Tag Archives: elders

When Elders Make Mistakes

Church, Doctrine,

The appointment of elders was a pressing need in the opening days of the church. Paul told Titus to “appoint elders in every city” (Titus 1:5). The character, maturity and reputation of elders were all important considerations according to the apostle (1 Timothy 3:2-7; Titus 1:5-9). Jesus entrusted the spiritual safety of the church to elders who were to protect the flock (Christians) from false teachers (Acts 20:28-31). Elders were to have oversight but never as an overbearing boss or “lord” (1 Peter 5:3). They would lead by their inherent authority under the Chief Shepherd, Jesus and by their own spiritual leadership (1 Peter 5:4).

Yet for all their qualifications elders remain mortal. They make mistakes. They err. To demand flawlessness of an elder is unreasonable and places upon them a requirement not even the apostles could claim.

Sometimes an elder will err so badly as to require removal from the office. One example might be an elder caught up in public immorality such as adultery or fornication. When the church suffers because of his public reputation he must be removed. Continue reading When Elders Make Mistakes →

A Message From the Elders

Eastern Shore church of Christ,

God has richly blessed the Eastern Shore congregation. We have enjoyed several years of steady growth while maintaining sound teaching and peace among our members. For that we are grateful to God and to the members here who have made this growth possible.

You have also blessed this congregation through your generous financial support of many projects we have undertaken and continue to support today. In the past year we have assumed the full support of Frederick Dundas at the Moco Moco church of Christ in Guyana, oversight of the Guyana Christian University in Lethem and we have supported our members in their travels to work in evangelistic efforts in Guyana. Most recently we have added Jonathan Ling to our staff as our Youth Minister. Indeed, times are good at Eastern Shore.

One of our responsibilities as an eldership is to create and maintain a vision of growth for the congregation and to plan for that growth. We are happy to announce that we have begun very early planning for some significant expansion to the congregation here. At present, plans are very tentative and we really do not have anything concrete to show you yet. We hope that within coming weeks we will be able to better communicate the specifics of our plans to expand the fellowship hall and to add additional classroom and office space.

In order to meet the demands of such a project, we are announcing the creation of a building fund which will be used to fund our expansion with a minimum of financing. We have seeded the fund with $25,000 and will be placing the entire contribution from today, and every 5th Sunday for the foreseeable future, into that fund. You may also make periodic contributions to the fund by giving your check to one of the elders or to our Treasurer, Tim Kenney, for deposit.

We want to state clearly that our planning will involve the congregation and we will share plans with you as they become available.

As we embark on this endeavor we ask your continued support and prayers for us as an eldership. We are acutely aware of our responsibilities before our God and deeply desire to please him. Please help us by keeping the eldership in your daily prayers.

If you have additional questions or comments please do not hesitate to ask.

The elders of the Eastern Shore church of Christ Continue reading A Message From the Elders →