2005 Issue 3 - The Duty of Church Members to the Elders - Counsel of Chalcedon

8/12/2019 2005 Issue 3 - The Duty of Church Members to the Elders - Counsel of Chalcedon

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Reb. 13.7, 17-19 - Pastor Wayne Rogers

Parents

often tell

their children

that they

must

discipline

them because, as parents, they must

obey

God, and

God

commands thelTl

to discipline

their

children.

They

would

be

disobeying

God

not

to discipline them. The children are to ohey God

and God commands them to obey their parents,

I

, 1 1

1 ' ' f

ph. 6:1.

Now

ets

app y 11at same OglC

1

you

will,

to

another issue, the

submission and

obedience of

church members

to those who are

their God-appointed overseers, bishops, elders.

Obedience

to

God, to

Christ,

and

to

the gospel is

fundamental

for

all believers

in the

n ~ w covenant,

I Peter

1:2,

Psalm 110:3.

God

cOlTnTlands you to

submit

to those who rule over you.

Therefore,

you

must

obey and

submit to your church leaders.

Thus, if

you are to ohey God,

just as your children

are to

obey you,

you lTlUst obey

those in

authority

over you

and subnlit

to

them as church leaders.

I

GENERAL

PRlNCIPLES:

A. The Duty of Officer Bearers: They

are

examples,

watch

out

for

your

souls,

and

give

account to God.

t

is their duty:

1 To instruct the members

of

the

church

of

their

duties

to office-bearers.

Titus

2:15, Speak

these

things, exhort, and rebuke ~ w i t h all authority.

Let

no one

despise

you.

2.

To

instruct the members

of

the church that

it

is in

their

interest to

subrnit to

the

oversight

and

shepherding

of their leaders, Heb

13:17,

Obey

those who rule over you, and be submissive, for

they

watch

out for your souls, as those who must

give account.

Let them do

so

with joy and

not

w i t h

grief, for that would

be

unprofitable for you.

B.

The Tyranny

of

Office-bearers:

Great harm

may

be done

by the tyranny of office-bearers

---that

is, when

elders

have assmTled lTlOre authority

than Scripture warrants thenl to assume. See

I Peter 5:1-5.

The duties of church

members

to

their

officers

presupposes

that the officers

are

performing h i l ~ duties

faithfully

and

diligently.

The

nature

of

church

authority

is

spiritual and

moral,

ministerial

and declarative, not

imperial,

magisterial, or legislative.

Jay Adams I ists several principles of leadership i

his

book,

Shepherding God's Flock:

2

1

They

must

exercise

their authority

carefully

b

courageously.

2. They must exercise

true

shepherdly leadersh

t

must be personal and involved; such need for

leadership implies

the

necessity for personal

holiness of example and walk in the Christian lif

3.

They must know and

teach the Scriptures

faithfully

in depth. Leadership

and

authority im

the

need

for shepherds with

biblical knowledge

and wisdOlTl.

4. They

must be

~ w i l l i n g to

support

every plan,

every

program, and

every

administrative

act by

Scriptural principles

(they will

never

be satisfied

by

custom

and tradition alone).

5.

Their

authority must be used w i t h i n the limi

and according

to the teaching

of the vVord

of

Go

which implies the need for

great

discermnent

an

careful judgment by

undershepherds.

6. Their authority and

leadership

are ministeria

Thus it must be exercised in love,

with

care,

and

~ w i t h concern both

for

the welfare of

the

flock an

of

each sheep in

it.

7.

Their authorit:y

must be used

in

His

name

an

for His glory.

C. The

Anarchy

of Church Members: On the

other

hand, more harm has perhaps

come

throughout

church

history by a spirit of anarchy

among

church

members when nlelnbers refuse

the

COUNSEL of CH LCEDON


2/7

The

uty

of hurch Memberd to Elderd

give

proper

respect and subjection to their elders.

t is

only

as office-bearers

discharge

their

duties

within

the

bounds of

Scripture

and when

church

members sublnit to their office-bearers within

the bounds

of

Scripture that this God-given

relationship will

issue

in God-intended blessing.

Jay Adams wrote, Each sheep in

the

flock nUlst

respect and submit to the authority of Christ, and

nUlst recognize

that

all authority that is

exercised

legitinlately within

the

flock is

His authority

...

Therefore, he must

submit

to the

undershepherds

~ w o manage and exercise

oversight

as he would

submit

to Christ i m ~ s e l f so long as they speak

in

accordance

with the Scriptures (cf Heb. 13:17) ....

In submitting to the care and discipline of the

Church

he does so 'in the Lord.' That is to say,

he belongs to a kingdom that is a constitutional

1T1Onarchy.

t

differs, however,

from other

such nlOnarchies in that the

constitution

was

imposed

by the Monarch

Himself, not

for his

own instruction, limitation,

etc.,

but

so

that

every

member of

the

body politic

might

know

the

laws

and ordinances that He

has

ordained. By this

constitution they may judge the actions and the

commands even of

the leaders. vVhile alleg iance is

to Christ

alone,

the terms of

that allegiance

are set

forth in the Scriptures ....

The task of the

leadership

within

the

church,

therefore,

is to declare, to minister

and to

administrate.

There

is no power to legislate.

Every member within the flock nUlst grant to

the

leadership all proper deference and great

respect,3

but

at the

same time Christ has

made

each

member

responsible

to exercise

individual

judgment concerning

the

leadership that he

follows.

That

n'leans that the leaders must teach

each member

adequately

enough that he

may

judge whether

those things

that

they

command are

truly in accord with the constitution

(cf especially

the

powerful

word of the Apostle Paul

on

this

question in Acts

17:11).

Yet,

if

a member disagrees with

the decisions

of

the leadership,

and because of conscience

before

God

finds that he must refuse to

submit

to the orders that they give, he must

do even

that

submissively (i.e., in a proper

spirit that

acknowledges

the

position and authority that

11

the

COUNSEL

of

CH LCEDON

Christ has granted to

the

leaders of

the

church).

Moreover, he must recognize

the

grave danger in

which he

may

be

placing

himself by such a refus

It is

possible otherwise

that:

1.

He may be

found

be opposing Christ

himself

2.

He

may be showin

disrespect for Christ, by disregarding the authori

that He

invested in His

officers

c

I Thess. 5:12,

13 .

Because of these dangers, only after great care

and willingness to be taught and corrected by th

leadership as they explain

the

Word of God to

hinl, may

he

refuse to

submit

to them. And

then

may he do

so

only if he

is

thoroughly convinced

their failure to base their case upon the

Scriptur

He

may

not

refuse

to submit to

authority becaus

of personal

differences

or because of

conflicts

of any other sort. He nUlst

remember

always

that

the

authority to which

he

submits is not

theirs

but

rather

is

the

authority

of

Christ.

And

pastors, difficult as

it may

seem to

them,

must

teach

this

submission

to

their members.

Too

man

congregations

have been

split because

members

had not the foggiest notion that such submission

is required by God.

Even

in

those rare instances in which

he

may

fi

himself

basically at odds with the leadership of

the church, a member must

be

careful

about the

manner in which he differs. He may not

do

so in

rebellious or independent spirit.

Such difference

must be

stated

in a

spirit of sorrow and with

a

vl'illingness to work toward biblical agreement

(Phil. 4:1 'Be

of

one mind in the Lord.').

(Shepherding

God's

Flock, Volume Three -

Pastoral

Leadership,

P R

Pub.

Co., 1975, Chap

2,

Leadership

in the

Church, pp

13-15).

II. PREREQUISITES FOR

RENDERING

DUE

SUBMISSION

TO ELDERS

A.

Respect

for

church government

as

an

ordinance of Christ.

1. 'Vhen

elders

have been duly qualified, electe

and installed,

they

are the

Christ-appointed

executors of

His

will and rule as bounded by

Scripture.

Hence,

rebellion

to their authority

rightly

discharged

is

rebellion against the

authority of

Christ.


3/7

Pa Jtor Wayne Roge

2. If church members are not

convinced

of the

above-mentioned principle

and only submit to

their

elders

when

it is expedient, rather than

submitting

on

the basis

of

principle,

sooner

or

later such

submission

would break

down

under

trial.

B.

Respect

for

those

invested

with

office-bearing

responsibilities.

1. It is for this reason that

the

spiritual

requirements for

the

elder are so stringent. As

John

Brown has ably said, "No man

ought

to

become a member

of

a church

where the

office

bearers, as a body, do not command his respect for

their

personal

qualifications.

He sports with

his

own

edification

if

he does so."

2.

This

does not mean that we must "like" every

personal characteristic of elders, for this may be

a

matter

of

personal

taste;

but, they

must be

such

men who, by

their

life and gifts, command our

respect.

III

SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS OF

CHURCH

MEMBERS TO

THEIR ELDERS.

A. Church members should treat their pastors

with

distinguishing honor,

esteem, and

love I Tim.

5:17,1 Thess. 5:12, 13, Acts 28:15.

B. Church members should have a most delicate

and tender

regard

for

the

reputation

of

their

pastors. We must

seek

to

preserve

the dignity

and respect

due to office-bearers by obeying

the

injunction of 1 Tim. 5:19,

Do

not

receive an

accusation against

an

elder except from two

or

three

witnesses."

C.

Church members owe their

pastors attendance

upon their

ministry.

1. Submission to the elders as teachers this

involves:

a.

Being

present

when their instruction is

given.

If

it is required of teaching el del's to be

prepared

to

spread

out before the flock

of

God

the

doctrines and

duties of

Scripture, the promises

and

the precepts, the warning and the comforts

of

the

Gospel, then it is the duty of

the

sheep

to

be present

when

such pasture

is

set before

them;

or to

change

the figure,

it

is

the duty of

the family to be

gathered

at the table when it is

abundantly furnished. Just as surely as elders a

sinning when they are not adequately

prepared

for this task,

unless

providentially

hindered

in

their preparation,

so church members are

sinnin

when they are not

present,

unless providentially

hindered.

b.

Being present

with

a proper attitude.

This

attitude consists of

GOD CONSCIOUSNESS

(Acts 10:33), TEACHABLENESS (Acts 17:11

James 1:21) and an attitude

of

ACTIVE

DISCERNMENT

(Acts 17:11b).

c. Being submissive to that Word which they

minister in

His Name.

2. Submission

To

The

Elders

As Superintenden

and Rulers, Heb. 13:17, I Cor. 16:15, 16. "To obe

means

to

heed

their

words,

honor their

persons

and love

the Christ whose bond-servants they

ar

t means to labor

with

them for the

peace

of the

church,

the

glory of God and the proclamation

the

gospel, even when

this requires

us to

humbl

ourselves

and subdue our natural

impulses."4

a.

When the elders act as a body seeking to

preserve

the

external order, peace, and purity

of

the church, they are to

be

respected

and submit

to in the discharge

of

these duties.

b.

'Vhen

acting as individuals

in watching

over the souls

of

the flock,

their

exhortations,

admonitions,

inquiries,

and

warnings are not

be

regarded simply as those of

another

believer, bu

as men invested

with

peculiar responsibility and

authority

for

this

task

D. Church members owe their pastors

earnes

prayer. 2 Cor. 1:11, I Thess. 5:25, Rom. 15:30-33,

Eph.

6:19-20, Phil. 1:19,20, Col. 4:2,

3

2

Thess

3

2, Heb. 13:18, 19, Acts 12:1-19.

E Church members should encourage other

to

attend

upon

the ministry

of

their

pastors.

Psa

122.1, Let

us

go up to the house of

the

Lord," i

an invitation which they should often

address

to

the

people of

the world.

F.

Church Inembers

should

make known

to

their Pastors anything of importance that occurs

within

the scope

of

their observation

or

the cou

of their

experience

relating

to

the

church

and

the COUNSEL

of CH LCEDON


4/7

The Dilly o hllrch

Member J

to EliJer J

congregation which they

have first

tried

by their

own

personal

efforts to remove. Mat. 18:15ff.,

I Cor. 1:11.

G.

Church members should

zealously cooperate

in all strategies

of

usefulness

proposed

by the

pastors,

whether

for the benefit of

their own

local

congregation

in

particular,

or the

welfare

of the

church

and

the

world at large.

"We must try to get all the

members of

the

Church

practically interested in the

work

of Christ, for

'none of us liveth to himself.' t was said of a colt,

'The Lord hath

need of

him.' Much more may this

be said of those who profess to be living

members

of Christ's body.What

each

should do will depend

on what each can do, for 'she hath done what

she could' was the Master's word of approval. 'As

we have opportunity is the

rule laid down

for us.

What

a change

would

appear

on

the

Church and

the world if

each

professing

Christian

were doing

sOlnething -

something

for

Christ

- even

though

it were

a very little Might not the wilderness

soon

be

turned

into

a fruitful field? ... Let

us

engage

the

hearts

of our

people

in the

cause

of missions

at home and abroad ... 'Do all the good

you

can

in

this

world, and

make

as little

noise about it

as

possible'

....

To be occupied with our

little selves

is not God's way of

making us either healthy or

happy." David Dickson, The Elder

and

His Work,

pg.59-63.

H.

The

pastor(s) deserves

generous

financial

support.

Gal. 6:6, I Cor. 9:7, 14,2 Tim. 2:4, 1

Tim. 4:13, 15, 5:17.

1. Ruling

elders

should be supported

to the

degree

necessary for them to carry on

their

ministry

whether

in

terms

of

general

financial

support in

order for

them to

take

time to

away

from their

vocation to

conduct

ministry, provision

of books, literature, conferences,

ministry

visitation, etc.

2.

Teaching

Elders

who give themselves full

time

to

the work of

the ministry

should be supported

by the church.

Jay Adam writes,

Listen

to Paul as

he

sets forth

the

base

salary for a minister: 'Now

let

him who

is

instructed

in the Word share everything

good

that

he has

with

the

one who instructs

him' (Gal.

3

the


6:6).

In that

command (note, it is not optional for

congregations to do

or

not do

so) you

find

the

fundamental

principle

of

payment

- the minister

of

the Word is to receive a salary commensurate

with that of the members of the congregation. H

is

not to

live on less

than

they do. Put positively,

as Paul does, he is to enjoy all

the

good

things th

they

do.

While,

as we shall see,

he

may

be

paid

more than the average of his members' earnings,

congregations must

not

pay

him

less - without

sin."

The Journal of

Modern Ministry,Volume

1,

Issue 2, Fall 2004, pp. 8-9.

The question is how do we determine the

cost

o

living for a

working mall with

a growing family?

Do we take

into

account the cost of

Christian

school tuition? Planning for a college education

for children? Obviously, the congregation doesn'

want

the

pastor's wife to have to contribute to

th

family income.

Should

they

seek

to determine

the average income of the

church?

But,

suppose

the church

contains

a high percentage of laid-

off

factory workers, farm families

who

have been

losing money,

or

retired pensioners? If the

pasto

is to

be paid

the average wage of

the

congregatio

in that case, he might have to take a loss

The OPC Presbytery

of

The Midwest has

developed

a "Policies and Guidelines on Pastors'

Salaries." It states that certainly the minister

should be paid enough to meet the needs of his

family.

The

apostle Paul,

in encouraging

the Gree

churches

to give

generously

for poor Christians

in Judea, states that God's

purpose

is

that there

may be equality"

2

Cor. 8:12-15), for which he ci

the

example of God's provision of manna in the

wilderness. As

the Lord provided

miraculously f

His people

in such

a way that

each

had

enough,

so

He

would provide equitably for His people

in

this age through the labors of their mvn hands a

their

generosity toward

each

other. Applying

this

principle

to the

support

of

those who get their

living by

the

Word

1

Cor. 9:14), a

minister shou

be paid at least enough to live at the accepted

standard of

the congregation

which

he is serving

A typical form

of

a call to

the ministry

in

Presbyterian

circles

reads

thus:

The

Church being on

sufficient grounds well

satisfied

of

the ministerial qualifications of you,

and having good hopes from our

knowledge of your labors that your ministrations


5/7

Pa 1tor ayne RogerrJ

in

the Gospel

will be

profitable to

our

spiritual

interests, do earnestly

call

you

to undertake the

pastoral

office in said

congregation, promising

encouragen'lent and obedience in the Lord. That

you may be free from

worldly cares

and avocations,

we

hereby promise and oblige ourselves to pay you

the sum of

a

year

in

regular payments,

and other

benefits

such as

manse,

retirement,

insurance, vacations, moving expenses, etc. during

the

time

of your being and continuing the

regular

pastor

of this church.

In other

words,

the goal is to free him from all

worldly care so that he can

devote

himself fully

to

the

ministry. The minister is

not

so much paid

a

salaTy

which is compared with

other

men's

salaries, but he is

supported

so that he

can

devote

himself

entirely to

the ministry

of

the word, free

from

the cares

of

the

world,

to the

degree

that he

can

and

should

be.

The OPC Presbytery of the Midwest Policies and

Guidelines

on

Pastors' Salaries addresses other

practical

issues

in the

support

of

ministers:

1. Inability to give full support: If a congregation

is not able to give its pastor full support ..

then:

a. The words that you may be free from worldly

care and

employment

should not be used in the

call.

This

is

only honest.

b.

The

call

should

explicitly permit

the pastor

to

supplement

his income through outside

employment

(perhaps

specifying permitted

hours

of

outside employment,

though

this may

be best

left to

the

discretion of the

session). Note, however,

that

the

presbytery does not

recommend,

but only

acquiesces to

this arrangement

in

cases where

there

seem

to be no reasonable alternatives.

Granted

that pastors may

be

scripturally

free

to

labor outside the ministry for

their

ovvn

support,

this may

not be wise in most cases. That model

"tentmaker," the apostle Paul,

did

not

lead

about

a wife;"

but

Peter,

who did, received support from

the

churches (implied by I Cor. 9:5 in context). A

self-supporting pastor will constantly

be pressured

by

the

competing demands

of his

outside

job, the

needs of the church

and

the needs

of

his family,

and all

three

plus the

pastor himself

are likely to

suffer. In

addition,

in

areas

experiencing recession

it may not be possible for a pastor to find adequ

supplemental

employment.

2.

Some

things a congregation should

understand:

a.

A minister lives

on

a fixed monthly income

which

he

may have less freedom

than

others

in

church

to influence. For example, the congregat

may

feel

strongly

that their

pastor's

wife should

not

work outside

the

home,

although the wives

in the congregation

do.

If

the pastor

takes

supplemental employment, members may feel

he is not earning

the

salary they are

paying

hinl

(assuming such employment is available). Most

ministers

have no

equity or

capital

to borrow h'o

or to fall back on in case of emergency. If they

are

paid just enough to get by on from month

to

month, they cannot save for

the

future.

b. A

minister

depends on the giving

of

the

congregation,

but is

usually

very reluctant ever

to express

any

dissatisfaction with what he is

receiving. Generally,

if

he does, it is serious

c. If the

church

provides a manse, the ministe

is building no equity toward housing in his

retirement.

This makes provision

for retirement

the more essential.

d. A retirement plan is not a luxury, unless the

church intends

to

continue supporting a minist

by continuing

his

salary

after

he is no longer ab

to serve.

e. Good medical coverage is a necessity. If the

church

does

not

provide

for it (despite high

premiums), it may

end up shouldering the burd

of staggering medical expenses

and

passing

that

burden to

the

rest of

the

churches of the

presbytery and denomination.

3.

Some questions

a

congregation should

ask itself:

Do we

place

a biblically high value on the

minis

of

God's

,ard?

In

a crunch, which

comes

first: giving the pasto

a good wage

or

making improvements on the

building?

Is the ministry seen as a sort of second-rate

the



6/7

The uty of hurch Memberd

to

ELJerd

9

occupatIOn ....

Do SOlne feel that it is more spiritual for

ministers

and

their

families to

be

poor?

Do

some argue for holding

down

the

pastor's

salalj',

but

then feel good about giving him various

kinds

of charity?

What

is the value of the training, experience, and

education (equal to that

of

a lawyer)

of

a minister?

Do members

of

the

congregation

tithe?

Do some fail

to

tithe,

pleading their own

financial

squeeze, but

then spend

money on personal items

that

the

pastor

cannot

afford?

vVould members of the

congregation

be willing to

change

jobs and move their families to a strange

place,

if

they

were offered

the

salary package

they

are proposing for a new pastor?

'\Till the proposed salary package enable a family

to live at the standard of living that is reasonably

hoped for by working people

with

families

in your

community?

Will

having our

minister and

his family live

within

the income

we propose

commend

or detract

from the reputation of our

congregation

in

this

community?

IV FINAL

CONCLUSIONS

AND

OBSERVATIONS:

A FAILURE ON THE PART

OF CHURCH

MEMBERS to render

submission

to their

elders

as teachers and

rulers

must

not

be knowingly

tolerated in the church. See

I Thess. 5:14, II Thess.

3:6

and

14.

Following is an excerpt from Samuel Miller,

The

Duties

Which

The Church

Owes

To

Ruling

Elders, a

chapter in

his

book, The Ruling

Elder

(Edited) :

If

they

(Ruling Elders)

are

the spiritual Rulers

of the

Church,

and bound to perform daily,

and

with fidelity and zeal, the duties which belong to

this

station;

it

is

evident that the lnembers of

the

Church

are bound to recognize

thenl

in the same

15

the

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of

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character, and to

honor

and treat them as their

spiritual guides.

Were it, then, in the power of the writer of

this volume to

address the

members

of

every

Presbyterian Church

in the

United

States, he

would speak to them in

some

such language as t

following:

CHRISTIAN

BRETHREN, EvelY

consideration

which has been urged to

show

the importance a

duties belonging to the office of

Ruling

Elders,

ought to relnind you of

the

important duties whi

you

owe to them.

1 Office: Remember, at all times,

that

they are

your

ecclesiastical Rulers; Rulers of your

own

choice yet by no means coming to

you

in virtue o

mere human authority; but

in

the name

and

by t

appointment

of the

great

Head of the Church, an

of

course,

the

ministers

of

God to

you

for good.

In

all

your

views

and treatment

of

them, then,

recognize

this

character.

2. Respect and Submission: Obey them in the

Lord,

that

is, for

his

sake,

and

as far as they

bea

rule agreeably to his word.

Esteem

them very

highly in love for their works sake. And follow

them daily

with your

prayers, that God

would

ble

them,

and

make

them a blessing. Reverence them

as your leaders. Bear in mind the importance of

their office, the arduousness of their duties, and

the difficulties with which they have to contend.

Countenance, and

sustain

them in

every

act

of

fidelity;

make

allowance for their infirmities;

and

be not unreasonable in your expectations fl'om

them.

3. Oversight: Many are

ready

to (in)criminate

the

Elders

of the Church, for not taking notice

of particular offences, as speedily, or in such

manner,

as they expect. And this disposition to

find fault is

sometimes

indulged by persons who

have

never

been

so faithful themselves as to give

that information which they

possessed,

respectin

the alleged offences;

or

who, when called upon

publicly to

substantiate

that which they have

privately disclosed, have drawn back, unwilling

to

encounter

the odium

or the pain

of appearing

as accusers, or even its witnesses. Such

persons

ought to be the last to (in)criminate Church

officers for supposed negligence of discipline. C

your Rulers take notice of

that

which never com


7/7

Pcutor ayne Roger

to

their

knowledge? Or can

you

expect them, as

prudent men, rashly to set on foot

judicial

and

public

investigation of things, concerning which

many are ready to whisper in private,

but

none

willing to

speak with

frankness before a

court

of

Christ?

Besides, let it

be

recollected, that the session

of

almost every

Church

is

sometimes

actually

engaged

in investigating cases, in

removing

offences,

and

in

composing

differences, which

many suppose

they are utterly neglecting merely

because they

do

not judge it to

be for edification,

in

all cases, to

proclaim what

they have done, or

are doing, to

the congregation

at large.

4.

Discipline: Your

Elders

will

sometimes be

called -

God

grant that it

may seldom

occur -

but they will sometimes be called to the

painful

exercise of discipline. Be

not

offended

with thelTl

for

the performance of this

duty,

Rather make

the

language

of

the

Psalmist

your own: Let the

righteous smite me, it shall be a kindness:

and

let him reprove me, it shall be an excellent oil,

which

shall not

break my

head." Add not to

the

bitterness of their

official task, by discovering a

resentful

temper, or by indulging

in reproachful

language, in return for their fidelity. Surely the

nature of the

duty

is sufficiently self-denying

and

distressing,

without rendering it more

so

by

unfriendly treatment.

Receive their private

warnings

and

admonitions

with candor

and

affectionate submission. Treat

their

public acts,

however

contrary

to

your

wishes,

with respect and

reverence. f hey

be

honest and pious

men,

can

they do less than exercise the discipline of Christ's

house, against such of

you

as walk disorderly?

Nay if you

be

honest

and pious yourselves,

can

you

do less than approve

of

their faithfulness in

excercising that discipline'? f

you

were aware of

all the difficulties which attend this part of

the

duty ofvour Eldership,

you

would feel for them

more

tenderly,

and judge concerning

them

more

candidly and

indulgently than

you

are

often

disposed

to do. Here you have it in your power, in

a very

important

degree,

to lessen

their

burdens,

and to

strengthen their hands.

5. Visitation:

When

your

Elders

visit your

families, for the

purpose of becoming

acquainted

with them,

and of

aiding the Pastor in

ascertaining

the spiritual state of the flock, remember that it

is

not

officious intrusion. t is nothing more than

their

duty. Receive

them,

not as

if you suspected

them of

having come

as

spies or

busy intruders,

but with respect

and

cordiality. Convince them,

by your treatment, that you are glad to see

them,

that you wish to encourage them

in

promoting t

best interests of the Church;

and

that you

honor

them for

their

fidelity. Give them

an

opportunity

of

seeing

your

children, and

of ascertaining

whether your households are making progress in

the

Christian

life.

Nay

encourage

your

children

to put themselves

in

the way

of the Elders,

that

they

may be

personally known to them,

and may

become the

objects of their affectionate notice,

their occasional exhortation, and

their

pious

prayers. Converse

with

the

Elders

freely, as

with

fathers,

who

have no

greater joy than

to see

you

walking in the truth."

And

ever give them cause,

to retire

under

the pleasing persuasion, that

the

office is

honored,

that

their

benevolent

designs

daily

appreciated, and

that their labors "are

not

vain in the Lord." In short,

as

every good citizen

will make conscience of vindicating the fidelity,

and holding

up the land

of the faithful Magistrat

who

firmly and in'lpartially executes the law of

the land: so every

good

Christian

ought

to feel

himself bound in conscience and honor, as well

in duty to his Lord, to strengthen

the

hands, and

encourage

the

heart

of

the

spiritual Ruler, who

evidently seeks,

in

the fear of God, to

promote th

purity and edification of the

Church.

B. CHURCH

MEMBERS SHOULD

SEEK TO

CULTIVATE

the

positive attitudes enjoined upo

them.

See I Thess. 5:12 thru 13.

(Footnotes)

J This material is largely based upon an outline b

Al Martin,

Samuel

Miller,

John

Angel James, Jay

Adams, David Dickson, etc. See also

The Elders

of the

Church, Lawrence

Eyres,

Chapter

4,

The

Submission Due to Them.

2 Jay Adams, Shepherding God's Flock,

Vol.

3,

Pastoral

Leadership,

P R Pub., 1975, pp. 15-16

Cf. Heb. 13:7, 17, I Thess. 5:12, 13. The respect

enjoined in

these

passages is of the highest leve

4

Edgar

Andrews, A Glorious

High

Throne,

Hebrews, Evang. Press, 2003, p. 509

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of

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2005 Issue 3 - The Duty of Church Members to the Elders - Counsel of Chalcedon

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