Elders and the Church

Last Sunday we commissioned Darrel Tedrow to serve as an Elder.  Take time to review the vows he made—and consider both what it means to be an Elder and how a congregation relates to their Elders:

1. Do you reaffirm your faith in Jesus Christ as your personal Lord & Savior?
2. Do you accept all Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as the inspired and inerrant Word of God, and do you affirm the Goshen Baptist Church Statement of Faith as a fitting summary of Bible doctrine?
3. Do you promise to serve in mutual submission alongside your fellow Elders?
4. Do you promise to be zealous and faithful in promoting the truths of the Gospel and the purity and peace of the Church?
5. Will you be diligent in the exercise of all your duties as Elder, whether personal or corporate, private or public, and will you endeavor by God’s grace to uphold the Gospel and follow Jesus faithfully before this congregation?
6. Are you willing to take personal responsibility in the life of this congregation as an Elder to help to oversee the ministry and resources of the church, and to devote yourself to prayer, the ministry of the Word, and the shepherding of God’s flock, relying upon the grace of God, for the good of his church and the glory of his Name?

And we, as a church family, also made some vital spiritual promises:

1. Do you, the members of Goshen Baptist Church, acknowledge and publicly receive Darrel as an Elder given by Christ to this church?
2. Will you love him and pray for him in his ministry, and work together with him humbly and cheerfully, that by the grace of God we may accomplish the mission of the church, giving the Elders all due respect and support in their leadership to which the Lord has called them, to the glory and honor of God?

Some key Scriptures about Elders are:  1 Tim. 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9; Acts 6:4; 1 Peter 5:1-5; Eph. 4:11-16; 1 Thess. 5:12-13; and Heb. 13:17.

Pray for our Elders:  David Nichols (chairman), Larry Smith (vice-chairman), Patrick O’Leary, Darrel Tedrow, and Pastor Peter.  Pray that they’d be vigilant to spend time daily in God’s Word and prayer, and that they’d be above reproach, resist temptation, and seek God.