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The Awesome Task of Elders
Parity between Ministers and Elders
I was baptized and raised Lutheran. When I joined a Presbyterian church as an adult I gradually became aware of Presbyterian polity and the way we structure our life together. I was especially taken by the insistence on an equal division of responsibility in the governance of the church between elders and ministers of the Word and Sacrament.
That parity is reflected in the proposed new Form of Government (often called “nFOG”) that has been submitted for approval to the upcoming 219th General Assembly. The nFOG uses the terms “ruling elder” (rather than simply “elder”) and “teaching elder” (rather than “minister of the Word and Sacrament”) to underscore the fact that, although ruling and teaching elders perform different functions, they share equally in the leadership and spiritual direction of the faith community. “Ruling” elders are so named not because we “rule,” but because we are chosen by the congregation to discern and measure its fi delity to the Word of God. Teaching elders are committed to teaching the faith and equipping the saints for the work of ministry. Together, ruling and teaching elders lead the community of faith as it seeks to proclaim the gospel with passion and integrity.
- Posted at 7:27 p.m.
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