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minister's blog: April 2009 - the duty of elders

Dear Friends

Last month we had the privilege of ordaining two of our members as Elders in the congregation, and I look forward to working with them in our Kirk Session.

The role of the Elder in the Church is a demanding and challenging one, and the call to be an Elder is not to be taken lightly.  In the New Testament pattern the Elder is to be a mature Christian who has already proven themselves in spiritual leadership.  The Elder is called ‘to teach, to lead, to work hard, to set an example, to tend the flock, to encourage, to pray for the sick, to have authority over others and to exercise discipline, to evangelise, and to be well thought of by others’. (David Watson, “I believe in the Church”)

The primary task of the Elder is to be involved in pastoral concern for God's people.  Too often Elders consider their duties to be simply the deliver of Communion Cards and attending a meeting every few weeks.  But there is more to it than that.  The aim should be real personal contact, allowing the sharing of the joys and difficulties of fellow Christians in the intimacy of their homes, and the giving of support and love and the sense of belonging to the wider family of the Church.

So what is the work that an Elder is called to do?  Part of our preparation course for new Elders says – “The Kirk Session is The Church of Scotland’s main ‘team ministry’, the leadership team in every parish, concerned with the lifestyle of the  Congregation, its witness and outreach in the parish it is called to serve.”

The powers and duties of the Kirk Session are officially described in the following terms –

1.      To regulate the hours of public worship

2.      To appoint Communion Sundays

3.      To see that all children of members in full communion are baptised

4.      To keep records: Session minutes, Communion Roll, Baptismal Register, Child Protection Register, etc. …….

5.      To judge the suitability of new communicants, and to admit new members to the Congregation.

6.      To supervise all congregational organisations and societies, and to appoint youth workers

7.      To see that all members of the congregation are informed as to the dutues and responsibilities of Church member ship, and for doing the utmost to seek to commend the Gospel to those outwith the Church.

8.      To attend to instructions and recommendations from the Presbytery and General Assembly.

David F Anderson writes in “The Elder in the Church today” – “Ministers may come and go wit their varying emphases and enthusiasms – but the Kirk Session goes on and usually embodies the real tradition of the congregation.  The danger is that the Session may become obstructive to new ideas.  ‘We never did that before’ is a deadly welcome to new suggestions.  But this is not good enough for today……. A Kirk Session is not meant merely to keep things ticking over – doing maintenance work – but to act as a policy making body’ He then issues a challenge.  He says ‘ The urgent need of the Church today is more positive leadership from the Kirk Session’.

In “The Eldership Today” George D Wilkie notes that, at the formative period of the office of Elder, the Church was a recognised institution in a stable society.  In such a situation the Kirk Session could easily become the committee which dealt with routine matters of Church life, and what was required from Elders was faithfulness in carrying out their duties and an example of Godly living.  But Wilkie also notes that today the position has vastly changed.  The Church is no longer accepted as necessary, and everywhere  it must fight for the acceptance of what it stands for.  Wilkie says ‘The call to the Church therefore is to change from a static to a dynamic conception of its life and work’.  Today we refer to that change as from a maintenance model to a missional model of being Church.

Wilkie goes on to suggest that the Church must be on the offensive, penetrating and permeating society with the truths of the Christian faith.  If this is to be accomplished, a new understanding of the position and function of the Elder is essential, and the Kirk Session can no longer be the committee that keeps the age-old wheels of church life turning. ‘It must become a body of trained and experienced people, directing and leading the mission of the Congregation to the parish and to the world.

Such a call brings with it a challenge, not just to our Kirk Session, but to our whole congregation.  Will you pray for our Elders as they seek to lead us, and as we work together to ensure the work of the Gospel is paramount in our congregation, and that we remain true to God’s word, and his ways.

May God be with you.

©Clackmannan Parish Church of Scotland, April 2009