by Scott Laird
“We want/need more elders,” is a consistent message shared by leaders in Churches of Christ. Forty-three years of supported ministry in churches in Saskatchewan, Alberta, and Montana have led me to conclude that existing leadership must develop new leaders and elders from within the people the Lord has already given His church. The days of having trained disciples of Jesus Christ walk into our assemblies is fading.
Last year I was privileged to work with several men approaching the end of their Doctor of Ministry course work. One brother’s practicum for the class was to develop a process to help prepare a potential elder for the work of being a shepherd. As the plan developed and was implemented it involved the minister, a potential elder, and a current elder. These three met about once a month for about an hour and a half. They worked through Lynn Anderson’s, They Smell Like Sheep each time they met. What really helped the emerging elder was the minister developed a case study that fit with the current chapter they were working through and was based on some real-life experiences. Once the emerging elder provided his thoughts about the case study the current elder shared his, often encouraging the insights of the emerging elder while providing some additional wisdom. This class work was then followed by inviting the emerging elder to accompany the minister, the current elder, or both on various ministry opportunities and then praying and debriefing about the experience.
I don’t know of any one specific program that develops emerging elders. Classes help but don’t seem to move most emerging elders to embrace the work needed to prepare to serve as a shepherd. Instead, it is when an existing leader like an elder or a minister begins to invest in an emerging leader’s life, not just an emerging elder, by praying for and with them, inviting them into ministry situations, debriefing, inviting them into other godly relationships, spending time together as friends, and even providing opportunities for service that challenge the emerging leader that new leaders begin to develop. What is exciting about this approach is that it also empowers our sisters in Christ to train other women for works of service, Titus 2:3-5. Both men and women are provided a pathway to recognize their giftedness and the call God is providing to greater service. May we all be investing in at least one emerging leader and see the amazing things God will do!
About the Author
Scott Laird became a Christian through the campus ministry at Montana State University in Bozeman, MT in 1978. There he met his wife of over forty-three years, Patty. They have two children and four grandchildren.
Scott has been supported in ministry for over forty-two years. Scott and Patty were missionaries to Canada for twelve years before moving back to Montana to serve as the evangelist for the Great Falls Church of Christ. Scott began his thirtieth year of ministry in Great Falls on November 1, 2024. The community of Great Falls is home to Malmstrom Air Force Base, making for a very transitory church. Since beginning this work in 1994, Scott has helped the church send over 750 individuals into ministry opportunities in the United States and around the world. Currently, the church has an average in person attendance of about 185.
Outside of the traditional roles of preaching and teaching, Scott invests in the wellbeing and unity of the churches in the northwestern plains of the United States and Canada as a consultant and leader. His primary areas involve leadership, discipleship, evangelism, and small groups.
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