These pages bring together information for Elders, Parish Councillors, and other Parish Leaders in Presbyterian and Reformed Churches. It includes material for training elders being authorised to preside at communion and conduct baptisms.
See also material on the PCANZ website information for parishes and treasurers and downloadable pdf copies of the Parish Handbook and Treasurer's Manual. A Synod of Otago and Southland report by Lynne Baab on Elders' Training Needs can be downloaded here.
If you are interested in biblical or theological study there are papers available through the Ecumenical Institute for Distance Theological Studies (EIDTS) as well as through Laidlaw College, Carey College, the University of Otago and other centres.
Being an Elder: What am I expected to do?
Being an elder is something we may be asked to do. It is not something we ask to do.
Being called to this form of ministry is about being invited to share in the working leadership and pastoral governance of a congregation and being available to play your part in the wider life of your church. Together with supporting one another and encouraging others who share in leadership, the most important collective task of minister and elders together is to seek to discern God's will for your congregation.
If you are asked to consider being an elder, the first questions are whether being part of that group in your congregation is what God wants you to do. Are you willing to be part of that leadership team?
You will also want to know how Presbyterianism works, and to take inspiration from other elders and ministers and how they face the challenge of God's calling. The framework provided our Book of Order particularly Chapter 6 on Ministers and Elders is surprisingly flexible, but things still need to be done well. It is important to both respect our heritage and be part of its development. Presbyterianism gives us permission to play our part in reforming the church for the mission needs of each new generation.
As a new elder you will share in the task of growing new elders.
You will need time out.
You do not have to try and solve every problem on your own.
You will discover that every pastoral conversation and every meeting can be a miracle even if it does not seem so at the time and that God uses us in unexpected ways.
Learning on the job
We draw on all our experience of life
We learn by doing
We learn by being part of a group
We want help when we need help
We want to know who to talk to
We want to know where to look stuff up
We need confidence to test the understanding we have
Some of us learn by reading and thinking. Many of us learning by talking with others. All of us learn by doing and by being part of a group.
Being in church leadership is itself being part of a dynamic learning environment. To allow that learning to happen we need to take time to talk about what is going on. This will help clarify our goals, build our confidence that we are doing what God wants, and grow our faith.
Where we do not yet know the way, there is always plenty to do meantime. Even people we find difficult or who find us difficult are part of learning together.
Identifying our "training needs"
One step towards improving our confidence and effectiveness is to identify our training needs and work with others to address them. The following are topics raised in interviews conducted by Dr Lynne Baab for the Synod of Otago (download). They may help you plan for training events.
Topics mentioned by almost everyonge:
The future Church in Aotearoa New Zealand
Listening to and understanding younger generations
Facilitating and welcoming changes in music
Reading the Bible in the 21st century
Topics mentioned in a majority of interviews:
The role of elder
Conflict management
Grief
Listening Skills
Visitation
Topics mentioned in over a third of interviews:
Communication
Communicating my faith
Decision making
Leading worship
Prayer
Small groups
Spiritual gifts
The Presbyterian form of government
Vacancies
Understanding Elders by John Roxborogh and Mary-Jane Konings.
This is an "open source" resource and a work in progress. Feel free to download and adapt the current version to suit your local needs: . If you have suggestions or ideas for contributions please email john@roxborogh.com
Presbyterianism is about including others in running the church
My paper Lay Leadership and Ministry and the Future of Reformed Christianity in the West was written for a conference on the future of Christianity held at the University of Otago in 2002. The key ideas are:
Even when the social climate does not encourage people to be Christian we can be persistent in sharing the Gospel and relating faith in Jesus Christ to younger generations.
One way - among others - by which the Reformation church connected to its times was through its organisation. Church courts gave local leaders a real part in the governance of the church. Calvin regarded organisation as something which varied with different societies.
Organisation can be thought of as a form of language - we can persist better by seeking to make our "language" of organisation consistent with the Gospel and related to the organisational cultures of our times.
Organization can facilitate mission by being flexible. New forms of accountability and participation are needed in new situations.
John Roxborogh
Updated 1 February 2011