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Understanding
the Eldership |
What are the historical origins of the eldership and the Session?
The origins of the eldership go back to Old Testament times. Moses appointed reliable men to sit in judgement over the people as they wandered the wilderness. Later the Levites were appointed to support Aaron in his role as high priest.
Synagogues were established as the main centres of worship after the nation of Judah was reformed following their exile in Babylon. Each was ruled by a body of elders. In Jerusalem the high council of the Jews, the Sanhedrin, comprised mostly elders.
It was natural, following Jesus resurrection, that the apostles and their followers, being Jewish in origin, would establish a system of locally appointed elders to govern and teach in each new church that had been created. Even prior to this, as the early church’s activities focussed on Jerusalem, the apostles had appointed a group of deacons to look after the charitable work of the church.
The early church’s elders, called presbyters from the Greek work presbuteroi, appear to have been of two kinds, one group with a heavy emphasis on teaching, called episcopoi or bishops, and another group with an emphasis on ruling.
Under the cultural influence of the Roman empire, especially as Christianity became the state religion of Rome, the structure of the church became more bureaucratic. The presbyter evolved to become the priest and the bishop became the powerful prelate of the medieval church.
After Luther launched his major challenge to the authority of Rome in 1518, the Protestant reformers, inspired by the authority of the scriptures, looked to setting up a church government that was closer to that of the early church.
In Geneva, John Calvin set up a system of lay ecclesiastical magistrates to supervise the religious life of the city. This model became an inspiration for many church leaders throughout Europe who took their ideas wherever they went. One such man was John Knox of Scotland.
In Calvin’s great book The Institutes of the Christian Religion, one of the most influential books of the last five hundred years, Calvin identified four different offices within the church, pastors (or ministers), doctors (teachers of ministers), elders (rulers) and deacons (charitable workers). In general this has been the pattern of Presbyterian government all over the world since that time.
The Presbyterian system has not sat comfortably over the years with monarchies and Episcopalian churches, who have seen its egalitarian spirit as a threat, but its influence in the development of democracy in the modern world has been enormous, especially in the United States where it helped to shape the character of the American Revolution.
What is the difference between an elder and a minister?
The 16th and 17th Century reformers who devised the modern pattern of Presbyterian eldership showed great wisdom is seeking to balance the Ministry of the Word and Sacraments with the Eldership. One brings a stewardship of the wisdom of the Scriptures into the affairs of the church courts while the other brings the experience of practical day-to-day Christianity.
Many argue that there is only one office of presbyter and, consequently, a minister is a professional elder, specifically chosen and trained extensively for full-time work. Others argue that for the minister and elder are separate offices. Much time can be wasted in arguing but the fact is that either view is able to recognise the custodial relationship between the Ministry and the Word of God, one that goes back all the way to the Old Testament.
Ministers are ordained after a long and exhaustive process. They are expected to be called by God to the ministry. It is the responsibility of the Presbytery to examine the call and to determine if it is genuine. It decides first if the candidate has the gifts necessary for the office. These include scholarship, maturity of faith, motivation and vision as well as the gifts of teaching, counseling, organization and self-management. Then they must submit to training which extends over several years.
On successful completion of the training course, the candidate is again examined by the Presbytery to determine if the gifts and the beliefs have been confirmed. The student is then licensed to preach and is usually appointed to a parish for a twelve month period. Only when the parish decides to call him to be their minister will he be ordained and inducted as their minister..
At the time of writing only men may be ministers of the Word and Sacraments in the Presbyterian Church of Australia.
More detailed information on the requirements for entry into the ministry may be obtained at the excellent web site of the Sydney Presbyterian Theological Centre.
In fulfilling their office, ministers are answerable to the Presbytery for their actions, and, in a deeper sense, to God Himself. Providing they conform to the doctrinal standards of the church, they cannot be taken to task over what they preach from the pulpit or who they admit to the pulpit.
Ministers are obliged, for professional reasons, to keep many matters confidential. Indeed the effectiveness of their ministries, and the trust in which they are held by their parishioners, depends on their not revealing anything about private matters to anyone, including their own spouses. |
Some Questions for Discussion
1. How important is it that the church of today structures itself as closely as possible to that of the New Testament Church? Were those structures intended to be fixed in concrete for eternity?
2. How does an elder evaluate the fruit of the minister’s teaching?
3. Are the roles of minister and elder separate offices of the church or sub-divisions of the same office of elder?
4. How does an elder, acting on a court that is determining the suitability of a candidate for the ministry, decide if that person has all the necessary qualities?
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