bobbyrossjr.com

Guest blog by Tamie

First and foremost, the gatekeeper is gone. He is 6,000 miles away and has no Internet access. Muhahahahaha.

No really, I’ll behave. Even though a good friend scolded me last week about such activities as stirring pots. As if! I try not to cook in the summer if I can help it. Definitely NO pot-stirring going on here.

So … that said … let’s talk about church elders, shall we? Speaking of gatekeepers and all that. And also speaking of completely independent links!

I mentioned offhandedly on my Facebook page last week that we should debate whether church elders do/should get what seems like lifetime appointments to that particular role in church leadership – not unlike U.S. Supreme Court justices do in arguably the most powerful positions on a national level.

So as not to disappoint, let me say that on one hand, I think some shepherds out in church land seem to view the role as theirs ‘til death do they (de)part. They’re usually (by nature of the job description) older than most. And generational differences can make some of them view their mission as that of keeping us all from sliding down the proverbial slippery slope. The one that goes uphill both ways, in the snow, for at least five miles. I’m sure you’ve heard of it. And, by golly, they’re not stepping down, aside, or any other direction other than having both feet firmly planted because what horrors might happen then?

But I also know some completely fantastic, awesome men who serve in that capacity. And I say capacity because it’s a shiny word and sort of sums up how well I understand the role because I really have no idea what it’s like to be responsible for other grown people’s souls, much less all the physical, financial, emotional and spiritual demands.

The best, most approachable elders – at least in my humble opinion – are first and foremost servants. To me, that word is kind of the unspoken qualification. Of course anyone who sacrifices so much time and energy is a servant, right? But I know shepherds who literally serve their sheep in very real and meaningful ways, and it is humbling to both see and be the recipient of that kind of love.

To wit, I shall share a story (one that really happened, to be clear) of such an example of service that recently happened. (To me, again, the clarity thing. No preacher stories on this blog!)

We were at the church building, in the auditorium, during worship one recent Sunday when we had to make a hasty exit due to the fact that I was about to pass out. Obviously, I was only thinking about getting out of there before I hit the ground and disrupted a sermon, so I forgot my Bible on the pew.

A certain elder (and dear friend of mine who went to school with my parents long ago) picked up my Bible after worship and took it with him. Somehow he noticed that it was in slight disrepair. And by slight, I mean the navy blue cover had taken on a tent-like appearance because it was pulling away from the rest of the Bible. And by him somehow noticing, it might have been that half of it fell off in his hands, I cannot be sure.

I’d like to say that its condition was a result of extreme overuse, but it’s more because we travel so much and my Bible doesn’t always get a first class ticket. (For instance, one year in Mexico, it got a red Kool-Aid shower. I secretly love that stain because it reminds me of our times working there. And I may add a photo later to show you once I figure out how NOT to get four of them on here.)

I digress. My Bible. Looking sad. Picked up by elder, who later called my husband to check on me and to let him know he had it.

Between that day and the time it took for me to reclaim my Bible, this awesome and yet anonymous elder had repaired it for me, sort of the Christian version of “Pimp My Ride” or “Trick My Truck” or some other catchy-sounding show I don’t actually watch, yet know about. Is that not amazing? With all his responsibilities, he took time to fix my Bible. Wow.

I know the names of so many others who I could share similar stories about. I have seen elders wait on tables at potluck dinners. I’ve seen them drive teen-agers hundreds and hundreds of miles to do mission work. I’ve seen them hold hands and pray with family members outside operating rooms.

As a group, they are an easy target in church settings. And, like all of us, they can always do better. But I have a warm place in my heart for the true servant-leaders that I have known throughout the years. They are the ones who show me on every level what it means to step up and yet stay back to serve.