Video Transcript: Qualification of Elders

Transcript: Qualification of Elders

All right, we are back in this elder class, and we’re continuing the conversation of what the New Testament has painted as: who are elders, and what are they doing? Okay?

We’ve looked at some things like above reproach, husband of one wife or faithful to spouse. That’s something we haven’t talked about: in some traditions only men can be elders; in others, men and women can be elders. Temperate—we’re going to get to that one in a minute. Self-control—we talked about that. Respectable. When we go on, we find the next one is an interesting one:

Hospitable. And I think that question right there is really kind of huge—that the spiritual gift is something that people can have, and the role of being hospitable…

Abigail:
Right, right.

Bruce:
Now, if you look at the spiritual gift—you know who these people are in your church, I suspect, because they are the ones—here’s how one person described it: they provide an open home and a warm welcome to those in need of food, lodging, and fellowship; love to entertain; create a safe and comfortable setting; relationships develop; meet new people and help them feel welcome. People with this gift ought to make up the core of greeters and receptionists at the door of the church on Sabbath/Sunday morning, etc. That’s how one person described it.

But you know, there are just people who love to invite people into their homes, who love to invite people into their lives, and they don’t care if the place is clean. So if we have to be hospitable in that regard to be an elder, we’re in deep trouble. There will likely be some group of elders that have this. But when we talk about a role—being hospitable—even if you don’t have the spiritual gift, you can still reflect an attitude of welcome. That’s the way I put it in the next one. You’re nota recluse—the person who doesn’t like people.

Abigail:
Right? You don’t really want to talk to people, you don’t want to work with people—you probably shouldn’t be, right?

Bruce:
That’s not who an elder should be. And so when you’re looking for an elder—perhaps in your church—or maybe you are considering being an elder, what does your personality say there? When you meet people, do you run from people? Do you avoid people? Eldership, ultimately, is a people job. So that’s got to impact how you look at what you do.

The next one Paul lists is able to teach. And again—gift versus role. Some people are gifted in teaching—this is their spiritual gift. Those are the people you want teaching Sunday school or adult education—people who can communicate in a way that’s taken in and applied to people’s lives. That’s a broad definition.

But again, if you’re not gifted in it, can you still do it? Can you play a role when needed? The church I grew up in—elders were supposed to do all the teaching in what we called catechism classes. Some of them were not gifted, let’s put it that way. But some of them I listened to and learned from because of who they were.

One short story: when I was in elementary school, we had a skating party after school. I had bought some new skates. I skated, and then I had to walk home. My father worked second shift in a local factory. My mother taught piano—going to people’s houses after school. So they couldn’t give me a ride home, and I walked like three and a half miles home that day. For some reason I got lost. I finally figured out where I was and where I had to go. I had to cut across these farmers’ fields—the muck fields—black dirt. It was winter, snow deep. I didn’t know where there was this big creek. I fell in. Little kid—what do I do? I can’t get out. I’m trying to climb out; I can’t. So I started yelling. And who should come—it was on the property of one of the elders of my church—and he hauled me out and brought me over to his barn. I was pulling my… (clothes frozen). Anyway, he called my mother, who came and got me and took me home. That man ended up teaching one of the classes I had to take. He wasn’t a great teacher—conveying information—but I listened to him, because I knew him. He saved my life. So “able to teach” doesn’t mean you’re the most gifted teacher ever. It means there are situations you’ll need to step into, and people will listen to you.

Next: not given to much wine—do not get drunk on wine (that’s the Ephesians passage); instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit. That brings up a question for me: What about a recovering alcoholic? If somebody has come to Christ, and they are—you know, they don’t refer to themselves as healed; my good friend says, “I’m a recovering alcoholic,” one day at a time—can somebody like that ever be an elder? I want to say, with a resounding yes.

I picture one of the people who’s had a huge impact on my life: Brennan Manning. He was a priest (now with the Lord), and as an alcoholic he wrote a marvelous book called The Ragamuffin Gospel, in which he talks about all of us being ragamuffins coming to Jesus, and Jesus remaking us. He taught me about grace, trusting God, your life being useful.

And I think of some of the recovering alcoholics I’ve had as elders. My goodness, they have a sensitivity to life, because they’ve often lost a whole lot in the process. They can have marvelous ministry with members of the congregation. One elder in my church in California—one Sunday—asked to just say, “I struggle. If you struggle with drugs or alcohol, God’s given me grace to overcome it. Meet me after the service in the social hall.” A dozen people showed up. They started a group. It grew and grew. He became an elder. In fact, he became ordained as a pastor and had a marvelous impact. So don’t automatically check off someone who is a recovering alcoholic.

Abigail:
I like how you put it—that sensitivity to life. A kind of understanding from what they’ve experienced that really helps them be a leader and minister to people.

Bruce:
The one man—still a friend—hosts an AA group every Thursday morning. A person of great influence. So: not given to much wine. In other words, you don’t want someone known for getting drunk regularly.

Abigail:
If they’re in the throes of the addiction, they’re going to be in a place—

Bruce:
Right—and they’re not self-controlled. Now, addiction—(chuckles) that’s another bathroom… (topic).

Next one: not violent, but gentle. John MacArthur (pastor in Southern California) says a gentle person easily pardons human failure. In other words, not someone who immediately responds with cruelty or anger or violence.

I put down the example of David and Shimei (2 Samuel 16). David’s son Absalom has rebelled. David is leaving Jerusalem, barefoot, in deep humility. Shimei—who has not been a David fan—is throwing stones and insults at David and his men. Abishai, one of David’s chief soldiers, says, “Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over and cut off his head.” David had the authority to say, “Go do it.” But David responds: not violence, but gentleness—“If the Lord has told him to curse, let him curse.”

Find “violent” as the first; gentle people… When you think of gentle people in your life, don’t you say, “That’s a gentle person, and I’m attracted to that person because…”

Abigail:
And once again—gentleness is a fruit of the Spirit. It’s a beautiful demonstration of someone living out faith. When you see that gentleness, it gives a calm and a happiness. I even think about the word gentle—and the people in my life who have been gentle.

Bruce:
Next one: not quarrelsome. Paul puts it (2 Timothy 2): The Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful; opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth.

In the political climate in the United States—everybody read that one again, maybe.

This is a challenge. Sometimes theologically, too. I think of a friend I used to play basketball with—pastor of a church in the same town, different theological wing than I was. We’d sit together after basketball and talk theology. I learned: you can do this without being quarrelsome—talk, discuss. And again, that word gentle shows up. Quarrelsome is quick to judge, angry, combative—all that kind of stuff.

This is especially a challenge if you’ve had theological training. In my life, seminary training—in large respect—was designed to prove we were right theologically on any issue and everyone else was wrong, and now we had the tools to prove them wrong. So now, dealing with people with whom I don’t agree is a challenge. I think of a brother I meet or call regularly—we’re on different political wings, and church-wise as well. It can easily devolve into, “I’ve got to prove I’m right.” I had dinner two weeks ago with someone; I started spouting off, trying to prove they were wrong and I was right. One of those moments where you say, “Wait. I’ve never—nobody in an argument has ever been convinced by me.”

Abigail:
It becomes an argument.

Bruce:
Yeah.

Not a lover of money. Put a banner there: Beware of the love of money. Where do churches get in trouble—particularly growing churches, where things are going well? Often in the misuse of money. And too often, it’s on the part of leadership—approving things you’d say, “What?” If you’ve taken the Deacons course, Abigail has a marvelous session on making sure money is cared for well—budgets, supervision, looking at the books—because this is where the church gets criticized a great deal.

So, how do you define “lover of money”? For me, it’s someone who uses money to manipulate where they think the church should go. In my California church we had a man—multi-millionaire—who, when I was called there by congregational vote, sent me a letter: “Don’t come,” listing reasons I wouldn’t fit. God called me there; I came. Over the years, I had to deal with him quite a few times. He was not an elder, but he had a lot of money. Sometimes he gave money with strings: this is how it can be spent, what it’s for, how it’s distributed. We grew in respect for each other—I’d visit him some Saturday mornings; we’d have coffee; sometimes we agreed to disagree. He didn’t like the direction—building expansions, relocation—and he wouldn’t give to any of those things. He never became an elder. It’s one thing to have money…

Interestingly, his brother was also in the church—also very wealthy—and his brother was regularly considered for eldership.

Abigail:
You see that distinction—how their love of money lived out in their lives. When I hear “lover of money,” I think: when you love something, you commit to it; you’re motivated by it. You should be a lover of your spouse; a lover of God. If you’re a lover of money, it will motivate your actions and affect everything you do. You can see that difference in people when money is their lover, in that sense.

Bruce:
Right. So watch for that when you’re thinking about eldership.

Manage the household well. In other words, how is money used in the household? Living condition, children, education, formation. Not saying, you know, like the joke “all the children are above average,” but asking: when you look at the household, is it a model? “I want my family to be like that”—a place I can learn from.

Good reputation with outsiders. Picture there is the first church I served—a little, tiny church in Plainwell, Michigan. I learned a lot. God taught me a lot in four and a half years there, and those people taught me a lot. I mentioned the businessman with a bad reputation. For many in the community, that ended things: “Don’t go there.”

I’m very glad to say—the church died eight or nine years ago after a series of bad pastoral relationships; it had a bad reputation in the neighborhood. The building sat shut for years. A year and a half ago, a new church plant opened there—“City on a Hill.” I rejoice in what I see now. They began working in the community before launching services—caring for the community. And wow—on Facebook I saw they had eight adult baptisms one morning. That’s a lot for a small church. Crowds are gathering. But it took a long time—years—to overcome the memories of what happened.

Abigail:
How the community views the church—yeah.

Bruce:
One more on the list: Knowing the Word. Must firmly hold to the trustworthy message as they have been taught, so they can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it. You don’t have to know everything, or all doctrine, but have enough grounding that when issues come up, you can address them.

Abigail:
And that’s a little plug for CLI—that’s why we’re so passionate about what we do here. We have so many courses that equip you in Old Testament, New Testament—holding firm to the Word of God and being rooted in sound doctrine. If you’re taking this course, you want to be in the Word, doing what the Bible says—and you’re living that out by studying it more.

Bruce:
So—pretty hefty kind of requirements there. But this is what makes the church thrive.

Abigail:
And that’s why there’s a seriousness to this list—why it’s so expansive. Because, like you said, when something in this doesn’t line up—say, the “lover of money”—it’s going to hurt the church, hurt the people, cause trouble. That’s why we have this extensive list. Yep.

Bruce:
So we’re going to turn now to what elders do—in the next session