Guide to Nominating Officers and Leaders at Redeemer
This is a guide for nominating spiritual leaders at Redeemer, specifically elders, deacons, deaconesses, and Women’s Shepherding Team members. Please take time to read this guide and pray for God’s care over this process. If you are a member at Redeemer, we invite you to nominate and pray for candidates, and to elect officers for our church.
Please speak with your nominee before you nominate them.
Why does the church have spiritual leaders?
When God connects us to Christ he also connects us to each other in Christ. We become part of a new family, a community “in Christ.” Scripture uses metaphors for this community like body (1 Cor 12), or building (Eph 2:19–22; 1 Pet 2:4–10), or even flock (1 Pet 5:1–4). These metaphors all entail structure, a way that the church is organized and held together, so that it can fulfill its purpose. That structure includes leaders, whether they are described as body parts, or foundation stones, or shepherds
Ephesians 4:7–16 teaches us that in order to bring the church to maturity, God gives to the church individuals who have been set apart “to prepare God’s people for works of service.” The role of pastors, elders, deacons, deaconesses, and all other leaders in the church, is to equip God’s people for ministry—maturity comes when all of us play a part.
11 It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12 to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
Hebrews 13:17 teaches that we need accountability to spiritual leaders because of the reality of sin: believers must “obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account.” This command assumes that Christians have a covenant with particular leaders. They are responsible for you and you to them. Some might say, “I am accountable only to God.” Ultimately, only God has authority over you. But the doctrine of sin should sober us about making ourselves the sole judges over our own hearts: “the heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (Jer 17:9). We encourage each other daily not to be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin (Heb 3:13), and leaders have a significant role to play in that journey.
What are the ordained offices of spiritual leadership at Redeemer?
Ruling Elders are men who, by God’s grace, direct the affairs of the church (leading and caring for the congregation). Two key passages lay out who elders are to be:
1 Timothy 3:1–7 1 Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task. 2 Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4 He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full respect. 5 (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?) 6 He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. 7 He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.
Titus 1:6–9 6 An elder must be blameless, faithful to his wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. 7 Since an overseer manages God’s household, he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. 8 Rather, he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. 9 He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.
Notice how Scripture is far more concerned with character than competence and gifts. Both character and gifts matter, but the heart and foundation is someone who believes and grows in the gospel of grace, as Jesus is formed more in them. Elders lead through
Shepherding and tending the congregation (1 Peter 5:2)
Devoting themselves to prayer and the ministry of the Word (Acts 6:4; 1 Tim 5:17)
Providing leadership and ministry oversight (Titus 1:7; 1 Tim 5:17)
In our denomination (the Presbyterian Church in America), elders are categorized as teaching elders (i.e., pastors) and ruling elders (typically lay leaders from the congregation). The session is the body of elders together, as elected by the congregation. That includes ruling elders, the lead pastor (who serves as moderator), and any associate pastors (i.e., teaching elders elected by the congregation). Assistant pastors are teaching elders who are called and voted on by the session, rather than the congregation, and thus do not belong to the session itself, although they are elders.
Responsibilities of the session as a whole include setting vision, giving counsel to the lead pastor, approving the budget, training and examining officers and leaders, and acting as a “court” on doctrinal and discipline issues. Specific duties for individual elders include administering communion, serving on care teams, and interviewing new members; in addition, teaching elders regularly preach and teach Scripture and perform the sacraments (communion and baptism).
Deacons are men who, by God’s grace, care for the material and practical needs of the church and community. The key passage for deacons is right after the one on elders:
1 Timothy 3:8–10, 12–13 8 In the same way, deacons are to be worthy of respect, sincere, not indulging in much wine, and not pursuing dishonest gain. 9 They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience. 10 They must first be tested; and then if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons. . . 12 A deacon must be faithful to his wife and must manage his children and his household well. 13 Those who have served well gain an excellent standing and great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus.
Notice again the focus on character. Deacons lead the way in care through
Meeting “felt” needs through deeds (Acts 6:1–6)
Doing works of mercy and justice
Empowering our people to do works of mercy and justice
What are the commissioned positions of spiritual leadership at Redeemer?
Ordained offices in our denomination—elder and deacon—are held by called, qualified men. We believe God both reserves the office of elder to qualified men only and he calls women into the leadership, care, and shepherding of his church. Indeed, God’s vision for his people is one of interdependence and mutuality, as men and women equally bear God’s image and thus are called to partnership in God’s mission as they use their gifts to build up the body of Christ and reflect his glory (Genesis 1:27–28).
God reserves certain activities for the ministry of ordained elders (such as authoritative teaching and formal church discipline), and he desires gifted and qualified women to serve alongside and under the session in a variety of ministry areas. These include, but are not limited to:
Discipleship and counseling: This includes discipleship of individual women and men (Acts 18:26) and setting up mentoring networks for women (Titus 2).
Prayer: This includes setting up and leading in prayer meetings as well as praying individually with congregants during communion and special services.
Mercy: This includes working alongside the deacons as appointed by the session (BCO 9-7).
Hospitality: This includes planning and organizing church events and fellowship.
Teaching under the authority of the session: This includes teaching Sunday School classes to mixed gender groups, women’s Bible studies and discipleship groups, arranging theological and practical teaching, and children’s education.
Worship: This includes leading music, reading scripture, public prayer, and other aspects of worship. A woman may also assist the elders in serving communion.
Organization: This includes the daily administration and operations of the church including accounting, communication, and personnel.
Personal counseling: This includes spiritual care of individuals and working with couples in marriage counseling.
Advocacy: This includes being present at any meeting of the church in which a woman is asked to defend herself against accusations of sin (BCO 32-19) or where a woman would feel most comfortable with another woman in the room.
Advice: This includes offering advice to the elders on various matters when called upon.
In light of the extensive ministry women are called to, it is important that spiritually mature women are visible and available to the congregation. Redeemer does this in two ways.
First, deaconesses are women who, by God’s grace, care for the material and practical needs of the church and community. The key passage for deaconesses comes in the middle of the one about deacons (you may have noticed how we skipped 3:11 in the “deacon” section):
1 Timothy 3:11 11 In the same way, the women are to be worthy of respect, not malicious talkers but temperate and trustworthy in everything.
Redeemer believes that Scripture teaches both men and women are called to the work of deacons. They have the same responsibilities, and the character requirements in 1 Timothy 3:8–10, 12–13 apply to both men and women (notice the “in the same way” in v.11).
Some translations, like the ESV, use “wives” in 3:11. The same Greek word can refer to “woman” and “wife.” It makes more sense, though, to see deaconesses rather than wives in this verse. First, the “women” are given a list of screening criteria just like the elders and the deacons—thus they are being selected. Second, there is no parallel description for elders’ wives, and surely the elders’ wives would be under as much scrutiny as the deacons’ wives! Third, v.12 provides qualifications for the deacons’ family life. Fourth, if Paul were referring to wives, he most likely would have used an article – “their women” or even “the women,” but the Greek only says, “Women, likewise.” Moreover, the section listing the criteria of “women” lies in the very middle of the section on deacons. After giving the qualifications of “women,” he returns to talking of the deacons. This clearly indicates that the “women” worked with the deacons in their labor – they did not have a totally different function from the deacons.
In conclusion, a group of women working together with the deacons are a crucial element of what Redeemer calls our deacon team. Historically, these women have been called “deaconesses,” both in the early church and the Reformed churches of John Calvin. New Testament examples are Phoebe (Rom 16:1–2, a diakonos, which is an official title, meaning “minister” or “deacon”), and Dorcas (Acts 9:36).
Our denomination, the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), includes a range of views regarding the role of women on the diaconate, but the official position of the denomination holds the office of deacon as open only to men. This is an area where we believe Scripture teaches differently than our denomination’s polity. We must live, therefore, in the tension of our biblical convictions and genuine submission to our Presbyterian brothers (and sisters!). Consequently, we do not ordain deaconesses; we commission them separately. And the chair of the team is a deacon. We acknowledge this creates difficulties, especially for our sisters who are called to this work. We invite you to walk this path with us, pursuing mercy and justice, praying and working in our denomination, and together submitting to our brothers and sisters.
The second way we call and commission women to serve in leadership at Redeemer is through the Women’s Shepherding Team. The WST is a group of women, called, trained, and commissioned by the Session, to partner with them in shepherding the congregation, through both care and formation. The WST especially work with elders and staff on care needs that are severe or rise above the capacity and abilities of community group leaders.
In the New Testament, Priscilla, mature in her faith and wise in Scripture, worked alongside her husband Aquila in discipleship and hosting a church (Acts 18:26). Paul recognized them both as his co-workers in Christ Jesus (Romans 16:3–5). Older women in the church are called to train and instruct younger women (Titus 2:3).
God throughout Scripture calls women to extensive roles and responsibilities in his church. It is important, therefore, for Redeemer to have spiritually mature and gifted women visible and available to lead and serve. Such ministry by women has always been part of Redeemer’s story, much of it informal, especially as elder’s wives or community group leaders have cared for and counselled people. The WST makes such work more inclusive, accessible, and visible for our church. Qualified women are nominated by the congregation and trained alongside the candidates for elder, deacon, and deaconess. The session examines and appoints WST members, who serve a fixed term.
What should you look for in people to nominate for spiritual leadership?
Read 1 Timothy 3:1–7 and Titus 1:5–9 for the biblical qualifications for elder and 1 Timothy 3:8–13 and Acts 6:1–6 for deacon and deaconess. Reflect on where you see these character qualities. The best candidates are the people already “elder-ing” or “deacon-ing” in the life of Redeemer. They are leading, showing themselves faithful, and perhaps ready to take on more leadership. Pray for wisdom from God’s Spirit to discern good candidates. You can use these summary points as a guide (we don’t assume you can exhaustively answer them for every person whom you would nominate).
Maturity in Christian character
Gospel confidence (e.g., a repenting-in-joy spirit, not defensive; gracious and affirming, not irritable; grateful, even in trouble, not self-pitying)
Spiritual disciplines (consistent in prayer and Scripture; priority of corporate worship; fighting sin)
Relational wisdom (committed to Christian community; no un-reconciled relationships within the church; good listener; teachable)
Ministry and leadership patterns (some are specific to the role)
Evangelism (build relationships with non-Christians and share their faith)
Discipleship (encourage spiritual growth in others)
Counseling (able to “command respect”; people go to them for wisdom)
Mercy (serve those in need, inside and outside Redeemer)
Leadership (demonstrate ability to lead, often seen with groups of people)
Teaching (able to teach and explain the Bible)
Commitment to Redeemer’s mission and convictions
Core values (heart for our mission to connect people to Jesus who is bringing wholeness to the city)
Theological convictions and balance (speaking the truth in love; on board with Reformed theology)
Love for the city (here to serve the city, not use or retreat from it)
Nominating someone begins the process for them of discernment and training for leadership. No one needs to be fully ready or convinced yet! Candidates will grow in the believing the gospel as a way of life, study Scripture and theology together, be trained in the specific role they are nominated for, receive mentoring, and then be examined by the session. Finally, we will present to the congregation candidates for election for elder and deacon, and we will present the women appointed to serve as deaconess and on Women’s Shepherding Team.