Bylaws and Elders

This Sunday we will take a congregational vote on the bylaws. This is a big step and according has raised significant jitters. The core of the fear concerns eldership. Most people have witnessed bad eldership cases where churches have split, and many question, "Do we need to have elders," "Are we ready to have elders," or "Is anyone ready to become an elder?"

Why do we need eldership? Much work happens behind the scene at church as in any organization. Let's compare the church to a secular organization, a store. For the store to look immaculate and function well, we know that many people work furiously to keep everything in good order in the backroom. Likewise, many things happen in the background to keep the church minister to people. Over the years, the present board--me and the elected lay leaders--have found the present system of board structure no longer sufficient. Average congregation members do not feel the strain the old system increasingly put on the staff and the board, but for those who work day-to-day, the strain had become tremendous. Thus, we embarked on searching for a new system and came to the conclusion of having eldership . Ultimately, it is a biblical even if we had bad experiences with it, and we decided that the should be redeemed rather than discarded. I ask you to trust the leaders that you elected to consider the welfare of the church and their decision to choose eldership.

Are we ready? In some ways I wish our congregation was older. Because most people are still in their 20s and 30s, they are busy building their career and raising young children. Eldership requires great sacrifice, and it will be a very difficult choice when people are still so young. However, if the question is about maturity of our members, we have to counter the question with another question. "Will we ever be ready?" Is anybody ready to get married and bear the burden of marriage as he/she is supposed to? Is anybody ready to become a father/mother? No one should be so proud to say that they are ready. Lord have mercy on the person who thinks he/she is ready. Rather, we humbly enter marriage or parenthood and become competent in the process. We all need to be humble--those who will become elder--and the rest must help those who will become leaders to grow into those roles.

If there is anyone who should be most concerned about eldership, it should be me. When the eldership falls apart, the one that pays the highest price is the pastor. Churches have split, pastors have suffered under pressure and even been kicked out. Initially I had significant reservation, but I agreed for a couple of reasons. First, I trust in God. Joy Christian Fellowship is not my church; it is God's church. If the worst happens to me, and I get ousted, that's really OK. It's not the end of God's church or my life. Second, I trust in the fundamental decency of our leaders. I have worked with many leaders now. It has not always been easy, and we have not always agreed, but I have found all of them good people seeking the best of the church without personal agendas. So, in that sense I believe we are ready.

Is anyone ready to become an elder? is another question that people ask. A long time ago, a young lady came to me and asked if a certain young man who was seeking her hand was fit to be her husband. At that time, she was far more mature in faith and like most women she had hoped for a man who would be her spiritual leader. I told her that she should look at 1) the fundamental character of the person, and 2) potential of the person. Is he a fundamentally good person, and does he have the potential to become the kind of man you would like to have as husband one day? He had both qualities. They married and the man has become a spiritual leader. Therefore, we should look also not for people who are completely ready--when will that come--but look for people with fundamentally good qualities, qualities like gentleness of spirit, humility to genuinely listen to other people's views with whom they disagree, and sacrificial love for Christ and His church. Personally, I believe we have many people who will become great elders.

This Sunday is an important vote for our church. Please pray for the church, vote, and pray some more.