Why Good Elders Are So Hard To Find

In my religious herd, the churches of Christ, we frequently proclaim that we are “elder led churches”.  A misunderstanding of what this means for the last 70 years has led to ineffectiveness in many elderships.  Many churches seem to have abandoned a biblical model of leadership and adopted a business model instead.  This appears to have occurred primarily because churches took on massive debt (buildings usually) and needed to finance and manage these newly acquired assets.  For many churches, this leadership model became micromanagement; meaning every decision made about anything or anyone related to the church has to be approved by the eldership.  In some cases, the authority to make a decision has to be bestowed by the elders upon and individual or group of individuals with veto power reserved for the elders.  The “M’s” of the church (Ministers, Millennials and the Marginalized) are rapidly rejecting this power based leadership model and either abandoning their faith or finding a church with a different (and healthier) leadership model. 
How can an eldership change?  IF it’s possible, here are four suggestions:

1.)    Forget the name “overseer” (and all this name may imply) for a minute and go back and really seek to understand from scripture what the role of an elder is.  Too many elders believe they will have to “one day give an account to God for every ______________ (dollar, person, carpet color, sermon preached, small group discussion, toilet paper brand, or whatever) entrusted to this church.”  This is a lie.  Stop believing it.

2.)    Stop leading in fear.  When the church became a business (which is what occurred when churches started taking on massive debt and needed income to pay the bills), the leadership model became RISK MANAGEMENT and/or LOSS PREVENTION.  Fear of loss – however that is defined in a particular group – becomes the main force behind decisions.  God promised to destroy fear – shepherds of His church cannot lead by fear.

3.)    Get rid of the corrupt elder.  Almost every struggling eldership I have worked with has one or more elders who have been questioned or challenged by members for their practices or behaviors.  Frequently, the accusations deal with unjust leadership (lording over the church) or deception (lying, deceiving, and misleading others).  This elder maintains his role because he frequently wields the most power of persuasion.  Other elders are afraid to stand up to this man because of the fear-based leadership model discussed above.  Elders and elderships lose credibility, especially among ministers and young families, more rapidly through this behavior than any other means.  Stand up to the wolves among you, they are devouring your flock – this is your biblical charge.

4.)    Mentor others.  Every elder should be able to answer this question without hesitation: who (specifically, by name) are you mentoring right now?  If you can’t answer this question, you have a problem.