Elders

1. Visitation. The elder will be responsible for the spiritual nurture
and care of those members in his parish. He will visit members in
their homes for prayer and encouragement. He will also assist in
giving Bible studies to prospective members.

2. Worship services. The elder will lead the worship service as
scheduled. He will review the order of service ahead of time to
ensure that all responsible parties are prepared and ready to serve.

3. Preaching. The elder may be asked to preach when the pastor is
out-of-town or not available.

4. A Spiritual Mentor. The spiritual life of an elder should constantly
lead members of the church to seek a deeper spiritual experience
for themselves. I Timothy, chapter 3, describes the Christian life of
an elder in these words: “. . . above reproach, the husband of one
wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not
addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle. . .” An elder should
model, by his or her devotional life, Christian personality and
spiritual interest, a higher ideal for each member to reach. The
elder should reflect the fruits of the Spirit in his or her relationship
with others: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

5. Church Administration. An elder should always attempt to make a
positive contribution to the organization and progress of the
church. While doing this, he or she should not try to dominate or
control but rather enable others to participate in decision-making in 
the church and ministry. An elder often serves in an advisory
capacity to various departments, committees, and projects.

The ministry to which a person is called when he becomes an elder can best be described in the following ways: