Finding Faithful Elders and Deacons E-Book

Thabiti M. Anyabwile

• Herausgeber: Crossway
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2012

Beschreibung

Any church leader knows the qualifications for elders and deacons are articulated in the Bible, but that same leader also knows that actually finding other leaders who fulfill the biblical qualifications is difficult. While many books analyze and debate the finer points of church government, few have been written on both elders and deacons, and fewer still successfully show how to identify and reproduce legitimate leaders and willing servants throughout the ranks of the church body. Thabiti Anyabwile writes from his expertise as a pastor and an elder as well as from his experience of being led by faithful men—men who saw in him the fundamental qualities listed in Scripture and invested their time, energy, and love into grooming him to take their place. Balancing thoughtful analysis of pertinent passages with thorough application for practical use in a contemporary context, Anyabwile answers the questions, "Who should we look for to lead and serve in the church?" and "What should they do to fulfill their calling?" Most helpful, perhaps, are the lists "Observations to make" and "Questions to ask," which are provided for each characteristic described. Rather than exacerbating the controversial questions surrounding these issues, this book provides meaningful action points that will prove effective for a wide range of interpretations.

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“As a pastor, I think regularly about what kind of leadership our congregation will have after I am with the Lord and occupied with other things. The challenges of generational transition in church leadership are among the greatest a church will ever face. With that in mind, I welcome Thabiti Anyabwile’s fine contribution to this necessary discussion. Finding Faithful Elders and Deacons promises to be a great help indeed.”

Douglas Wilson, Fellow of Philosophy and Classic Languages, New St. Andrews College; Pastor, Christ Church, Moscow, Idaho

“Out of an obvious love for the local church, Pastor Thabiti takes biblical leadership very seriously. He takes it so seriously that he has written a book designed to be both biblical and accessible to the people of the church—clearly explaining the Bible’s teaching on the qualifications for leadership and so much more. After a careful exposition of every leadership qualification, he includes a list of helpful questions for the aspiring leader to ask himself and for those who will be interviewing such aspiring leaders. Thank you, Thabiti, for helping me to reflect more deeply on my calling as an elder and in my effort to raise up God-glorifying and people-loving leaders in Christ’s church for the next generation!”

Tom Steller, Pastor for Leadership Development, Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota; Dean, Bethlehem College and Seminary

“How do we identify, pick, and train the leaders we so desperately need? Pastor Thabiti has written a practical and theologically faithful book that addresses this critical issue, leaving no stone unturned. It is the kind of book you will want to keep on hand and refer to as you consider potential deacons and elders for the ministry. The book is down to earth, relevant, and thought provoking.”

Dave Kraft, Pastor, Mars Hill Church, Orange County; author, Leaders Who Last

“Thabiti Anyabwile’s book is a great reminder of the basics that can easily be forgotten in the race for ecclesiastical progress—namely, that we need faithful elders and deacons. Although this book is meant to help those looking for church officers know what to look for, I found the questions to be a good tonic to my soul and a mirror exposing the areas in which I need to shape up as a church pastor.”

Conrad Mbewe, Pastor, Kabwata Baptist Church, Lusaka, Zambia; author, Foundations for the Flock

“This is a great book. On the surface, it’s an extended meditation on the biblical qualities of elders and deacons that causes you to think carefully about what God intends for his leaders. What should churches look for? Are you that kind of person? But underneath, it’s a radical reorientation of what leadership in the church is. Church leadership does not depend on academic or professional success but on godliness. This book will help change the way church members and leaders think of leadership, what they value, and what they cultivate. Leaders and members both will benefit.”

Jonathan Leeman, Editorial Director, 9Marks; author, The Church and the Surprising Offense of God’s Love and Reverberation

“Finding Faithful Elders and Deacons offers the sort of meditations from the Pastoral Epistles that would-be elders and deacons-in-training need. Yet, pastors and laymen alike will find these chapters to be insightful and poignant, for they are faithful to Scripture, culturally contextualized, and able to be implemented instantly. There are thousands of well-meaning churches peddling along with mediocre religious practice that could be transformed into vibrant, Christ-pleasing, soul-winning, community-transforming churches if the officers of their congregations would humbly embrace the simple exhortations of this gracious work.”

Eric C. Redmond, Senior Pastor, Reformation Alive Baptist Church, Temple Hills, Maryland

“As a member of a pastoral team that is always at some point in the process of identifying, developing, and affirming elders and deacons, I welcome this helpful book by Thabiti Anyabwile. Right from the start, with the simple clarity and conviction of its opening sentences, this book is marked by sound biblical teaching. The consistent transition into the practical counsel at the end of each chapter, however, is where this book really proves its worth. Finding Faithful Elders and Deacons will be a most useful primer for all those who are committed to doing church leadership by the Bible.”

Mike Bullmore, Senior Pastor, Crossway Community Church, Bristol, Wisconsin

OTHER CROSSWAY BOOKS in the IX Marks Series:

Church Planting Is for Wimps: How God Uses Messed-up people to Plant Ordinary Churches That Do Extraordinary Things, Mike McKinley (2010)

What Does God Want of Us Anyway?: A Quick Overview of the Whole Bible, Mark Dever (2010)

What Is the Gospel?, Greg Gilbert (2010)

It Is Well: Expositions on Substitutionary Atonement, Mark Dever and Michael Lawrence

Biblical Theology in the Life of the Church: A Guide for Ministry, Michael Lawrence (2010)

The Church and the Surprising Offense of God’s Love, Jonathan Leeman (2010)

What Is a Healthy Church Member?, Thabiti Anyabwile (2008)

What Is a Healthy Church?, Mark Dever (2007)

The Gospel and personal Evangelism, Mark Dever (2007)

Finding Faithful Elders and Deacons

Copyright © 2012 by Thabiti M. Anyabwile

Published by Crossway1300 Crescent StreetWheaton, Illinois 60187

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher, except as provided for by USA copyright law. Crossway® is a registered trademark in the United States of America.

Cover design: Faceout Studio

First printing 2012

Printed in the United States of America

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the King James Version of the Bible.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Trade paperback ISBN: 978-1-4335-2992-4

PDF ISBN: 978-1-4335-2993-1

Mobipocket ISBN: 978-1-4335-2994-8

ePub ISBN: 978-1-4335-2995-5

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Anyabwile, Thabiti M., 1970–

Finding faithful elders and deacons / Thabiti Anyabwile.

p. cm.

Includes index.

ISBN 978-1-4335-2992-4 (tp)

1. Elders (Church officers)—Baptists. 2. Deacons—Baptists. I. Title.

BX6345.A59253—dc2320122011037801

Crossway is a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

In memory of Philip pedley,

faithful elder and servant,

who honored Jesus

CONTENTS

Introduction

How to Use This Book

PART ONE FINDING TABLE SERVANTS

 1 Choosing Your Waiter: An Introduction to Deacons

 2 Full of the Spirit and Wisdom

 3 Sincere

 4 Sober and Content

 5 Keeps Hold of the Faith

 6 Tried and True

PART TWO FINDING RELIABLE ELDERS

 7 Sheep and Shepherds: An Introduction to Elders

 8 Desires a Noble Task

 9 Above Reproach

10 A One-Woman Man

11 Sober-Minded, Self-Controlled, Respectable

12 Hospitable

13 Able to Teach

14 Sober, Gentle, Peacemaking

15 Not a Lover of Money

16 Leader at Home

17 Mature and Humble

18 Respected by Outsiders

PART THREE WHAT GOOD PASTORS DO

19 Elders Refute Error

20 Elders Avoid Myths and Train for Godliness

21 Elders hope in God

22 Elders Command

23 Elders Let No One Despise Their Youth

24 Elders Set an Example

25 Elders Teach

26 Elders Grow

27 Elders Watch Their Life

28 Elders Watch Their Doctrine

Afterword

Appendix: Sample Elder Ordination Vows

Notes

INTRODUCTION

And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.

2 TIMOTHY 2:2

A church without godly leaders is an endangered church. And a church that does not train leaders is an unfaithful church. God gives leaders to his churches for the maturity, unity, and soundness of each local congregation. Without godly, faithful, replicating leadership, churches suffer deeply.

The apostle Paul knew how important such leadership is. In 2 Timothy, the apostle writes his “child” in the faith, Timothy, with several final instructions and exhortations, including the exhortation to find good leaders. Timothy grew up under the spiritual instruction of his grandmother Lois and mother Eunice (2 Tim. 2:2, 5). He traveled, served, and learned alongside Paul. And now the apostle, near the end of his life, instructing in the “shadow of the scaffold,”1 writes with deep tenderness in almost every verse. Amidst the many jewels in this letter, one of them is Paul’s charge to find and entrust “faithful men.”

The apostle’s teaching must live on, passed from faithful hand to faithful hand. That means that the pastor must be able to spot faithful men and train them. If a man is not given to discipling others, it’s unlikely that he is called to the pastoral office.

I am the product of men who found me, probed my reliability, and entrusted me with gospel treasure. I think of peter Rochelle. He selflessly granted me the opportunity to labor alongside him in planting a church. He first encouraged me to preach and teach, and his model of exposition has influenced me ever since.

Then there was Mark Dever, an unusually gifted discipler of men and teacher of God’s Word. I cannot forget his eager generosity towards me. It began on the day of my membership interview at Capitol Hill Baptist Church. He asked what I wanted to do with my life over the long term. A little intimidated, I answered, “I would love it if the Lord allowed me to pastor full-time.”

“Really?” Mark replied, eyebrow curiously raised, head slightly tilted. Then he turned to my wife and asked, “Can he teach?”

Oh no, I thought. I did not see that coming. What would she say? To my relief, “Oh, yes,” came the quick and confident reply. Mark turned to me and said, “You should call the church office and get on my calendar for regular lunches together. Let’s meet up and discuss good Christian books. You should consider my life open to you.”

I have never forgotten those words. My five years at Capitol Hill Baptist Church were marked by Mark, Michael Lawrence, Matt Schmucker, and too many men to number—not to mention the church family as a whole—pouring themselves into me, entrusting me with the things they had heard, read, seen, and learned concerning the Lord, the gospel, and his bride.

WHAT DO MULTI-LEVEL MARKETERS HAVE THAT CHRISTIAN CHURCHES DO NOT?

For a number of years, every time I visited a bookstore I seemed to be approached by someone who asked me if I was interested in “earning an extra $500 to $1,000 per month working from home only ten hours per week.” It was like I had a big sticker on my forehead reading “sucker for multi-level marketing.” They wanted me to become a part of their “down line”—to join their league of unsuspecting, gullible, get-rich-quick marketers. They were multiplying themselves in the most zealous way possible.

What do multi-level marketers possess that Christian pastors do not?

If direct sale and multi-level marketing businesses are constantly on the lookout for prospective representatives, certainly ambassadors for Christ should be. We’ve been entrusted with the ministry of reconciliation. Having come into possession of Christ himself, it’s our business and pleasure to cultivate other stewards of God’s good news, stewards who will in turn find others to keep and teach the gospel.

But saying that a pastor must find and train others is the easy part. Practically, what does this look like? How is it done?

In the chapters that follow, I want to invite pastors and elders to a conversation about finding and training faithful men for the task of leadership in the church. I am no expert. I haven’t been at this long, and I’m sure there are tons of men who do it better. You won’t find here a ten-step process for turning spiritual duds into elder studs. You won’t find a surefire formula for making any and every person a stellar leader.

Instead, what follows are brief meditations on Paul’s instructions to Timothy in 1 Timothy 3 and 4. With 1 Timothy 3, we examine the biblical qualifications for elders and deacons and ask, what kind of character must these men possess, and how can we spot it? With 1 Timothy 4, we consider Paul’s charge to Timothy as a model for faithful pastoral ministry. With God’s blessing, as we walk slowly through 1 Timothy 3 and 4, we will think about what qualities to search for and what duties need to be fulfilled in Christian leadership.

Much more could be said on this very important topic. Many excellent book-length resources are available to the interested reader.2 I hope this little volume complements these other resources by helping the already-stretched pastor who wants to cultivate other leaders but needs a conversation partner to stir up some questions and ideas.

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

HOW CAN YOU USE THIS BOOK?

First, use this book prayerfully. Pray for pastors and elders as they shepherd and serve the sheep. Pray for more men to be raised up in the congregation for this important work. Pray that the Lord would pour out his grace on those serving in these tasks. Pray that the members of the church would show genuine appreciation, love, and care for their shepherds. Pray that all the men in the church would grow in the qualities that elders should possess. Pray that men would have a godly desire to give their lives in serving the body of Christ as servant-leaders.

Second, use this book practically. The book does not delve into a lot of detailed argumentation, hoping instead to make application easily and quickly. I want the book to help in actually doing something—identifying and training elders—not just considering something. Put the suggestions into practice, and improve them with the experience and wisdom that come from your particular church setting and other faithful leaders.

Finally, use the book pedagogically. That is, use it to teach and instruct. perhaps a church needs to select its first elders after a period of planning and study. Pastors may wish to use these brief chapters to “flesh out” for the average church member which qualities the congregation as a whole needs to be looking and praying for in their prospective elders. Examination and pastoral search committees may find similar help.