Church Officers Job and

Description

Introduction

Solemn are the responsibilities resting upon those

who are called to act as leaders in the church of God on
earth. In the days of the theocracy, when Moses was
endeavoring to carry alone burdens so heavy that he
would soon have worn away under them, he was
counseled by Jethro to plan for a wise distribution of
responsibilities.
"Be thou for the people to God-ward," Jethro
advised, "that thou mayest bring the causes unto God: and
thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and shalt show
them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that
they must do."

Jethro further advised that men be appointed to

act as "rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds,
rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens." These were to be
"able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating
covetousness."
They were to "judge the people at all seasons,"
thus relieving Moses of the wearing responsibility of
giving consideration to many minor matters that
could be dealt with wisely by consecrated helpers.
{AA 92.2}

Heaven is watching to see how those

occupying positions of influence fulfill their
stewardship. The demands upon them as
stewards are measured by the extent of their
influence. --"Testimonies for the Church," Vol.
VII, pages 277-282.

Church Elders
The Apostle Paul in his administrative work
called together the elders of the church (Acts 20:17).
He then counseled them: Take heed therefore unto
yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the
Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the
church of God, which he hath purchased with his own
blood. (Acts 20:28).

Church Elders
The elders which are among you I exhort, who
am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of
Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be
revealed: Feed the flock of God which is among you,
taking the oversight [thereof], not by constraint, but
willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;
Neither as being lords over [God's] heritage, but being
ensamples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd
shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that
fadeth not away. (I Peter 5:1-4)

Duties of a Church Elder

1. Visitation.
Nurturing is developed on a horizontal level in the
church, with members offering encouragement and
spiritual counsel to one another. In such a caring
community, even the pastor is nurtured through the
membership of the church. An elder can be a vital
element in this kind of caring church. The elder
should actively visit members in their homes,
encourage others to do so, and assist in the training
of prospective members.

Duties of a Church Elder

2. Commitment.
It is especially important for the local elder to be
committed to the outreach of the church. The
congregation needs to know that its leaders have a
clear vision of the mission of the church. It has been
said that church growth is "caught" rather than taught.
When an elder enthusiastically models a commitment
of his or her time to outreach ministry, others catch
the same spirit and commit themselves to the mission
of the church.

Duties of a Church Elder

3. Worship Leadership.
The involvement and leadership of an elder can
make a tremendous difference in the weekly worship
celebration service of the church. Quality leadership
and participation can transform a dull, lifeless
worship service into meaningful celebration and
praise. Skills in worship leadership, such as the
reading of scripture; offering public prayers; planning
the order of service; and in smaller churches at least,
delivering the sermon, should be developed.

Duties of a Church Elder

4. A Spiritual Mentor.
The spiritual life of an elder should constantly
lead members of the church to seek a deeper spiritual
experience for themselves. I Timothy 3, describes the
Christian life of an elder in these words: . . . above
reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate,
prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not
addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle . . ." An
elder should model, by his or her devotional life,
Christian personality, and spiritual interest, a higher
ideal for each member to reach.

Duties of a Church Elder

5. Church Administration.
An elder should always attempt to make a
positive contribution to the organization and progress
of the church. While doing this, he or she should not
try to dominate or control but rather enable others to
participate in decision-making in the church and
ministry. An elder often serves in an advisory capacity
to various departments, committees, and projects. In
doing this, the elder provides unity among the various
programs of the church, communicates progress to the
church board and encourages a unified mission.

Duties of a Church Elder

6. Minister of the Word.
The Elder should spend quality time in studying
the Word of God in order to sufficiently feed the flock
at divine hour services, Bible Classes and Night
meetings.

Additional
Responsibilities of
the First Elder

Duties of the First Elder

1. Promote Evangelistic and Prayer Meetings.
The First Elder should ensure that regular fasting
and prayer meetings are held and promote
attendance at evangelistic meetings, Wednesday
Night Prayer Services (Midweek) and Sabbath
Evening (Vesper) Bible Class.

Duties of the First Elder

2. Promote and Lead out in Evangelism and
Stewardship.
The First Elder should help to initiate and
promote evangelistic programs in the church and also
encourage the members to practice faithfulness in
stewardship and he himself/she herself should lead by
example.

Duties of the First Elder

3. Supervise all Departments.
The First Elder should supervise all the
departments in the church and ensure that each
department is functioning effectively and efficiently.
The First Elder should also ensure that the quarterly
departmental reports are sent in to the conference
office on time.

Duties of the First Elder

4. The Chairperson for the Board of Elders.
The First Elder is the chairperson for the board
of elders which should have regular appraisal and
planning meetings at least twice per month to ensure
the smooth operation of the church services and
programmes. Where possible and necessary, the
Pastor should be invited to these meetings or he
should be given a report of the discussions and plans
if he is not present at the meeting.

Duties of the First Elder

5. Regular consultation with the Pastor.
The First Elder and the Pastor should have
regular, at least weekly consultation with each other
regarding the life of the church.
6. Promote District and Conference Programs.
The First Elder should assist the Pastor in
promoting the special programmes of the district and
of the Conference.