The Salt Lake Valley acts like a funnel, channeling the winds through our valley. I am acutely aware of these wind patterns when I take my bike for a lunch ride. Pedaling into the wind takes immense effort, even at a slow pace. But everything changes when I turn around and pedal home. Speeding down a bike trail, barely breaking a sweat, fills me with joy!
Similarly, good elders and deacons are like a strong tailwind for a church’s ministry. Progress is visible and even fun! But if a church doesn’t have good elders and deacons, it can feel like pedaling into a strong headwind; progress is slow, and soon you’ll be worn out.
A good training program is essential for finding and developing godly men who will care well for the church. While most congregants won’t be involved in the training, they should still care about how these men are trained. They should observe the candidates in action so they can vote wisely.
Below, I’ve listed seven common mistakes I’ve seen (and made) when it comes to training elders and deacons. My goal is to help all of our churches do a better job finding and training men who will be good and faithful shepherds of God’s flock.
Mistake #1: Not Praying Publicly for God to Provide Officers
Do you realize that church leaders are one of the gifts that Christ gives the church? While Paul often speaks about gifts of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 7:7, 12:1, 13:2), church leaders are the only ones said to be given by Christ himself. (Ephesians 4:7,9,11) Because it is Christ who promises this gift, the responsibility of ensuring the church has qualified elders and deacons does not rest on the shoulders of pastors alone. God himself delights in giving and cultivating the gifts he gives to his people.
Are you praying for Christ to give good officers to the church? Are pastors praying for this in the worship services? Christ is not stingy; he loves to give his gifts to the church. Are we asking him for them?
Mistake #2: Preaching a Sermon on Officer Qualifications the Sunday of Nominations
Most pastors (including me) have done it, but it likely sends the wrong message about the purpose of nominations, and people take the nomination process too seriously. Besides, a single sermon cannot comprehensively communicate the gravity of these roles. It places too great a burden of discernment on the congregation before they have been able to observe the candidates in training.
The congregation should feel free to nominate many people, knowing that the session will do the work to examine their character, and some nominees will drop out of the training. The congregation should exercise discernment, but that comes at the congregational vote. I encourage people to nominate those whom they believe show potential; you want a wide funnel for nominations. A proper training process will then give the congregation time to observe the candidates’ character and giftings.
Mistake #3: Requiring Members to Talk to the Person Before Nominating Him
Contrary to what may seem like common courtesy, a person’s permission is not required in order to nominate him for office. People can have unfounded fears or unbiblical reasons to decline. As others learn that a potential nominee declined to be nominated, it discourages others from nominating him. Some may want to nominate a particular person but never get the chance to ask his permission first. And if a person knows he isn’t morally qualified, it puts him in an awkward position having to explain why he doesn’t want to be nominated. Instead, after he’s been nominated, he can explain the situation privately to the session.
Receiving many nominations will help your process. This is one of the ways that God can show a man that he is called. For instance, my dad was nominated and then elected as an elder at our church. At the beginning of the nomination process, he worried about how it would look to the congregation if the pastor’s father was an elder; had he been asked, he would have declined the nomination. Thankfully, we did not require his permission, and when he received a total of nine nominations (more than any other person), he was greatly encouraged by realizing that the congregation wanted him to serve.
Mistake #4: Seeing Deacons as the Best Volunteers
The office of deacon is one of the most underutilized and underappreciated positions in the church. Often, those who are best at showing up early to set up chairs before the worship service are the ones who will become deacons. But these people do not necessarily make the best deacons, despite their service-oriented predisposition. Why? Because deacons must also be leaders. They need to guide others and manage complex problems.
Consider Acts 6. Some of the widows were not receiving food in the distribution. It was a complex problem that required a wise solution. The apostles didn’t need more volunteers to stuff sandwiches in bags. They needed trusted, mature, godly men to handle delicate organizational, cultural, and ethnic challenges. They needed strong leaders: they needed deacons.
If your deacons are great at serving but not strong leaders, the pastor will end up doing the job of the deacon. In Acts 6, the people came to the apostles because they needed leaders to fix a problem. And what did the apostles do? They delegated the task to men who were full of the Spirit and wisdom (Acts 6:3). Deacons must be men who are trusted to solve complex problems with love. You can see why the qualifications for deacons are almost identical to that of elders.
Mistake #5: Keeping the Names of the Candidates Private
Many churches keep candidates’ names private through the majority of officer training. The intentions are good, but if we want the congregation to vote meaningfully for their leaders, we need to give them ample opportunity to observe the candidates in action.
Instead, keep the names private during an initial vetting phase; check into the character and calling of the nominees (include input from their wives and others). After that, publish their names. Have elder candidates lead worship, write a sermon, and deliver it on Sunday. Have deacon candidates organize a church work day.
It’s crucial that the congregation has time to see the candidates ministering so they can meaningfully assess whether they are called or not. They should not vote for a candidate simply because he is being presented to the congregation by the session; nor should they vote for someone because he has a successful career or is heavily involved in the church. Members should vote for them because they have observed the gifts and desire for the ministry they are being called to.
Mistake #6: Not Valuing the Role of Internal Calling or Desire
We need to actively encourage men to consider serving as elders or deacons, just as we do for those pursuing full-time vocational ministry. If anything, it is even more important that our elders and deacons feel a real desire to serve in this way, as they are often taking up the church ministry for no pay on top of their full-time jobs.
Paul writes 1 Timothy 3:1: “The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task.”
The desire for office is what brings a man to then examine whether he meets the other requirements. This is the opposite of our approach, where a man is first nominated and then examined.
Without this desire to serve, it is easy for an elder or deacon to lose motivation. Since no one is checking their time cards, so to speak, they must be self-motivated. Church officers need to take the initiative to address matters in a timely and judicious way. If the pastor always has to remind the elder or deacon of what needs doing, the work of the church slows down. But if he possesses the internal drive and initiative, the gears of the church turn smoothly. Desire for ministry is imperative.
Mistake #7: Thinking Training is mostly about Teaching Theology and Polity
The U.S. Marine Corps’ Officer Candidate School is typically 10 weeks long. Ten weeks is not much time to prepare for taking responsibility for the lives of 40 or more young Marines. (Though when you are in OCS, each day feels like a week!) But the program is not intended to give you all the skills required for the job; it’s meant to see if you have the raw materials needed to lead Marines: character, fitness, and mental fortitude.
After this introductory step, you will receive six months of basic infantry training and spend several more months building job-specific skills. Only then are you sent out to lead Marines; and even then you will be partnered with a senior enlisted Marine who will provide guidance.
Officer training in the church is similar to OCS. The primary goal is not to give them all the training needed for ministry; it’s to test candidates on their character, desire, and mental fortitude. Certainly, they will develop some skills, but the main purpose is to assess their character and calling.
As any pastor knows, the first several years of ordained ministry are for learning all the things seminary did not teach you. Officer training is not primarily about teaching all the Book of Church Order and Westminster Confession of Faith; it’s about examining people in their character, qualifications, and desire for the office. Training is the beginning of a lifelong course in how to be a leader in Christ’s church.
Conclusion
Good elders and deacons are an incredible blessing to the local church. I pray that every church in the PCA can know the joy of ministry with a strong tailwind, and having good elders and deacons is a key step toward this joy.
Jon Stoddard serves as the senior pastor of Jordan Valley Church in West Jordan, Utah. He is the author of “Lead My Sheep: A Guide for Training Elders and Deacons.”