial conversation about the desire to join. All the material will be purchased by 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 are developing an Elders Wives Cohort that will run 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.

This group will meet at the same time as the men in a different area of the church (on the 1st and 3rd Sundays every month – childcare will be provided). We will be reading 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 will 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 will not be 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.