Job description for full-time teaching elder

Chippewa Valley Bible Church
531 E. South Avenue
Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin 54729
715/723-2872 info@cvbc.net
web: http://cvbc.net

Our purpose is to be a worshipping, evangelizing, and equipping family of believers.

Introduction
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According to the New Testament, there are two offices in the local church: elders and deacons. We are blessed with a vibrant, active group of men in leadership at CVBC. We currently count seven elders and four deacons in active service, with another two and four additional men who are in the 6-18 month process of becoming elders and deacons, respectively. You can learn details about these procedures from our church constitution, which is on our web page.

However, each of these seventeen men also has a career and a family to take care of, and we find that we have the need to bring on somebody who can serve our growing church body on a full-time, paid basis. The most pressing need we have is for consistent weekly Bible teaching in sermons during the Sunday morning worship service.

It is our expectation that the man filling this role would eventually become an elder as provided for in our church constitution.

Responsibilities
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1. Planning, preparing and presenting in-depth Bible studies (sermons) on most Sunday mornings. Following the leading of the Holy Spirit, and consultation with fellow elders, the messages will include a balance of worship, evangelism and discipleship training. (Our goal is to employ team-teaching with other elders as they are led, and possibly with other future full-time teaching elders.)
2. Imparting by example and teaching, this elder will demonstrate ability to lead others to a saving relationship with Jesus Christ, both one-to-one and in a large group setting.
3. Discipleship and training of other leaders is also important.

1. Overseeing the administration of church ministries and activities
2. Performing weddings and funerals as appropriate
3. Participation in the global church and in para-church ministries to further the cause of Christ.
4. Helping church members through Biblical counseling
5. Visiting members in their home and in the hospital, as the need arises and as the Holy Spirit leads.
6. Intermittent teaching in Sunday School, Awana, Youth Group, Bible Studies, Local Christian Radio, special classes, etc.
7. "Protecting the flock" against false teaching.
8. Participation in community-minded, non-church activities (i.e. working with the Lions, Rotary, etc.)

Character Qualities
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1 Timothy 3:

• He must be a man whose life cannot be spoken against.
• He must be faithful to his wife.
• He must exhibit self-control, live wisely, and have a good reputation.
• He must enjoy having guests in his home and must be able to teach.
• He must not be a heavy drinker or be violent.
• He must be gentle, peace loving, and not one who loves money.
• He must manage his own family well, with children who respect and obey him.
• An elder must not be a new Christian.
• People outside the church must speak well of him.

Titus 1:

• An elder must be well thought of for his good life.
• He must be faithful to his wife, and his children must be believers who are not wild or rebellious.
• An elder must live a blameless life because he is God's minister.
• He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered;
• He must not be a heavy drinker, violent, or greedy for money.
• He must enjoy having guests in his home and must love all that is good.
• He must live wisely and be fair.
• He must live a devout and disciplined life.
• He must have a strong and steadfast belief in the trustworthy message he was taught; then he will be able to encourage others with right teaching and show those who oppose it where they are wrong.

1 Peter 5:

• Care for the flock of God entrusted to you. Watch over it willingly, not grudgingly -- not for what you will get out of it, but because you are eager to serve God.
• Don't lord it over the people assigned to your care, but lead them by your good example.

Experience/Gifts/Personality
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1. The candidate should have the spiritual gift of teaching. (I.e., not just the "able to teach" requirement for all elders, but an extra giftedness in teaching the Bible to large groups.)
2. The candidate should have a demonstrated ability to lead others to a saving relationship with Jesus Christ, both one-on-one and in large group settings.
3. He should have the ability to impart a passion for evangelism.
4. He should be skilled at discipling other leaders, not in doing all the work himself: "Teach these great truths to trustworthy people who are able to pass them on to others." - 2 Tim 2:2
5. He should have the ability and willingness to work with people of all ages.
6. He should be willing and able to work with other local churches and para-church ministries to further the cause of Christ.
7. The gift of administration would be a plus! (But not a requirement.)

Education
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"Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth." - 2 Tim 2:15

Final Thoughts
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• There are no specific expectations of the candidate's wife, as far as church duties. She is welcome to contribute to any area of the church body life as she is gifted and led by the Holy Spirit, but her primary responsibility is to be a helpmate to her husband and a mother to their children if God has so blessed them.

• The candidate must be willing to be a part of a plurality of elders, where there is no unbiblical division between "clergy" and "laity". Also, there will be no hierarchy in the paid ministerial staff -- for example, if we add other full-time elders in the future, the paid elder doing counseling or leading worship would not be subordinate to the paid elder doing the Bible teaching on Sunday mornings, any more than each elder submits to all the other elders. Similarly, the teaching elder position would not be subordinate to a possible elder paid to handle church administration, should we grow enough to require that position. We do, of course, have a "Senior Pastor" (Chief Shepherd), and his name is Jesus Christ (1 Peter 5:4).

  The bottom line is that the person who fills this position will obviously be a very important part of our church leadership, but he will NOT be burdened with the responsibility of "running" the entire church! That leads to burnout. He will fit within the mosaic of gifts and abilities of the other leaders. Sometimes other elders will take a turn preaching, as their schedules allow, and it's possible that in the future, other elders may be added to the staff who can also share the pulpit. Our goal is to remain a purpose-driven church, not a program-driven or personality-driven church. We believe that is God's plan for the local church, as described in the New Testament.