"Shepherding the flock of God" by means of preaching and teaching, the sacraments, and church discipline - that is the duty of the elders according to the Scriptures. Pilgrim's description seems more applicable to far too many churches, however (in a PCA church that would be the deacons, though - the elders just pass out the communion elements once a month).

My purpose in starting this li'l thread was not just to complain about untrained elders, but to suggest that presbyteries and/or districts, associations, etc make real training available to all church officer candidates and that such training should be a prerequisite for service as a deacon or elder. Their responsibilities are too vital to leave in the hands of one "trained professional," and the elders are to share equally in that responsibility instead of merely endorsing or approving (lending some sort of official validity to) whatever the pastor decides.

I think church bylaws have been adapted to accommodate the misconception that the real government and work of the church should be left to "trained professionals" with assistance from "lesser" elders and deacons. In my opinion that needs to be changed too.