Mountain Creek church of Christ - Elders Over The Congregation

"Now brothers and sisters, we ask you to respect those people who work hard with you--those who lead you in the Lord and teach you. Respect those people with a very special love because of the work they do with you. Live in peace with each other. We ask you, brothers and sisters, to warn those people who don't work. Encourage the people who are afraid. Help the people who are weak. Be patient with every person. Be sure that no person pays back wrong for wrong. But always try to do what is good for each other and for all people. Always be happy. Never stop praying."

I Thessalonians 5:12-17 (EVD)

WHAT DO ELDERS DO?

* Make sure that the Truth is preached.

* Counsel those having spiritual problems.

* Encourage new converts.

* Decide the direction the church will follow.

* Teach Bible classes.*Conduct home Bible studies.

* Praise those who do good works.

* Pray for those they serve and the work of the church.

* Become concerned when someone quits attending the worship or gets weak.

* Visit the sick and shut-in.

* Try to help people who don't want help.

* Investigate sticky and sensitive problems in order to keep the church pure.

* Cry with the broken hearted.

* Model Christianity.

* Greet visitors and involve new members.

* Over preachers' and deacons' work.

* Hear the appeals of missionaries.

* Look for areas of new service.

* Work for a living.

* Try to restore the unfaithful and involve the bystanders.

* Counsel young (and sometimes troubled) marriages.

* Study their Bibles for personal growth.

* Face special temptations/discouragements.

* Feel the weight of knowing they will give account of the souls they shepherd.

* Smile when their efforts pay off. *Smile when they don't.

* Go on to the next problem.

* . . . and 1001 other daily tasks.

WHAT SHOULD WE DO?

* Love them. Pray for them.

* Get to know them personally.

* Back them in their work, fulfill their requests if there is no scriptural reason not to, and help carry out their plan or work.

* Speak a word of encouragement.

* Defend them if we hear them criticized.

* Be thankful that God gave them to us.