Ruling Elder Nominations

The following exerpt from Lawrence Eyres' book The Elders of the Church is chapter 9, "Screening Procedures." It is a very helpful description of what a congregation should consider as it anticipates electing elders to its session. Take a few minutes to read it, and give some thought and prayer to how it might help us all participate as a family in this important process.

 
The Holy Spirit makes men bishops or elders (Acts 20:28). We must never forget this. Nevertheless, elders do not spring forth before the church, Minerva-like, fully perfected. Gifts for teaching and rule must be there, but these need to be developed. Along with that must also come the maturing and seasoning work of biblical sanctification. And this work of sanctification must have progressed to a considerable degree before a man is ordained.

In the last section, I sought to show how men ought to seek the office of elder, and how the leaders of the church ought to encourage promising men to prepare themselves to that end. In this installment, I want to counsel the church in the technique of observing, of recognizing the maturing process in gifted men, in order to choose that man Christ has given to His church.

Waiting for the Lord's provision

Just here churches need to be cautioned against haste in electing men on the basis of supposed need. It is dangerous enough for a church's spiritual health to assume it has all the elders it "needs." But the danger of laying hands suddenly on a man just to fill the required number is the greater danger to most congregations. Just because the number of ruling elders has been reduced to near the zero point is no excuse for suddenly saying, "We've got to get some new elders right away!"

The sovereign Lord is fully aware of our needs. He will, if His people wait on Him, raise up His men in His time. Too often the church acts in the manner of King Saul, who arrogated to himself the prerogatives of God's priest when Samuel failed to show up at the appointed time (1 Samuel 13:5-14). It is far better to delay organizing a new congregation, or adding to an established session, until the Lord's time has come and His men have been made ready.

But how do we discern the Lord's time and the Lord's men? It is not by "reading" the congregation to determine if the church has reached a certain level of need. Like the godly woman who concludes that the Lord doesn't want her to be married yet since no suitable man has asked her, the church may need to conclude that the Lord doesn't intend for it to have any new elders just now.

God's way is rather that the church "look out among you . . . .men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and of wisdom" (Acts 6:3), possessing the qualifications set forth in 1 Timothy 3:2-7 and Titus 1:6-9. This attitude of alert observation and searching must be taught to a congregation—it doesn't come naturally. And it must be put into practice continually, not merely at certain times.

Every adult male member of the congregation should be under scrutiny. Not only ought members ask themselves, "Is this man Spirit-filled, Spirit-gifted, and therefore to be made an elder?" but also, "Given time to mature and develop his gifts, should this man be made an elder in years to come?

Check-list for screening

At this point some sort of check-list should be drawn up and used by members of the congregation. This is not to "keep score" on these men for a permanent record. But members can and should check men out, privately, according to some such list as this:

Family life: 1. Does he rule his children with firmness and love, or are they inclined to be wild and "bratty"? 2. Does he have a good relationship with his wife, ruling her and cherishing her according to the standard of Ephesians 5:25-28? Is his marriage a model to young people in the church? 3. Is their home hospitable, open to the saints in need of fellowship and sustenance; is it a "home away from home" to strangers?

Church life: 1. Are he and his family faithful to all the regular services of the church, and not on-again-off-again participants? 2. Is he friendly and cordial toward members and visitors? Does he show concern for the sick, the burdened, the children, the elderly? 3. Does he give of himself in money, time and talents to the Lord's work in the church? Is he willing to take on jobs in the church, without seeking acclaim? 4. Is he firm and decisive in his attitudes about essentials of faith and living without being opinionated or contentious about details? Can he take correction gracefully when he is wrong? Is he able to disagree, without being disagreeable, and willing to see another's point of view? 5. Above all, is he a man of the Word and prayer? Is he eager to learn, able to discern spiritual things, walking close to his Lord? Does he make himself available to those with burdens, listening to their cries, comforting them in sorrows, praying with and for them in their needs? Does he keep confidences? Can he communicate the truth to others and defend it against attack? Is he slow to judge others, quick to commend, and firm in rejecting all forms of gossip?

Worldly affairs: 1. Is he scrupulously honest in all his money matters, giving value for value, paying his debts promptly? 2. Is he respected by those most closely associated with him in day-to-day employment? 3. Is he prudent in the use of his worldly wealth, neither slovenly nor showy, and not inordinately attached to his earthly possessions? 4. Does he respond as a Christian should to disappointment and worldly reverses (1 Cor. 7:29-31; Job 1:21, 2:10)?

Finding the Lord's choice

These questions cover the list of qualifications given in 1 Timothy and Titus. It will not be easy to make right judgments in every case, but the church is obliged to work at it anyway. Surely if the whole congregation is prayerfully and quietly on the watch for men such as this, certain things will follow.

It will become apparent quite early that some men are ungifted and unfitted. Very early also a few, or perhaps only one, will begin to stand out from the rest. Certain young men in the church, not noticed before, will now be seen as God's men in the making. Those presently qualified will appear so to all.

In fact, if ten ordinary members of any congregation would follow these principles prayerfully and consistently for one year, and only then share their thinking about which men are truly qualified, the measure of agreement might astound them. God does lead His people, often even in spite of their lack of concern to be led. But when His people seek His leading through the diligent use of appointed means, their belief in the Lord's present leadership of His church is marvelously confirmed to the delight of His people and the praise of His name.

These procedures should be followed by all adult voting members of the congregation. At the same time, the existing elders should take the lead in selecting and proposing men for office. But if the whole church, with prayer for the Lord's guidance, has followed this procedure of seeking the Lord's men, there will be no rebellion or resentment in the ranks because this man or that is passed by. The reasons for passing him by will be apparent to all, and thus the people will have closed a door to the devil who often uses this situation to divide and destroy a congregation of Jesus Christ.

Practical means for spiritual ends

The rest is simple enough. It is a good thing to have safeguards (in the church's by-laws) against hasty and injudicious nominations. These will not do the job alone, and lack of them is not fatal if the church has been doing its homework. Naturally, no name ought to be proposed for election (either by the session or members of the congregation) unless it can be published at least one month prior to election; even three or six months' advance notice is preferable. Nor should a name be published without the nominee's own carefully considered consent.

And it should not be made more difficult for ordinary members to propose names than for the session. After all, it is the people themselves who must submit to the rule of those elders they elect. In any case, a nominee ought to be warned that nomination is not tantamount to election; his prayer should be that the Lord will provide the best for His church.

Another caution: Ordinarily a man would be wise not to accept election if a significant minority is opposed to him. Unless it is clear that he was opposed for improper motives, he should decline the office. Otherwise, he places upon the dissidents the difficult task of rendering submission in the Lord to a man they feel is unqualified to rule in the Lord's name. This would jeopardize his ministry to them from the very outset.

Then there is the matter of competition for office, as when there are more nominees than there are offices to be filled. This is an inherent danger where sessions are organized with term-eldership and a fixed number of places to be filled in each class. To set a fixed number of elders is a dangerous precedent. True, there were twelve apostles and seven deacons; but these numbers were determined by the Lord Himself. It is far better for us to seek the men of God's own choosing, however many or few there may be, and to make them elders. To fill the posts with unqualified men or to refuse those who are qualified just because we have "enough" already is to refuse the Lord's own provisions for His church.

We should be extremely cautious in choosing elders lest we tempt some men to run whom the Lord never sent (Jeremiah 23:21)! But if a man is ready to serve Christ's church as an elder, by what arbitrary rule is he to be kept back because another man is also ready? If the Holy Spirit makes men elders, then the church ought to be ruled by those men the Spirit has prepared. (But if a church insists on choosing between candidates, then the man chosen by majority should be voted on again to determine if the minority is prepared to submit to his rule in the church.)

The Holy Spirit makes men bishops. He makes bishops of those whom he first makes men. He makes men bishops by giving them gifts for teaching and rule. He makes men ready for this service by maturing them in their gifts and by the work of sanctification in their lives. Chronological age is not the primary rule; but we do need to beware of making bishops of men whom the Lord has not yet made elders in wisdom, discernment, and spiritual graces. To ordain a novice is only to minister confusion to the flock of Christ.