Branches of Service: Elder

When the Plants & Pillars team approached me about writing an article on the work of elders, I focused in the importance of home visits and on some of the joys and sorrows in the role of being an elder.

I’ve been a member of consistory -first as deacon and then mostly as an elder- since 1993. Every office bearer comes with certain gifts and it’s encouraging and humbling to see how these are being used in the service of His Kingdom. I am reluctant to say what my strengths may be (other consistory members will recognize them in you), but I did spend a lot of time on home visits mainly because I am retired and have more time and flexibility than others.

It is the custom in our consistory to limit family visits to one per evening.  This allows time for the family to relax and to share some of the everyday matters in their lives. While care should be taken to not let the meeting slide into a primarily social experience, this openness and transparency can be helpful for the elders to gain insight into the family spiritual life and wellbeing. 

Elders initially address the family with the children in attendance to see how each child is doing in their bedtime devotions, Sunday School, and broader church life.  We then close that part of the visit with scripture and prayer. The children are usually excused for bed time at this stage so that we can converse with Mom and Dad in a more private setting.  We often start this part of the visit with questions like this: Is there time being set aside for personal and family devotions? Is there an atmosphere of peace and harmony in the family? Are parents discussing the sermon with each other and the children?  What type of literature and mass media is being used in the home? 

As elders, we are to listen to the concerns of the family without brushing them aside and try to be aware of what is behind the questions they may have.

Through the elders, the Lord visits His people and finds out whether the preaching is bearing fruit in the congregation. The Great Shepherd, Jesus Christ, tends to the flock through the office bearers and if the sheep are wandering, then the shepherd’s duty with God’s help to guide them back to the protection of the sheepfold.

During my time as an elder, I’ve observed that life has become increasingly busy for most families.  Employment, education, sports, holidays and other meetings etc. compete with home visits. I sincerely encourage you to prioritize an evening aside with your family to meet with your elders and review the family’s spiritual life and welfare. 

Joys and sorrows are an inevitable part of eldership.  There are untimely deaths of people in the prime of life and sadness when others fall into sinful practices and lifestyles, but thankfully we can also see many blessings in the lives of young people who invite us into their lives and seek our counsel and prayers. As elders, we are thankful to God and happy to witness young people profess their faith and join the Church of Jesus Christ. Some examples are; seeing young people find Christian spouses, assisting the pastor in premarital counselling, observing men and women of all ages giving of their time and gifts for teaching Sunday School, Vacation Bible School and community outreach.

We give thanks to God for opportunities to support church members who may be struggling in their faith or family life. We can encourage them through the use and comfort of God’s Word, praying together, and then realizing that God has used us in some way for the support and comfort of His people is humbling. During my time of service there have been tears of sadness but also tears of thankfulness when we witness God’s mercy, forgiveness and faithfulness.  

There is one particular experience that I think I can share with you. We had a member of our congregation who lived mostly on his own, and with whom I was able to have a relationship with on a regular basis. During the last years of his life, he suffered from significant health challenges and was in and out of the hospital. From time to time during the Covid period we were able to meet in a public park with a large Timmy’s and talk about events in our lives. We are both from an agricultural background so we had lots of farm experiences that we could share.  He could speak about the Lord’s faithfulness in his life (something that we are especially thankful for) despite challenges in his family and in his life’s circumstances. This brother’s physical condition required frequent medical checkups, and because I had the time, he would ask me to accompany him. During our last trip to a hospital checkup, we stopped at a local Timmy’s, had a light lunch and again talked about some of the regrets of life but also some of the good times we had shared with our families. Before dropping him off in his driveway, we prayed together.  I can still see him walking to the house with his cane.  That evening he slipped into eternity. The pastor phoned me the next morning to inform me of his passing. It shook me up considerably and reminded me about the frailty of life and how our lives on this earth are but a vapour.

In conclusion, home visiting isn’t an easy task.  Yet, when it’s done in submission to the Word of God, it becomes a beautiful duty of eldership.  I know that I’ve only scratched the surface of an elder’s work and that this is only a humble attempt to do so.  However, we can all find encouragement in the words of the Apostle Paul in Philippians 4:3, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”.  May all of you, as members of our congregations, pray for our elders in their work so that their efforts may be to the Glory and Honour of His Name and the furtherance of His Kingdom.

Bill Brunsveld (Providence St. George FRC)