Loading ...One Elder and the Hiring Process
I do not have a lot of experience in the hiring process over the years. I am sure some ministers would have some better insight into this, but from my experiences, these are my observations. The influence of one elder can swim or sink a hiring of a minister. Of course, the hiring process seems like a date or a couple of dates. The minister wears his best and the congregation wears their best. If there is interest after a few dates, and sometimes one date, there is a marriage. All of this can work or die usually because of the influence of one elder. It is no secret that Charity and I went to Waynesboro church of Christ because of Vernon and Linda. Vernon had a great impression on me. He was a humble and godly man. We got to spend some time with him on the Sunday afternoon. I knew that as long as he was an elder, I was going to be treated well and with respect. This was always the case, as he was a great elder for all of the years I was in Waynesboro. Charity and I moved to Castle Rock because of the influence of one elder. Dale and Jeannie were the major influencers of us making the move. Of course we liked all the elders, but I always stayed with Dale when I traveled out here. He was also a great and spiritual man. I would never have to worry about him mistreating me or being unfair. As long as he was around, it would be a good work. The reason that one elder can have a influence is because rarely do you have time to know all of the elders. Of course, one idiot elder can ruin the hiring process. I never experienced this personally, but if I was looking at a congregation, and there was one elder that was power hungry or harsh or self-righteous, or whatever, I would run from that church. Mostly, you try to look at the entire eldership, but if you get bad vibes from one guy, you do not take the opportunity at that church. On the other hand, if you connect with one elder, that can make a huge difference in a minister going to that church.
Related posts:
- What Every Elder Needs
- Preacher-Elder Relationships
- Hiring Practices
- Hiring Preachers and Being Stagnant
- A Process for Preaching
About The Author
Interesting thoughts, Matthew. I wholeheartedly agree that the attitude and temperament of the eldership (and even an individual elder) is an extremely important consideration in looking for a place to work.
Perhaps just as important in looking for an opportunity to preach the Gospel is an openness to the providence of God as He provides both the opportunity and the strength to serve Him — sometimes in the midst of very difficult circumstances. Timothy and Titus did not have “ideal” situations where leadership was concerned, nor for that matter did Demetrius and Gaius. However, I believe Jesus would say to all of those men, as well as to preachers today, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”
The church where Diotrophes ruled was worth loving too, as evidenced by the fact that John wrote a letter and expressed a desire to go there.
May God bless you in your continued service to Him,
John
Great point John, hey, I just talked with a Chris Ward, he was at Brown Trail for one year while I was there. Not sure if you would have met him. We had a nice talk as he is faithful again after falling away. Proud of him. Also, remember, John was going on more than a mission of love, he was going to rebuke that prideful fool (9-10). Anyway, hope ministry is going well.
Interesting observation that rings with a lot of truth. I served with a great eldership in one church and one of the reasons it was a great eldership was due to the fact they did not see themselves as anything special in the church but rather simply as servants called to care for the church. On the other had, I had a miserable experience in another church because of an elder who thought his eldership made him someone special…little did he know…
Grace and peace,
Rex