Knowing When It is Time to Hang it Up

Key ideas as you develop this lesson--see Flavil Yeakley Jr.'s book. He makes the point well that the eldership has no tenure. There is no right of an eldership to succeed itself. Shepherds are shepherds as long as a majority of the flock is willing to follow and the candidate has or maintains his qualifications. A decline in one's abilitity to teach, a loss of one's righteous standing in the community, or a loss of mental faculties so that the person can no longer "refute the gainsayer" can mean that it is time for an elder to step down.

Elders will occasionally sin. Sin is not a reason for stepping down. Becoming unqualified is. Read Yeakley's book, re-examine the passages in the scriptures about the qualifications or characteristics of elders.

Same could be true of deacons. Deaconships in the New Testament were always specific to some work. Deacon was not an honorary office. Deacon is not a junior eldership. One could serve his whole life as a deacon honorably and go to Heaven a very happy man. There is nothing wrong or incomplete about a man who serves as a deacon and never becomes an elder.

Books that have been useful in preparing these lessons include:

Anderson, L. (1993). They smell like sheep. West Monroe, Louisiana: Howard Publishing.

Gangel, K. O. (1984). So you want to be a leader! Camp Hill, Pennsylvania: Christian Publications.

Grimsley, R. W. (1964). The Church and its elders. Abilene, Texas: Quality Printing Company.

Lewis, J. P. (1985). Leadership questions confronting the church. Nashville, TN: Gospel Advocate.

Lewis, J. P. (2008). The question of instrumental music in worship. Searcy, AR: Truth for Today World Mission School.

Sanders, J. O. (1989). Spiritual leadership. Chicago, Ill: Moody Press.

Strauch, A. (1991). A study guide to biblical eldership: An urgent call to restore Biblical church leadership. Littleton, CO: Lewis and Roth Publishers.

White, J., & Blue, K. (1985). Church discipline that heals: Putting costly love into action. Downers Grove, Illinois: Intervarsity Press.

Yeakley, F. R. jr. (1980). Church leadership and organization. Arvada, CO: Christian Communications.