And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ (Ephesians 4:11-13, NASB).
I'm not sure how we Presbyterians have managed to justify and maintain the distinction between "ruling" elders and "teaching" elders in our churches, but I do know that
all elders are supposed to be "able to teach (1st Timothy 3:2)" among other things. Yet most churches do not even offer - let alone require - training in doctrine or skillful use of the Bible. For some there is an "officer training class" that is finished in a few short weeks and serves to "qualify" church officers as elders and or deacons. Perhaps there is such a shortage of men willing to serve as church officers that there is pressure to qualify the few who are willing as quickly as possible. But oh, the extreme danger in doing so!
Of course no amount of Bible and theological training can, by itself, qualify anyone for church office, be it pastor or "ruling" elder or deacon. It takes much more than mere proficiency in doctrine and knowing one's way around the Bible to serve administratively or otherwise in the Body of Christ. But it is by far the most desperate need in churches today. I really doubt that my former church (PCA) would have sank to the level of teaching a class on the
Purpose Driven Life had they been adequately trained and equipped Biblically. It would have been enough for the pastor or the Session to simply make a ruling and state for the congregation that the theology and premise behind the popular books is unBiblical and not endorsed by their church. But it never could go even that far at our church, because despite the 10-week "leadership training" class, our elders enthusiastically embraced the books and taught a course on the "purpose driven" theme. There's no way that should have happened in a Reformed church, and no way I should have been so quickly dismissed and told to "lighten up" when I said so.
So what am I suggesting - that every elder and deacon should hold a degree from a Bible college or seminary? Is that realistic?
Yes. On both counts.
There is absolutely no reason to have untrained "undershepherds" managing the household of faith and holding the pastor accountable for what he teaches. And there is absolutely no reason why the local presbytery or association should not provide this training to anyone who requests it.
However:
I have read that it takes only about 40 years for even the most solid of denominations to apostasize. And the evidence also shows that such apostasy usually occurs "from the top down," beginning among the highest educated seminary professors and most venerated clergy members. So
doesn't that prove the opposite of what I just said above? Not at all. Here is why:
Liberalism is attractive to untrained elders and deacons, who promote their ear-tickling pastor and provide him with funding to publish books and go on speaking engagements. Officers with good grounding in "the faith once delivered" would censure the same stuff. Liberals who gain high ecclesiastical standing
are given that standing by ignorant, untrained church officers who see it as a way to advance their church and its standing. Ambition and glory-seeking is fed by promoting books and tapes and conferences. It is very prestigious to be an officer in the church that develops the Next Big Thing. It's not unlike the competitive adolescent need of Charismatic churches to be On the Cutting Edge of What God is Doing in the Earth Today.
The very highly educated, the very wise, the very noble, and the very wealthy face unique spiritual peril. And if they are accountable to and surrounded by untrained officers with power over the church budget and responsibility for the spiritual care of the flock, the pride and ambition that they are especially vulnerable to can be easily ignored and quickly misidentified as "promoting the ministry of the gospel" rather than promoting the man and his organization. This is why
we must pray constantly and fervently for our leaders, and pastors in particular! Especially if they excel and gain notoriety for published books or fame for gifted oratory or popularity for innovative ministry. But my point is that officers who are adequately equipped in doctrine and personal discipline and equal in authority to the pastor are a lot less likely to fall due to ignorance or ambition. And more likely and more able to protect a pastor whose gifts expose him to the unique and terrible temptations of fame and prestige.
How are elders recruited and trained in YOUR church?
