Collegiality

Last year's Elders' Social at AFC

This Sunday at Amersham Free Church we have the joy of ordaining one new Elder and recommissioning the rest of the team.  We do this once a year after the 'elections' which took place at the March AGM.

For over twenty five years I worked in a 'Baptist' context where we had Deacons - now in the ecumenical environment of AFC I'm getting used to Elders.

There is, I think, no blueprint for Church leadership in the New Testament.  Although it may be a rather simplistic conclusion there is probably some truth in the notion that Greek speaking churches had Deacons whilst Hebrew speaking ones opted for the title Elder.

One of the things I'm getting used to here is that in the URC tradition an Elder is 'ordained' for life.  That means there is a delightful custom that although you may now be a 'retired' Elder you will still have the privilege of serving the bread and wine at Communion.  I just love seeing that Communion Procession at AFC and noting the many members coming up the aisle who, although no longer on the Eldership, once gave up loads of time to attend meetings and take part in this side of church life.

Whether we call our ordained leaders: priest, pastor, minister or bishop - and whether we designate our lay leaders as elders or deacons it seems to me the essence of leadership within any church is that it is best when it is 'collegial' - that is the exact opposite of 'one man band'!!

It's as we serve as a TEAM that I hope we best sense God speaking to us through each other.

I've never been one to despise and ridicule committees because I'd much rather make decisions alongside my fellow leaders than in glorious and lonely isolation.

That came home to me once when I was Moderator of a Baptist Regional Association.  We were travelling through the choppiest of waters with lots of people getting hot under the collar and I was due to be in the chair at a big Association General Meeting.  To be truthful I, along with all my fellow Trustees were dreading it.  But in our preparations one of the Regional Ministers gave me such good advice.  'Ian', he said, ' If you are presented with an impossible proposal from the floor next week, pause the meeting, ask the trustees to come up to the front, gather around you and TOGETHER we'll decide how to deal with things.'  I've never forgotten those wise words - I didn't have to face that meeting alone - of course God was with me and he had given me colleagues with whom I could share the burden.  In the end it was a much easier meeting than any of us could have anticipated!!!

So I'm deeply grateful for teamwork and the way God works through that.  I'm deeply grateful to those Elders who stepped down at the AGM and those who accepted the affirmation of the Church Meeting and will commence a three year term of service on Sunday.

Collegiality - for me it's been one of the joys of local church ministry.

All good wishes,

Ian