How do you handle personal disputes among elders?

9Marks
Pray. Satan loves to divide. If he can divide a church’s leaders he gets a foothold from which to divide the church. So beg God to bring unity and peace. Pursue the brother in order to build your relationship. Irritation often arises out of ignorance. Work to get to know the brother and remember that you don’t have all the facts.

What steps should an elder take if he’s uncertain as to whether or not his child’s behavior is disqualifying?

9Marks
Pray. Ask God for a humble heart. Study and meditate on the relevant passages (1 Tim. 3:4-5; Tit. 1:6). Seek instruction from your fellow elders. Confess your sin and be transparent with your fellow elders. Don’t hold things back— remember that God already knows your sin and will forgive you because Jesus Christ is the propitiation for your sins (1 John 2:1-2). Receive critical evaluation and consider it together with your wife.

At what point does a child’s misbehavior disqualify his father from being an elder or pastor?

9Marks
Once a child is independent of his parents, he’s outside his parents’ authority as it relates to Paul’s remarks in Titus. When a kid is on his own, he’s on his own. No amount of good parenting can guarantee that someone will profess Christ and live accordingly once the child has grown and left the home.

Does the New Testament say that elders’ children must be believers?

9Marks

What are warning flags to watch out for when considering a man as a potential elder?

9Marks

In general, a church should not affirm any man as an elder who does not meet the biblical qualifications laid out in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:6-9. Here are several warning flags which a church should heed:

Apart from the explicit biblical qualifications, are there other important matters to keep in mind when considering a potential elder?

9Marks

A man may appear to meet the biblical qualifications yet still be an unwise selection as an elder for a number of reasons:

What should I look for when considering who to nominate as an elder?

9Marks

The most important thing to look for in a potential elder is whether or not he meets the biblical qualifications.

What are common misconceptions about who should be an elder?

9Marks
A biblical elder is not simply an older male. Life experience alone is no guarantee that a man meets the biblical qualifications for an elder (1 Tim. 3:1-7, Tit. 1:6-9).

What is a church elder?

9Marks
The Basics: An elder is a man who (i) meets the qualifications in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:6-9, (ii) is recognized by his congregation as an elder, (iii) and leads the congregation by teaching the Word (1 Tim. 3:2), praying for the sheep (Jas. 5:14), and overseeing the affairs of the church (1 Pet. 5:2).

Practically speaking, how can a pastor plan services?

9Marks

When planning services, each pastor should do whatever works best for himself. That said, here is the broad outline of how one pastor does it (Mark Dever, senior pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, DC).

What’s the goal of service planning?

9Marks

The goal of service planning is to craft a unified service that clearly communicates the gospel, makes the sermon the centerpiece of the service, and impresses people with the glory of God.

Why should a pastor or elder plan church services?

9Marks

A pastor or elder should generally plan church services because the whole service is part of the teaching ministry of the church, which is entrusted to the elders (1 Tim. 3:2; 1 Thess. 5:12-13).

How can I grow my church?

9Marks
The short answer is, you can’t. You can faithfully scatter the seed of the Word, but only God can make it grow (1 Cor. 3:6). You can faithfully call people to turn from their sin and trust in Christ, but only God grants faith and repentance (Phil. 1:29; Acts 11:18). You can alert people to the danger of their state, but only God can raise them from spiritual death (Eph. 2:1, 5).

What weight should pastors give to numerical growth?

9Marks
Pastors should consider dozens of different factors in evaluating their ministry. Numerical growth should be one of the items on that list. However, it should probably fall pretty low on that list, under things such as: Faithful preaching Faithful praying Faithful living Faithful evangelizing A congregation’s spiritual health

What is success in ministry? How can it be measured?

9Marks

That’s a tough question to answer because competing principles are at play.

1. Measuring the supernatural? Supernatural fruitfulness cannot always be measured.

2. Success equals faithfulness. One of our most important criteria for success should be whether or not a man is faithfully preaching the Word and living a life of conformity to the Word.

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