Thank you for your thoughtful series. It been encouraging to be reminded of our distinctives. This is something we can often take for granted from week to week.

It’s interesting that you would entitle your post “growing elders” because I remember very clearly when Aaron nominated me on behalf of the elders growing was the main adjective he used to describe how I had a come to be qualified as an elder. I contribute alot of my growth to some of the very things you’ve mentioned in your previous posts. Now we haven’t had elders for the majority of my time at 3ABC nor did we have “open” meetings for men to sit through. Nevertheless, there were still strong models of leadership.

As for Sunday nights, those 15 minute talks aren’t easy. They require time management and thoughtful organization. More preparation goes into a 15 minute talk than one would expect. But there is a freedom you have that you don’t in a Sunday morning. And they’re something you have to learn to do well. I think alot of guys realize that after doing their first one. (I’ll never forget my first few.) But it’s amazing to see how these men grow the more they do it. Obviously, they grow in their preaching. But it’s also amazing to see who grows in leadership, which testifies to the fact that leadership and authority accrues to the preacher. Furthermore, these men take feedback from the elders and congregation very seriously. They have an earnest desire to be faithful to the text and see the congregation encouraged.  And that’s the kind of elders I what us to raise up.

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