Relational Leadership
A Biblical Guide to Fellowship
by
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The elder should be one that has an exemplary family life and fulfills the standards of 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1. All should read these passages prayerfully. I used to think that elders expressed their ministry through leading the cell groups, and that one needed to be an elder to lead one. I now believe requiring people to attain eldership level before leading cell groups restricts growth. Rather an elder is one who oversees several cell groups and is able to shepherd the leaders of these groups. To do this, the potential elder is proven concerning counseling, small group teaching, and in lovingly enforcing standards in his family and his home group leadership.
An elder is one who has a quality devotional life and can convey the life of the LORD to others. He is involved in a very full way with Kingdom concerns: helping to raise new leaders, overseeing ministries, and sharing the good news with the lost.
The elder will sit on the governing council of the congregation. I recommend that this council meet at least once a month. We do relieve some elders who have special callings from this responsibility. As part of this council, he must make decisions concerning congregational discipline. He sits therefore as a member of the court of the congregation. In this function as a judge, he must be trained in making decisions based on an adequate presentation of the evidence. It is crucial to understand the judicial function of the elders, and I strongly recommend my book Due Process in this regard. Many congregations simply do not have functioning elderships that meet regularly, oversee the total work of the congregation, and handle disputes with loving discipline. It is crucial to establish this.
A true elder is one who has brought his wife to share in the concerns of the Kingdom. Much of the work of the elder is really the work of an eldership couple ministering to other couples. The importance of this becomes even more significant when we see the inappropriateness of men ministering to women in counseling situations. Indeed, counseling is an intimate exchange. The bonding that takes place in this exchange is becoming well known. At Beth Messiah, men were not to counsel women in a one-on-one relationship. Elders among women, who are either deacons in their own right or wise elders’ wives, are to take on this role of counseling women. The counseling needs of members are to be met first by wise members of the Body, and only when necessary by elders. Although it is good to provide many capable counselors in a growing community, training the members to love and care for one another will cut down on the counseling load. Training in basic counseling was a staple of our congregational life.
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About the Book
Understanding leadership from a scriptural perspective is not a strong point in the American Christian community. This book is my attempt to put the experience of over twenty years of pastoring into written form for the benefit of others. Some lessons were learned through difficulties and mistakes. Some were learned by the teaching and example of others. I do believe that the pattern of congregational structure put forth in these pages is scriptural. It is a pattern that will work for large or small congregations. It has worked well in our congregations for many years. These are congregations planted especially to win the lost sheep of the house of Israel. If it can work in this context—a field known for its difficulty—it can probably work in most other contexts.
About the Author
Dr. Daniel Juster serves as director of Tikkun America, a network of congregations in the United States and Central America, and is one of the senior leaders for Tikkun International. He is an internationally acclaimed speaker, teacher, author, and theologian. Dr. Juster also participates in a dialogue between the Vatican and Messianic Jewish leaders. He and his wife reside near Jerusalem.