01 Elders and the Congregation

September 19, 2021

Christopher C. Freeman

Title: Elders and the Congregation Text: Various FCF: We often struggle applying God’s governmental standards on His church. Prop: Because God has given authority and responsibility to the qualified Elders, the church and the elders must live in mutual love. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to I Peter 5. Between our most recent study on the pastoral epistles and before we begin our study on I and II Peter, I wanted to address a topic that seems to be of great significance to our church at this time. Over the last 7 years our church has been carefully considering and shifting from being congregationally governed to being Elder led. We are approaching the culmination of this great work as we will be voting to approve a constitutional change on October 10th and seeking and receiving our first Elders in the coming months. It truly is an exciting time! Overall, the response of the congregation has been incredibly positive and validating to the church leadership. And with the most recent draft of the constitution there were very few questions, suggestions, or concerns expressed. Nevertheless, even while knowing that this is the right step for us to take, there may be some lingering uncertainty in the exact nature of how the Elders will relate to the congregation. And that is what I’d like to address with you today. It will be a lengthier sermon as most topical sermons are. But I have tried to include some helpful tools for you today. There is a half sheet and a full sheet that you should have picked up from the front. The full sheet is simply the main texts of scripture we will be consulting today. I give them as a reference to you to quickly access and read while we press forward. The half-sheet is a quick reference I made for myself outlining what these passages say about the Elders toward the congregation, the congregation toward the Elders and what is said for both. I trust these tools will be helpful to you. I am in I Peter 5, I’ll begin reading in verse 1. You can follow along in the pew bible on page 1367 or the version you prefer. Transition: As I typically structure my topical sermons – each point will be a question. I have 4 questions that I would like to answer this morning. 1 – How are the Elders to relate to the congregation? 2- How is the congregation to relate to the Elders? 3 - In the passages calling attention to this relationship, what is expected of both Elders and the congregation? 4 – Are there any illustrations that help us understand this relationship? [Slide 3A] Let’s start with the Elder board’s relationship to the congregation. I.) How are the Elders to relate to the congregation? a. [Slide 3B] What are Elders? i. [Slide 3C] Called 1. In 1st Timothy 3, Paul says that the one who desires the office of an Elder desires a good thing. 2. In Psalm 37:4 God promises to give us the desires of our heart when we delight in Him. 3. So, when we find a man that is delighting in the Lord, who is loving and seeking after Him, and he desires this office, it is an indication that the Lord has given him this desire because the Lord is calling him to this role. 4. If you are concerned that this seems squishy and that anybody could want this office – wait till I get done talking about the qualifications, appointment process, and all they do and will be judged by God for… then re-evaluate your assessment