The latest column from our churc's newsletter, The Dialogue:Through a Glass Darkly by Rev. Chase Peeples
When I interviewed for the position as minister at First Christian Church, one of the things that impressed me was that this church has a shepherding ministry. This type of ministry goes by different names in different churches and denominations. In my Baptist upbringing, I remember it being called a “Deacon Family Ministry Plan,”, because the deacons were the highest office laypeople could hold in the church and one of their responsibilities was to offer spiritual care for other members. In the United Church of Christ, it was called “Stephen’s Ministry” in honor of the young church leader we learn of in the book of Acts who cared for widows in the church. Here in our church we call it “Shepherding” and it is the elders who are the laypeople charged with caring for the spiritual needs of church members.
On the front of this issue of The Dialogue you will find an explanation of the work of the elder-shepherds that Shirley Evans, the chairperson of the elders, has developed. It outlines how each elder or shepherd has a certain number of families assigned to them, for whom they are responsible for keeping in touch with and offering spiritual care. We call this group of families a “flock”. At its most basic, elder-shepherds are responsible for being a line of communication between a particular family and the church as a whole. This can take many different forms. If a family has not been attending lately, it’s their elder’s responsibility to find out why and to encourage them to return. If a family is going through a difficult time, their elder should offer them support and to help organize further help from the church if needed. If one of their flock is hospitalized, then that elder should visit them to care and pray for them.
I should clarify a few things, however, about the work of the elders. In no way, does the work of an elder relieve me of my job to do all these things and more as the minister of this church. It is my job as well to care for the spiritual needs of all the families in the church, visit folks in the hospital, encourage folks to stay active in the church, etc. Yet, there is no getting around the fact that I am only one person, and I have many different responsibilities and demands on my time as a minister. I simply can’t be everywhere at once. Besides, it is often the case that folks will share things with people they have known for years before they will share something with a minister that is new to the scene. I also think that sometimes support and care from a layperson may actually mean more to a person than from the minister. There is an assumption that ministers are “supposed to do that kind of stuff,” but when a layperson makes time to do it, “well, that was a real sacrifice.” No matter how true or not such thinking may be, the value of laypeople caring for laypeople cannot be understated for the overall health of a church.
There are a number of precedents in the Bible for spiritual leaders depending upon additional workers to care for the needs of the community of faith. In Exodus 18, Moses is overwhelmed arbitrating the disputes of the Israelites, so his father-in-law Jethro advises him to appoint judges to give him the time to lead the people in the ways of Yahweh. In the New Testament, Acts 6 describes how the apostles and the early Christian community chose the first deacons to care for the widows of the church, thereby freeing the apostles to preach and teach the Gospel. These and other examples demonstrate how the work of spiritual care must be shared in a community of faith.
Another clarification I should make is that the responsibilities of the elders by no means relieves the rest of the laypeople in the church of their responsibilities. As Christians, we believe that all believers are called by God to serve others in Jesus’ name. We are called to care for and support one another in the church, and that ministry is something each and every member can and should do. The role of the elder in our church does not preclude any other member of the community from service, but it should ensure that spiritual care and a sense of connection between the church at large and its members is carried out. Even in a church our size, it is easy to assume that someone else is keeping up with a member in need and for those needs to go unmet. Having elders eliminates the need for assumptions ensures that no one is overlooked.
As our church grows—oh yes, we will grow—our elders will continue to play a crucial part in strengthening the spiritual bonds that exist in our church family. My prayer is that each and every elder will take seriously their responsibility to connect with and care for their flocks, so that all members of our church will feel that they are an important part of our community of faith. I hope that all members will take advantage of this resource for understanding the history and tradition of our church as well as for communicating their needs and interests. If you haven’t heard from your elder or if you are not sure who your elder is, feel free to call the church office to ask or you can contact either Shirley Evans or myself and we can find out for you.
Grace and Peace,
Chase
When I interviewed for the position as minister at First Christian Church, one of the things that impressed me was that this church has a shepherding ministry. This type of ministry goes by different names in different churches and denominations. In my Baptist upbringing, I remember it being called a “Deacon Family Ministry Plan,”, because the deacons were the highest office laypeople could hold in the church and one of their responsibilities was to offer spiritual care for other members. In the United Church of Christ, it was called “Stephen’s Ministry” in honor of the young church leader we learn of in the book of Acts who cared for widows in the church. Here in our church we call it “Shepherding” and it is the elders who are the laypeople charged with caring for the spiritual needs of church members.
On the front of this issue of The Dialogue you will find an explanation of the work of the elder-shepherds that Shirley Evans, the chairperson of the elders, has developed. It outlines how each elder or shepherd has a certain number of families assigned to them, for whom they are responsible for keeping in touch with and offering spiritual care. We call this group of families a “flock”. At its most basic, elder-shepherds are responsible for being a line of communication between a particular family and the church as a whole. This can take many different forms. If a family has not been attending lately, it’s their elder’s responsibility to find out why and to encourage them to return. If a family is going through a difficult time, their elder should offer them support and to help organize further help from the church if needed. If one of their flock is hospitalized, then that elder should visit them to care and pray for them.
I should clarify a few things, however, about the work of the elders. In no way, does the work of an elder relieve me of my job to do all these things and more as the minister of this church. It is my job as well to care for the spiritual needs of all the families in the church, visit folks in the hospital, encourage folks to stay active in the church, etc. Yet, there is no getting around the fact that I am only one person, and I have many different responsibilities and demands on my time as a minister. I simply can’t be everywhere at once. Besides, it is often the case that folks will share things with people they have known for years before they will share something with a minister that is new to the scene. I also think that sometimes support and care from a layperson may actually mean more to a person than from the minister. There is an assumption that ministers are “supposed to do that kind of stuff,” but when a layperson makes time to do it, “well, that was a real sacrifice.” No matter how true or not such thinking may be, the value of laypeople caring for laypeople cannot be understated for the overall health of a church.
There are a number of precedents in the Bible for spiritual leaders depending upon additional workers to care for the needs of the community of faith. In Exodus 18, Moses is overwhelmed arbitrating the disputes of the Israelites, so his father-in-law Jethro advises him to appoint judges to give him the time to lead the people in the ways of Yahweh. In the New Testament, Acts 6 describes how the apostles and the early Christian community chose the first deacons to care for the widows of the church, thereby freeing the apostles to preach and teach the Gospel. These and other examples demonstrate how the work of spiritual care must be shared in a community of faith.
Another clarification I should make is that the responsibilities of the elders by no means relieves the rest of the laypeople in the church of their responsibilities. As Christians, we believe that all believers are called by God to serve others in Jesus’ name. We are called to care for and support one another in the church, and that ministry is something each and every member can and should do. The role of the elder in our church does not preclude any other member of the community from service, but it should ensure that spiritual care and a sense of connection between the church at large and its members is carried out. Even in a church our size, it is easy to assume that someone else is keeping up with a member in need and for those needs to go unmet. Having elders eliminates the need for assumptions ensures that no one is overlooked.
As our church grows—oh yes, we will grow—our elders will continue to play a crucial part in strengthening the spiritual bonds that exist in our church family. My prayer is that each and every elder will take seriously their responsibility to connect with and care for their flocks, so that all members of our church will feel that they are an important part of our community of faith. I hope that all members will take advantage of this resource for understanding the history and tradition of our church as well as for communicating their needs and interests. If you haven’t heard from your elder or if you are not sure who your elder is, feel free to call the church office to ask or you can contact either Shirley Evans or myself and we can find out for you.
Grace and Peace,
Chase
2 comments:
Hi Chase:
I enjoy reading your blog. Keep up the good work. I look forward to meeting you sometime soon.
Blessings,
Jacob
Thanks for your support Jacob. I'm eager to meet you as well. Folks speak highly of you around here, and I'm a big fan of your parents and sister--so I expect I'll feel the same about you.
Grace and Peace,
Chase
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