Church Family,
In 2014, I preached a sermon series through 1 Timothy. Included in that series was the biblical teaching of elders. A few months after the series, many of the deacons at the time asked me to lead a study on elders to determine what it is, how it would look, and if we should move in that direction. Towards the end of that study, the church experienced difficulties which ultimately placed the elder conversation on hold until recently.
During the November 2017 business meeting, the church elected a task force to prepare a blueprint to answer many of the questions about elders and how it would look at BBC and to bring the matter to a vote. The task force presented the blueprint on January 17, 2018, during the business meeting in the form of a motion to move to an elder form of church governance. Since such a move would require the current church constitution/by-laws to change, the motion must be tabled for one month before a vote can take place.
Before the vote, the church and the task force will have a special forum to answer questions and discuss the blueprint on Sunday, January 28 at 4:30 p.m. The blueprint can be viewed, along with many supporting documents and videos from my 2014 sermons series and 2015 elders study, below. Please remember that the document is not exhaustive. It is meant to answer many of the questions that arose in 2015.
The church will have the opportunity to vote on adopting the blueprint and moving forward with the motion at a special called business meeting immediately after the morning church service on February 11, 2018.
As your pastor and friend, I trust you will study the Scriptures, earnestly pray for God’s will, and allow the Holy Spirit to lead you in these matters. I support the proposed blueprint and the transition to elders in our church because it will make this great church even greater, more closely align us with Scripture, and facilitate greater unity in our ministry and decision-making process.
In the Grace of Christ,
Tony Wolfenbarger
What would elders look like at Ballardsville Baptist Church? Elder Proposals February 2018 with Amendments
Where does elder terminology come from? Elder Terminology Defined
What do other leaders teach on elders?
- Answering the Key Questions About Elders, MacArthur (PDF)
- Biblical Eldership, John Piper (PDF)
- Elders and Deacons, Mark Dever (Audio)
Video Links to the 2015 Elder Study*
Elder Study, Session 1 (PDF Notes)
Video Links to the 2014 Timothy Sermons on Elders*
Keep Calm and Be Qualified, Part 1
Keep Calm and Be Qualified, Part 2 (PDF Manuscript)
Keep Calm and Be Qualified, Part 3
Video Links to the 2014 Timothy Sermons on Deacons*
Keep Calm and Be Qualified, Part 4
Keep Calm and Be Qualified, Part 5
Keep Calm and Be Qualified, Part 6
*Note: The proposed blueprint supersedes the comments and/or answers provided in the elder sermons and study of 2014 and 2015.
Books Available from Amazon
- Elders in the Life of the Church, by Phil A. Newton et al. (Click Here)
- Why Elders, by Benjamin Merkle (Click Here)
- Biblical Eldership: An Urgent Call to Restore Biblical Church Leadership, by Alexander Strauch et al. (Click Here)
- The Elder And His Work, by David Dickson et al. (Click Here)
- Church Elders: How to Shepherd God’s People Like Jesus, by Jeramie Rinne (Click Here)
