You may feel some what underused as a local church elder. How can you increase your contribution to the nurture and outreach of the congregation?
1. Worship enhancement. Rather than criticizing the staleness that may exist in your current worship services, propose positive alternatives. Consider what activities would develop an atmosphere of praise, thanksgiving, adoration, affirmation and fellowship in the sanctuary. Perhaps you can work up an "experimental" plan for rejuvenation in counsel with your pastor and fellow elders. You may be surprised how eager they are to overcome any weaknesses in your weekly service.
2. Visiting active members. Ask another elder or a deacon or deaconess to accompany you in a program of systematic visitation of fellow members. Call ahead for a home appointment. While there, listen to the life story of family members and their conversion testimonies. Read a Bible passage with them and offer prayer. It's amazing what a short spiritual visit can do for the members you visit as well as for yourself.
3. Visiting inactive members. Every church has its share of missing members. As an undershepherd of the congregation you can visit them and seek to win them back into the fold. They may be hurting from some discouraging experience with the church, so you might hear a lot of anger and bitterness. Rather than arguing with them, listen sympathetically. Remember that their anger is to ward the church and not toward you personally. As God may impress you, ask for forgiveness on behalf of the congregation. This could bring them tremendous relief and encouragement. Your friend ship and caring may help them return to an active relationship with Jesus and participation in His family.
4. Visiting evangelistic interests. An elder can also contribute to church life by visiting nonmembers who have spiritual interest. Perhaps some are relatives of your fellow members. Check the visitors' registry for names of those who visited the church or attended an evangelistic activity in the past year. Visit these people and invite them to accept Christ and partake in church fellowship. You may find an opening for Bible studies. Not all elders possess the gifts of evangelism and teaching, however, so you may wish to invite someone else to go with you to conduct the Bible study.
5. Sharpening your skills with training. The Holy Spirit equips every Christian disciple by bestowing spiritual gifts for service. These gifts must be developed. Elders should become acquainted with available training resources and make use of them. The first such resource is the pastor. God places a pastor within the church to train and develop members for ministry: visitation, personal Bible study, administration, and worship leadership. In visitation, going two-by-two with your pastor not only provides training, but offers wonderful fellowship. Your conference probably has a training program for elders. Recently, the North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists launched Learning to Care seminars, designed to develop the visitation skills of both pastors and lay members. Ask your pastor for information on enrolling in the next training seminar in your area.
6. Studying and reading. Many fine books and other resource materials make for interesting and informative reading on the work of an elder. Here are some suggestions. For preaching, either of the following: Expository Preaching Without Notes, by Charles W. Koller, and Between Two Worlds, by John Stott. For worship enhancement, read O Come, Let Us Worship, by Robert G. Rayburn, and Sing a New Song, by Raymond Holmes. Books on church management abound. Two recommendations are Twelve Keys to an Effective Church, by Kennon L. Callahan, and The Art of Management for Christian Leaders, by Ted W. Engstrom and Edward R. Dayton.
A correspondence course on the work of the elder is available through Home Study International, 12501 Old Colum bia Pike, Silver Spring, MD 20904.
Adapted from The Ministry of the Elder, a pamphlet available from the North American Division Church Ministries Department.
Bible credits: Texts credited to NEB are from The New English Bible.© The Delegates of the Oxford University Press and the Syndics of the Cambridge University Press 1961, 1970. Reprinted by permission. Texts credited to NIV are from the Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright 1973, 1978,1984, International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers. Texts credited to NKJV are from The New King James Version. Copyright© 1979, 1980, 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc., Publishers. Verses marked TLB are taken from The Living Bible, copyright© 1971 by Tyndale House Publishers, Wheaton, 01. Used by permission. Bible texts credited to RSV are from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright© 1946,1952,1971, by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. Used by permission.