20 ideas to consider before you transition to be a church with elders

Yesterday, I spent some time talking with leaders from a church about eldership. It's a larger church wanting to move from a pastor-deacon-committee leadership structure to an elder-staff leadership structure. 

CVC started as a staff-elder leadership organization. I am glad that we organized that way. Over my 26 years as the Lead Pastor at CVC, the elders at CVC have been encouraging and helpful as a team to support me and to hold me accountable in loving, nurturing ways. Now, they are doing the same for our current Lead Pastor, Chad Allen. 

Below are a few thoughts about eldership in larger church contexts that I've learned over the years and that I shared yesterday. Some of these ideas might be helpful in your context especially if your church has grown to a size needing multiple staff and elders. 

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1. Create a standing nominating committee to be looking for and recruiting elder candidates in conjunction with asking your staff to recommend candidates.

2. Set up a two or three-year on and a one year required off system of service on the elder team.

3. Make sure that the elders are "all in" when it comes to the vision frame of the church, including the vision proper.

4. Make sure that the members of the elder team are a good fit when it comes to conversion, character, calling, commitment, chemistry, and culture.

5. Make sure that the elders are friends with and supportive of and loyal to the lead pastor and key members of the staff.

6. Invite only people to serve on the elder team who are already actively ministering in a vital role in the life of the church because you want your elder team to be made up of active ministers not mere administrators and policy-setters.

7. Train your elders regarding the function of elders in larger church contexts.

8. Realize that much of the literature regarding eldership is written with smaller churches in mind.

9. Set up some operating guidelines to clearly delineate the responsibilities of the elder team and the responsibilities of the staff.

  

10. Remember that the lead pastor is accountable to the group of elders but also serves as a first among equals within the team.

11. Let the elders know that their job is to oversee the direction, the doctrine, and the discipline of the church while trusting the lead pastor to lead and guide the staff.

12. Give the lead pastor the responsibility to hire and fire the staff team.

13. Give the lead pastor the responsibility to set the agenda for the elder meetings.

14. Make sure that the elders get the minutes from all-staff meetings, from finance team meetings, and from mission team meetings.

15. Let the elders know that it's normal and healthy for them not to know everything that's happening in the life of the church.

16. Remind the elders on a regular basis that their responsibility is to oversee the ministry at a 30,000 foot level and not to be micro-managing the staff regarding the details of day-to-day ministry.

17. Ensure that the elders have a servant's attitude and not an authoritative stance with the staff.

18. Never allow an "end around" upward from the staff to an elder or an "end around" downward from an elder to the staff.

19. Make sure you spend adequate time fellowshipping together as a team, especially praying, playing, and eating together.

20. Build into your calendar regular times for your elders and your staff to connect, fellowship, and to have fun together.

Questions: What's been your experience with eldership? What would you delete, tweak, change, or add from this list of 20 ideas?