Years ago there used to be a family television show with a comic twist called Leave It to Beaver. It starred a cute and impish young boy by the name of Beaver who always seemed to be getting into trouble of one kind or another. Happily, by the end of every segment everything would get resolved and somehow Beaver would manage to come out of it unscathed. No doubt if you search your television listings you will be able to come across a broadcasting station here or there that is still showing reruns of that old series.

In any case, by now you are probably wondering, “What does this all have to do with a magazine like Clarion?” Well, as I go about meeting and speaking to ministerial colleagues from here, there, and everywhere, it strikes me that some churches and church councils have a “leave it to the pastor” philosophy and approach.

Unrealistic Expectations⤒🔗

What do I mean by that? It has to do with the fact that in these churches the pastor is expected to do just about everything. Preaching and teaching, of course, are at the top of the list. In turn these are closely followed by visiting, counselling, evangelizing, chairing meetings, preparing agendas, writing letters, putting together the weekly bulletin, and so forth. Why, I even know of one ministerial colleague who used to prepare the bread for the Lord’s Supper celebration.

At the same time as the pastor is doing everything, however, the elders are often doing the bare minimum. Their main focus is on making sure that the annual home visits get done, and on attending the regular consistory meetings. They do not worry about the special cases in their ward or district, because the minister will take care of them. They do not make extra visits to older or sick members because the minister will take care of that too. They do not bother to invite over the members in their ward either, because the minister and his wife will see to that. In short, the minister is there to take care of everything.

You have a Problem←⤒🔗

Now, I would suggest to you that if this is a picture of how your local pastor and your body of elders functions, your church has a serious problem. Indeed, you have more than one. In the first place, you have a pastor who will soon be run ragged and probably looking for the next call out of town.

Have you ever seen before and after pictures? I mean, for example, of American presidents. There are pictures showing what they looked like when they entered office and what they looked like after they left office. One of the most startling was Abraham Lincoln. He entered the Oval Office as a fit and hardy man, but close to the time of his assassination he looked greatly aged and wrinkled. Now, some pastors go through the same kind of metamorphosis. They come to a congregation looking hale and healthy but by the time they leave they look old and exhausted.

Elders and Involvement←⤒🔗

But if in this scenario one problem has to do with the tired pastor, another has to do with the underutilized elders. Elders who see their task as limited to an annual home visit are hardly taking their office and calling seriously. They need to be much more involved in the lives of their ward members. They need to know them, have regular contact with them, and be there to support, guide, and encourage them. They need to be familiar with the basics of the Reformed faith and be committed to passing them on. They need to have an eye for the weak and the strong, for the married and the divorced, for the faithful and the straying. Indeed, elders who take the care of their ward or district seriously will find that they have a lot of continuous work on their hands.

In addition to being very involved themselves, elders need to be sensitive to the office and calling of their pastor. Does he receive the time that he needs to prepare his sermons? Does he have the opportunity and resources for proper teaching? After all, preaching and teaching are his prime tasks.

And as for visiting, that too is part of the elder’s work; however, I would suggest to you that the elders should sit down with the pastor and together they should agree on a visitation plan. As part of this plan it may be wise to assign sick visits primarily to the pastor seeing that he can access the area hospitals during the day. The same applies to counselling visits and bereavement visits. As for other special visits, they should, as a rule, be done by the elders with the minister serving as back-up or as special support. We do not empower the elders when we take all of the serious or special cases off their hands and give all of them to the minister.

Visiting the Elderly←⤒🔗

What about visits to the elderly? The longer that I am in the ministry the more I become convinced that some ministers spend too much time with this age group. Why, in some churches if the minister does not stop in for his weekly visit with the elderly, the complaints are sure to pour in. In the meantime the work that really needs to be done and the visits that really need to be made are overlooked. So, one of the first things that a new minister would be well advised to do when he comes to town is to inform the elderly, and indeed the whole congregation, about his priorities. They can expect him when they have a serious problem or sickness. They should not count on him as a regular tea visitor.

Of course, I am aware too of the fact that church members tend to rate visits. By this I mean that if the pastor comes it is considered to be a real visit; whereas, if the elder shows up it is in some ways a second rate appearance. What a wrong notion! But how does one go about dispelling it? The only real answer is education and more education. Specifically, biblical education is needed. The congregation needs to be taught about the special place, task, and responsibility that the elders have in the church. They need to see these men and their office in a new light.

This is no easy challenge. By and large we live in a day and age wherein there is little regard for biblical eldership, let alone for the idea that these men are vested with divine authority. Why, the whole concept of office has worn thin in the church. There is little stress on the office of all believers, and the special offices do not fare much better. How conscious are believers of the fact that they have been vested by God with the threefold office of prophet, priest, and king? How seriously do they take the fact that the same God has placed elders over them who are charged with their spiritual wellbeing?

Eldership needs renewed emphasis. By means of preaching and teaching, the church would do well to instruct its members in how to see the elders and in how to interact with them.

Over-Achieving Ministers←⤒🔗

Yes, and here too the minister can play a leading role. In those churches where the minister is expected to do everything, it is not always right to blame the elders alone. At times ministers have been and continue to be their own worst enemies. If your pastor thinks that he has to do everything and then he proceeds to try to do everything, he is a large part of the problem. In such a situation he desperately needs to stand back, take a good hard look at what he is doing, and touch base with the biblical model of church leadership. Thereafter he needs to sit down with the elders and show them a better and more God-pleasing way. It is the way of shared responsibility, proper teamwork, clear priorities, careful delegation, and mutual empowerment.

A Better Model←⤒🔗

Only when the elders and minister work closely and clearly together will the church be well served and will God’s way of governing the church be properly honoured. Only in this way will the minister be able to survive and flourish and only in this way will the office of elder truly come into its own.

So, if you are a pastor, let me ask you, “How do you see yourself and how do you do your work in the congregation?” Remember, even Moses had to learn the secret of delegation.

And if you are an elder, let me ask you, “Do you expect your minister to do what you should really be doing?” Remember, the secret to being an effective elder is to embrace all of the duties of your office willingly and cheerfully.

Finally, congregation, let me ask you, “Are you praying for these men, supporting them, and helping to make their work a joy?” (Hebrews 13:17)