130929 PM Questions Concerning Deacons and Elders
| Questions Concerning Deacons & Elders CONCERNING AUTHORITY: • How do we avoid binding things on potential servants of the church where God has not bound? • What sort of authority do elders have? CONCERNING AN ELDER STEPPING DOWN FROM SERVICE: • Is it possible for an elder who was once qualified to at any point become disqualified? • If a member feels that an elder should discontinue his service, how should the member go about communicating this? CONCERNING AN ELDER’S MARRIAGE: • What does it mean to be “the husband of one wife”? • Does this mean that an elder can never have been divorced? What if it was a divorce sanctioned by the words of Jesus? • What should an elder do if his wife passes away? Is he no longer qualified to serve? • What if he continues to serve as an elder and starts dating again? • If he steps down and eventually remarries, could he be appointed to serve as an elder once again? CONCERNING AN ELDER’S CHILDREN: • If a man has one child and the Bible calls for “children,” is the man qualified to serve as an elder? • What does the phrase, “and his children are believers” mean in Titus 1:6? • Can a man be an elder if he has unfaithful children? • What if the children no longer live at home? Can an elder continue to serve if his adult children {who were once faithful) have turned away from God? CONCERNING THE FUTURE: • If a man’s name is presented before the congregation for consideration and I do not believe he is qualified, what should I do? • Who ultimately makes the decision and chooses elders? |