Bad Elders

Thinking Out LoudGood or Bad Leader

Removing Lousy Elders, Toward a Solution, Part 1

Removing Lousy Elders, Toward a Solution, Part 2

Removing Lousy Elders, A Story

Doing a Better Job of Selecting Elders, Part 1 (Training the Members)

A Question from a Reader

9 Responses

  1. JOYCE BROWN, on September 29, 2008 at 7:10 am said:

    BAD ELDERS YES I THINK THE ELSERS DOWN HERE IN XXX REALLY DO NEED SOME HELP THEY CALLING THEIR SELF ELDERS AT XXX THEY SEND THE MENS THROUGH THE DEACONS CLASSES AND TO THE MEETING THAT THEY BE HAVING BUT NOW THEY TALKING ABOUT YOU HAVE TO HAVE A HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA AND A COLLEGE DIPLOMA TO BE A YOUTH DIRECTOR I DON’T THINK THATS RIGHT AT ALL

  2. JOYCE BROWN, on September 29, 2008 at 7:16 am said:

    AND ALSO AT XXX SOME OF THE ELDERS IS RUNNUING SOME OF THE CHRISTIAN PEOPLE AWAY FROM THE CHURCH..AND WHEN MY GRANDMA WAS SICK NONE OF THE ELDERS CALLED HER AND ASK IS SHE ALRIGHT AND HOW SHE DOING NONE… BUT THEN THEY BE UP IN PEOPLE BUSINESS TRYING TO SEE HOW MANY TIMES A PERSON AT CHURCH HAS BEEN MARRIED AND HOW MANY CHILDREN THEY GOT AND WHERE SOMEBODY WORK AT AND HOW MUCH WE MAKE HOW MUCH MONEY SOMEBODY PUT IN CHURCH I MEAN THAT IS 2 NOISEY….AND THEY DON’T ACT LIKE ELDERS….NONE OF THEM BUT JUST ONE MEN….DATS IT

  3. Jay Guin, on September 29, 2008 at 8:32 pm said:

    Joyce,

    I hope you don’t mind, but I edited your posts to make them a bit more anonymous.

    You may have already done this, but if you haven’t, you should set an appointment with your elders to share these concerns with them. I mean, you never know their side of it until you talk with them.

  4. marlow, on May 8, 2009 at 7:48 am said:

    Elders do not have rule over the members. Their power is supposed to be in their examples and their wisdom- not lording it over others.

  5. ryh, on May 8, 2009 at 10:34 am said:

    marlow

    Great comment. You will follow a leader into any battle because he is a leader by example. Many elders are on a pedistal and do not want your opinion.

  6. Maria Dladla, on October 13, 2009 at 7:33 pm said:

    I have to agree that, the most reasons a lot of the Churches of Christ are going down is ’cause of the quality of eldership. There is very little training what their position is and what the congregation should expect from them, or who supervised the work of the preacher. One bible trainer once suggested that in a congregation all the elders have to agree; in order to make a decision, or else it isn’t scriptural. The problem we face now, is that our preacher really need to step down ’cause he is lazy and his family is not supportive to the work, and to add his son (baptized) is in and out of jail causing so much pain to the community and body of Christ. One elder agrees with the congregation that, the preacher should step down, but the two elders say he should stay and continue getting tutoring; since he has not commited adultery. As a congregation we ‘ve individually met with the elders, but no changes yet. Many members don’t come to church anymore. Most elders think their position last forever. And if you are a woman you should be quite until Christ come back. The women do most of the work in the church, apart from preaching. It seems that, since the women do most of the work and bring most of the resources, they should be respected when they speak. Women make up more than 70% of members in many churches. Whether we like it or not the dynamic of church management is going to have to include women. I just think women are not being utilized to their full potential our churches. The gap between men and women is getting wider and wider; both educationally and work involvement. The only thing the brothers are hanging on to is…..be silent. How do you become silent when you are the one who is doing all the work and experiencing the power of the Holy spirit on a daily bases. I agree with Bro. Jay that, Churches of Christ have to unit and solve all these problems, so they can all teach the same teaching.

  7. joe darragh, on March 16, 2010 at 12:01 pm said:

    I am an elder at a mid sized church of Christ in Texas. We have 300-400 members. I can tell you that the call and job of an elder is more difficult than you can imagine. I realize that there are certain people who may enter into an eldership for all the wrong reasons, but for the life of me, I can not imagine someone subjecting themselves to all the criticisms and heartache and ugliness of being an elder if you did not feel called to do so. I have so come to realize that there is no “pedestal” for an elder. An elder should put his flock on a pedestal and serve them from there. Being an elder is NOT a position of power or prestige. It is a position of service.

    Also, you should know that the duties and obligations are overwhelming. There is little to no way that a small handful of elders can effectively shepherd every member of the congregation at every conceivable moment in time. The church should function like a family and ALL members, particularly the mature members, should help pastor and shepherd the flock. It would be my deep desire that not one of our members ever felt as though they were not visited adequately or in a timely manner, but the reality is that it is not always possible to minister and shepherd up to the expectations that you seem to portray in your comments.

    I feel frustrated that we elders find ourselves in the position of putting out way too many fires with marriage and relationship struggles, or fighting over issues, or dealing with criticisms and not NEARLY enough time STARTING good fires in our church from a spiritual standpoint. I stand as one elder who has grown tired of fixing fences in the pasture instead of being about the job I was called to do in the first place of truly shepherding. Most of the issues that we have fought about and split over through the history of the churches of Christ have so very little to do with scripture and typically NOTHING to do with real and genuine spiritual relationships with God. The issues usually have at their root opinions, traditions and disputable matters. These things only distract us (ALL OF US) from the real job at hand— which is reaching the lost and shepherding the flock— nothing more and nothing less.

  8. Jay Guin, on March 16, 2010 at 7:32 pm said:

    Joe,

    Amen.

  9. Trayc, on May 25, 2010 at 11:21 pm said:

    Joe;
    If you’re drafted-transferred or just “touched” and feel
    the need to move to the Richmond, Va area, I know of
    a wonderful little CocC that NEEDS another elder; you
    sound like just the guy I’ve been praying for 🙂

    Tom C
    Midlothian, Va

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