Comments on: Misconceptions About Plural Elder Led Congregationalism

By: Jason Robertson

Jason Robertson — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 03:50:00 +0000

Joe, I appreciate your question and the fact that you realize that it is not an easy one to answer with a simple “yes” or “no.” That said, there are many things that our elders deal with and know that never goes “public” to the whole congregation. That trust has been earned. Such issues rise on fall on the integrity of a church’s leadership.

By: Joe

Joe — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 13:28:14 +0000

I have a question somewhat related to this topic. It concerns church discipline and the decisions made during such processes in an elder-led church. At times, would it ever be necessary to withhold information concerning a discipline case from the congregation? Let me clarify. Say a man gets into a situation where the secular courts are involved and the church, because of that very situation is deciding whether or not to discipline the man. Should information be withheld from the congregation due to its sensitivity or should the information flow freely to the members of the church so a decision can be made that would include the opinions of all of its members? I know this is a loaded question and the ‘what-ifs’ are infinite, but in general, could you ever conceive of a time when letting the congregation know the details of a situation would do more harm than good?

By: Stephen

Stephen — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 14:04:30 +0000

Our church utilizes the term “lay elder,” but only to describe the reality of their lives as having a paid vocation other than serving as an elder. Our “staff elders” and “lay elders” are all teaching and leading elders (I choose “leading elders” rather than “ruling” for this is the role we serve at our church). Our staff elders are compensated in order to free them from other attachments to serve the daily needs of the congregation. We have several “lay elders” who could step into a church and serve as “staff elders” and we have had one elder who served as a staff elder, then became a lay elder and then later came back on staff. That being said, I do not find the term “lay elder” particularly helpful. It tends to set up a view of some of tiers or hiearchy of elders when we are working so hard for a true plurality of eldrs.

By: Jason Robertson

Jason Robertson — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 22:18:23 +0000

I agree with your belief that no pastor or pastors should have “final say on all the affairs of the church.” As noted in the article above the congregation is the final decision-making authority in the matters of discipline and doctrine. The pastors should serve as leaders of the congregation, equipping the congregation to be effective in their responsibilities. Thus, true congregationalism is “pastor-led” but not “pastor-ruled.”