Paul is looking for guardians – men to whom the treasure of the gospel can be entrusted. Therefore, the treasure of the gospel (discussed further in the next section) must be entrusted to men who will also entrust it to other men. 27 Barclay Newman, A Concise Greek English Dictionary of the New Testament (Rochester, NY: National Braille Association, Braille Book Bank, 1971), 46.
His ability to lead God's church is first seen in his ability to lead his family in the things of the Lord. Already in the church in Crete there were those who left the truth of the gospel and needed correction. The elder must be a person with proven character, pastoral competence and knowledge of the content of the Word of God.
Knowledge and application of the Word of God are essential to effective discipleship ministry. The ability to exercise ministry in the context of the local church is imperative. A man might believe in the virgin birth, the pre-tribulational rapture of the church, and the like.
That is the responsibility of the local church.”44 The context of the local church is the best place for the candidate to learn all these things.
Results
This objective was considered successfully achieved when an evaluation team scored all areas of the curriculum as "adequate". This goal was considered successfully achieved when at least a two-thirds majority of the current leadership voted to implement the training curriculum. The second part of the survey asked for demographic information regarding the educational background and current ministerial context of those surveyed.
The fourth and final part of the survey asked participants to provide short answers to questions regarding the testing and training of men for service. Third, most of the men were pastors of churches with less than three hundred people in attendance on Sunday. The majority of churches had one full-time employee, and none of the churches surveyed had more than five.
Since the primary purpose of the study was to obtain information on how to train elders, only churches committed to a plurality of elder groups were selected. While several of the churches were slightly larger, none would have regular worship attendance of over 700 people. Most of the churches were in suburban or rural settings, with only one of the churches located in an urban setting.
The survey also included eight multiple-choice questions regarding the participants' current practices in training men for ministry.2 Most of the men surveyed indicated that they had a plan to train men who desired pastoral ministry, but only half indicated that they had the plan was formalized. . The grid for this project was to look at job training in the light of the areas of vocation, character, ability and belief. The upshot of this question is that there is no one particular day of the week that is best.
These purposeful conversations gave the pastors insight into the giftedness and growth of the men they were. The pastors indicated that regular interaction with the prospective elders allowed the pastors to observe and perceive the growth of the men in training. Many men also referred to Alexander Strauch's Bible Eldership, long considered essential reading.
Results
This is probably due to the type of pastors I reached out to for this survey. In this track, the pupils will be taught the practical skills of sermon preparation, visiting, teaching, preaching, etc. At each of the bi-monthly gatherings, the trainees' current ministry efforts will be evaluated.
The participant will read and write a one-page paper and answer a specific theological question in preparation for class. The class will discuss these topics when they meet once each month on the 4th Sunday of the month. This plan is designed to take approximately one year, with meetings on the 2nd and 4th Sunday evenings of the month.
The resources for the assignment were deliberately chosen based on their accessibility to a person without a seminary education. The tasks were limited to shorter lengths given the busy schedules of most of the men who will be working through this training plan. Podcasts were originally included as a way for men to receive instruction while driving to work, operating.
Not only is a podcast a useful way for men to process theological information, but it also provides an opportunity to hear other men talk about theology. These men evaluated the ETP using an evaluation rubric.4 The rubric allowed the men to mark areas as (1) inadequate, (2) requiring attention, (3) adequate, (4) exemplary. First, they noted that the ETP did not actually adequately evaluate the character of the pupil.
Third, they stated that not enough biblical references were included to support the curriculum. And finally, they indicated that there should be an area that deals with biblical counseling as part of the training. In response to these concerns, I first added two evaluation forms to the training to help assess the trainee's personal life and marriage.
Results
The fact that churches of various sizes were consulted in the preparation of the plan ensures its usefulness in various ministry settings. After a considerable amount of reading, thinking and discussion, writing the ETP was done fairly quickly. To ensure its usefulness and potential for effectiveness, the ETP was submitted to a panel of four pastors, who reviewed it according to the rubric provided.1 The rubric allowed them to evaluate the plan in areas such as biblical faithfulness, inclusiveness, and accessibility.
The reviewers' input was extremely helpful, and their insightful recommendations helped shape the final version of the ETP. Although there was no time to officially review the ETP with these men before the end of the project, the pursuit of this project helped us to think carefully about their ordination as priests. Another strength of the curriculum is how it raised awareness among current church leadership (both elders and deacons) of the importance of training men for ministry.
A final strength is the accessibility of the training to men who have not had theological training. No doubt there would have been areas of adjustment after the first use of the ETP that would have provided useful feedback. This weakness is related to the primary weakness of the project—it has not been tested yet.
A final weakness of the project was the minimal amount of time church officials had to review the material before being asked to vote to approve its use in our church setting. Only two of the six men in that meeting had thoroughly reviewed the material prior to the meeting. First, there should have been a way to review part of the ETP with a test group to determine the workability of the plan.
This could be achieved by recruiting more men to go through the two month program. This would help determine whether the workload and occupancy of the program was feasible. This would allow church leadership to better understand the ETP before they were asked to vote on its use.
SURVEY RESULTS
ETP TRAINING PLAN
Elder Training Plan
Purpose
Plan
WHAT IS THE GOSPEL?
Review ministry involvement and plan ministry evaluation for next month.2. Participants will share personal testimony iii. Why must the gospel be the center of all our thinking, preaching, teaching, disciplining, etc.
BIBLIOLOGY 1. Pre-session homework
WHAT IS THE CHURCH?
THEOLOGY PROPER 1. Pre-session homework
WHAT IS AN ELDER?
CHRISTOLOGY 1. Pre-session homework
PERSONAL CHARACTER 1. Pre-session homework
PNEUMATOLOGY 1. Pre-session homework
MARRIAGE AND FAMILY 1. Pre-session homework
ABLE TO TEACH 1. Pre-session homework
SOTERIOLOGY 1. Pre-session homework
PRAYER 1. Pre-session homework
ANGELOLOGY 1. Pre-session homework
CONVICTION 1. Pre-session homework
ECCLESIOLOGY 1. Pre-session homework
COUNSELING 1. Pre-session homework
ESCHATOLOGY 1. Pre-session homework
CALLING 1. Pre-session homework
Character Assessment
Preaching/Teaching Evaluation Form Preacher’s name
- Content
- Delivery
- General comments
Was their illustration and application that would get the attention of everyone from teenagers to the elderly.
Marriage Evaluation Form
The Salvation of Souls: Nine Previously Unpublished Sermons on Vocation and the Gospel. A Call for Theological Triage and Christian Maturity.” 12 July 2005, https://albertmohler.com a-call-for-theological-triage-and-christian-maturity/. Tools in Redeemer's Hands: People who need change help people who need change.
DEVELOPMENT OF AN ELDERLY EDUCATION PLAN FOR THOSE WHO HAVE ELEVATED TO THE OFFICE OF THE ELDERLY AT LIBERTY. The purpose of this project was to develop and implement a training manual for aspiring elders at Liberty Baptist Church of Dalhart, Texas.