The Order of Elders
An Invitation to Join

by Tammy Wiens

To serve and be served
To inform and be formed
To nourish and be nourished

Who Belongs?

The Order of Elders is open to all who are ordained to the office of elder, whether or not you are currently serving on session. Similar to The Company of Pastors for pastoral staff, this program is meant especially for you — the elder who wants to know God more clearly, love God
more dearly, and follow God more nearly, day by day.
(Richard of Chichester)

What Are the Benefits?
When you join The Order of Elders, you or your session will have a new way of living the promises you made upon your ordination. One of these promises was to be a friend to those with whom you serve. You can
strengthen the friendship you have to offer others by the practice of common spiritual, intellectual and vocational disciplines. The Office of Christian Formation publishes a reading guide that includes Scripture selections based on the Sunday lectionary, a schedule for praying the
psalms, excerpts from The Book of Confessions and suggestions for prayer. Members in The Order of Elders receive a number of print resources from the Offices of Theology and Worship and Christian Formation such as publications from the Occasional Papers Series and
Hungryhearts. In addition, members receive an annual subscription to the Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study. They also have opportunities for online forums, local and national gatherings, and participation in a book
subscription program.

While membership in The Order of Elders includes a number of tangible benefits, many of its resources are available elsewhere, including a variety of Web sites with free downloadable material. So why pay for a
membership? First of all, your membership in The Order of Elders helps to support the work of our offices and assures the perpetuity of our partnership with you in ministry. More significantly, your membership is a tangible investment in accountability to your ordination vows.

You are sharing daily, common spiritual practices in covenant with other church leaders. We have discovered that those who make this investment take more seriously their intention to maintain regular disciplines of personal study and prayer.

Cost of Membership

• Individual members: $30 the first year ($25 renewal)
• Institutional memberships: $25 the first year
  ($20 renewal)

Churches might consider having interested elders pay their own fees, subsidizing the elders’ expense or covering the cost of the entire session or that of persons unable to afford the annual fee. With institutional orders, we do request that only one payment be made for all of the members, whether by PIN, check or credit card. Institutional orders will be sent in one package to the church address, in care of the clerk of session.

Note: As part of this common discipline, you will also agree to be listed with our book subscription service through Presbyterian Distribution Services (PDS). Membership in the Order does not cover the cost of the
books, which will automatically ship to your address two times per year. These books are discounted and may be paid for by credit card, check or church PIN.