[Written by Dr. Chris Peters]
Well, okay…that is not really a thing…but maybe it should be…
“Now I urge you brothers – you know that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves to the service of the saints – be subject to such as these, and to every fellow worker and laborer. I rejoice at the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus, because they have made up for your absence, for they refreshed my spirit as well as yours. Give recognition to such people.” 1 Corinthians 16:15-18
Perhaps this post will feel like a pastor revealing a bit too much of “how the sausage is made.” Or to others maybe it seems like a bit of insider patting on the back. I can’t help how some might read this, but as I enter into my 20th year of ordained ministry in my denomination (the Presbyterian Church in America) I think it is right to give recognition where recognition is due.
We all have seen failure in church leaders, most notably in pastors, but also in elders or deacons (or whatever your church calls the folks who help direct the church and facilitate the work of the church, but are not the paid pastors). Just recently I spoke with someone outside our church but near to me about the devastating impact the moral abuse by a church leader has had on his perspective about God. I don’t write this to dismiss or minimize any of those issues – they are real, and sadly far too common.
But I do think that it is easy to let a few bad apples ruin our view of the whole bunch. So I just want to highlight three things that I believe are genuinely worthy of praise about the elders and deacons I have known, in the 3 churches I have served on staff, and from my observation of others. As others read this, I hope they too will pause and give thanks to God for faithful lay church leaders who have
shared the Gospel,
served behind the scenes,
organized building projects,
prayed for struggling marriages and wayward children,
overseen areas of ministry,
attended denominational meetings
managed church finances,
facilitated global missions work and local ministries of mercy,
and generally served all the rest of us well.
What a blessing to see men of COMMITMENT, CAMARADERIE, and CORRECTION
- Commitment–In most churches it is hard to match the raw hours staff give to ministry, and key volunteers who are not officers can give as much or more than both staff and officers, but the church officers I know give a lot of time, emotional energy, and financial resources to the church. I’ve had the privilege over the years of a front row seat to officers who spend countless unpaid hours, taking time away from family or from billable hours at work, to help a couple through a difficult marriage situation. I’ve seen such leaders, who are already typically giving financially more than others might to the church, reach in their pockets and give to the latest missions special need because they love Christ and his servants. Do church officers fail sometimes? Absolutely, but for every one I know that fits that category, I know 10 who, though sinners, are walking the path to repent, believe, and fight, and seek to fulfill Mark 10:45 – “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and give his life as a ransom for many.”
- Camaraderie–As a pastor, I get together with other pastors from time to time. I appreciate greatly the support and encouragement of those brothers – some in my own affiliation and others in different denominations. But those brothers are not in the trenches with me as a pastor in ministry week-to-week and day-to-day. When you serve closely together you are more likely to see each others’ failings, and personality quarks. And on a few occasions, I have certainly been disappointed to feel unsupported by church officers. But for every 1 situation of that sort, I have had the joy of 100 others, where elders or deacons have blessed me by their presence, their words, and their actions of support (at times where I may not have warranted such backing). As I already cited, “…for they refreshed my spirit as well as yours…”
- Correction–In prominent church settings with a well-known pastoral figure and perhaps paid pastoral staff leading various parts of the worship service, the public does not see the elders or trustees until some sizeable pastoral moral failure. Then the poor soul who got selected by his brethren to step to the microphone and make the ominous announcement all-of-the-sudden represents the reality of some “group” or “board” who are having to correct the church’s version of CEO. Although sometimes hidden agendas of personality and power underly these events, in many cases the elders are genuinely seeking to balance grace and godliness in responding to a situation they did not make, but now have to address. But, as Paul David Tripp highlights in his book Lead, the ideal is for pastors and lay leaders to be in a regular lifestyle of loving correction. As a pastor, who struggles with pride, I generally do not like it when the plan or decision or idea that I feel I have carefully considered and determined, is challenged by my fellow church leaders. It is not usually something I immediately welcome. And I have probably on some occasions been prone to dodge conflict by not pressing my conviction more strongly. However, for every 1 time I may have been correct and the collective wisdom of my church officers was misguided, perhaps 1000 times it has been the opposite. Usually this correction is not confrontive but merely a sharing of wisdom and perspective that informs an ultimately unanimous fruitful decision. Proverbs 27:17 – “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.”
In my context of a complementarian church structure, I could also make a strong case for “Wives of Church Officer Appreciation Day” but since I imagine few have read all the way to this line of this blog, that will have to wait for another post.
