• Jesus is the Senior Leader/Shepherd of the church. He builds and sustains it. It’s his church. The Holy Spirit gives birth to the church. He calls, seals, convicts, forgives, and shapes the family of God as they mature and grow up into the head of the church, Jesus Christ. The Father ordains the church as his people from every tribe, tongue, and nation, fulfilling his promises throughout Scripture to redeem and restore a people as his chosen possession for his glory and the good of the world. The church community remains faithful and committed to the triune God above all else.

• Having godly, courageous, humble, and unified Under Shepherds/leadership is essential to the health of the church.

• Elders are the male leaders of the church who are synonymously called pastors, bishops, and overseers throughout the New Testament. While the various words are used interchangeably, they each refer to differing aspects of the same role in the same office. Therefore, the elder team will consist of both paid and unpaid elders with a diversity of giftings and personalities but meet the biblical qualifications.

• Elder is an office, not an identity. The elders are those officially serving on the team and do so based on a spiritual gifting and calling rather than personality type, education, vocation, length of church membership, or age/phase of life.

• A person does not need to be an elder in order to have influence or leadership in the church. There will be some excellent leaders who do not hold the office of elder.

• Eldership should be a great joy and a life-giving experience. It need not be destructive to a man’s spiritual vitality, family, ministry, or quality of life but a natural extension of a Spirit-led calling and gifting for the local church.

• As the church grows in size and complexity (additional staff, ministries, etc), the structure and function of the elder team may need to experience change and reorganization.

• The leadership structure of the church must be flexible enough to get the right people to the table for any given decision.

• Elders must consistently demonstrate the qualities, skills, and dispositions described in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:6-9.

• You must desire to be an elder (1 Tim. 3:1, 1 Pet. 5:2).

• In addition to godly character, elders must demonstrate credal clarity (doctrinal and missional alignment with church doctrine and practice), ministry competency (the skills involved in leading ministry and discipling others), and commitment to the local church (a demonstrated love and care for the a local body of believers), as well as share a high level of chemistry with the existing elders. This does not mean that the elders will all have the same personalities, temperaments, or gifts, but it does mean that they will have the ability to joyfully work together as committed ministry partners.

• You must lead your family well (1 Tim. 3:4-5, Titus 1:6), which should be evident in being a one-woman man, who either lives out the idea of a faithful husband who honors the sacred covenant of marriage or is single, maintaining sexual integrity and is above reproach in dating relationships. Leading a family well also means being a loving and effective father.

• In established congregations, elders need to be covenant members and have attended Redemption Church for at least one year with a consistent track record of servanthood, ministry fruitfulness, and faithful giving to the church.

• Oversee the Church: (1 Peter 5:2; 1 Timothy 5:17).

  • Guard the church’s Doctrine, Mission, Vision, and Values.

  • Maintain responsibility for financial integrity of the church through review and approval of top-level budget expenditures.

  • Engage in the long range planning for facilities.

  • Approve hiring and firing of high-level pastoral staff.

  • Work with the Redemption Executive Team to approve and send church planters.

• Shepherd. Tend to the Needs of the Flock (Acts 20:28).

  • Regularly attend worship gatherings and be involved in the mainstream flow of church life (community groups, special events, ministries, etc.).

  • Lead, teach, and minister in your sphere of influence.

  • Help develop additional leaders in the church.

  • Pray regularly for the church.

  • Pray for the sick as requested.

• Protect. Be on Watch for Trouble (Acts 20:29-31; Hebrews 13:17).

  • Individually be grounded in the Scripture and connected to the Spirit so that we know what trouble looks like. Elders need to be alert for people or ideas that distort the gospel or twist the Bible for personal benefit, financial gain, or to manipulate others.

  • Keep watch over the sheep (members) if they stray (sin, wander, limp, fight or bite).

• Lead a Christian Life Worth Imitating (1 Cor. 11:1, Phil. 3:17, Acts 20:28; 1 Peter 5:3)

  • We do not ask others to go where we have not been.

  • Model through our:

    • Devotional disciplines to God

    • Family life

    • Vocational life

    • Church life

    • Financial stewardship

  • God has called elders to be men worth imitating. When a church appoints a man to be an overseer, it is formally saying, “Here is an official, church-recognized example of a mature follower of Jesus.”

Mutual submission

The Lead Pastor functions as the “first among equals,” and the entire elder team submits to one another on the basis of strengths, passions and giftedness.3

Unity

Unity includes theological agreement about what doctrines we will and will not fight over, relational warmth and sincere friendships that include spouses and children, philosophical agreement regarding what ministry methods will and will not be used, and a missional partnership that agrees to stay on task to fulfill God’s mission for Redemption Church.

Big-Picture Leadership

The elder team’s authority over the whole church rests in the team as a whole. Individual board members do not have authority over the whole church (though they will often have authority over their specific areas of ministry). The elder team should focus on the big-picture mission, doctrine, ministry principles, and vision of the church rather than the details of implementation (which will be done by the staff and volunteers). The elder team is responsible for creating the future, not minding the shop. Additionally, team members are responsible first and foremost for the health and wellbeing of the church as a whole and are not representatives or advocates of specific ministries or groups. Outside of elder team decisions, individual elders must honor, submit to, and work through the appropriate chain of command and leadership in any given ministry area.

Trust

The elder team will choose to trust each other, rather than suspect each other. We will develop a culture of trust, built on these six commitments:

• I will believe the best about my fellow elders (including other congregations)

• If other people assume the worst about you, I will come to your defense.

• If what I experience begins to erode my trust, I will come directly to you to talk about it.

• If I am convinced I will not be able to deliver on a promise, I will come to you ahead of time.

• If you confront me about the gaps I’ve created, I will tell you the truth.

• I will openly share warnings or disagreements when a decision is being considered, but I will champion and defend the decision after it is made.

Candid Communication

The elder team expects open, candid communication between team members and during team meetings. The elder team requires gospel-rooted security and thick skin that enables us to share our thoughts candidly and, when necessary, fight like family. This will allow team members to share openly and offer warnings or disagreements while a decision is being considered, but then champion and defend the decision after it is made.

Relational Health and Mutual Respect

It is always easier to believe the best and trust men with whom you have relational warmth and sincere friendship. Elders should invest in one another relationally and cultivate the kinds of authentic friendships that we would call our people to embrace. This does not mean that elders need to be best friends, spend lots of free time together, or have each other over for dinner all the time. But it does mean that each elder is responsible to cultivate healthy relationships and mutual respect with the other elders.