Elder Teams and Church Unity
by David Roadcup
One of the most important aspects in the biblical job description of an elder’s work is to protect the congregation, to oversee, to manage, to guard at all costs the life, health, and unity of the church - especially the unity aspect of the body.
I was invited to consult with a congregation in Indiana regarding serious conflict. I traveled to the church and met on a Saturday with a contingency of the one-hundred-member church. The issues turned out to be a severe disagreement about the music in the worship service and the role of the elders as they were leading. From the one hundred people, about thirty met with me, people “from both sides.” The conflict came down to about twenty-five percent of the congregation who were supporting a retired minister who had moved into the community and the remaining contingent (i.e., the rest of the congregation) who were supporting the church’s minister.
The problem had simmered quite a while. The division was severe and emotional. I sat, watched, and listened as those present attacked each other, saying extremely rude, critical, and damaging things to each other, profoundly fracturing the body of Christ. The issue was obvious - the retired minister apparently needed a place to preach. Down the line, along with the youth minster, he led 35 plus people to a store front two blocks away from the church building to start a new church. This all in a town of under 3,000 population!
Such a tragic story, the breaking of the body of Christ!
Elders are to be extremely watchful and to be protectors of the flock. They are to guard, at all costs, the unity, life, and health of their congregations!
The issue in the above story is not new.
Jesus our Lord warned us about savage wolves that would come in and attack the unity of the church. He clearly understood the importance of unity when He said that “If a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand” (Mark 3:25.) Paul, in Acts 20:28-31, reminded the elders of the Ephesian church about spiritual attacks. In this text, he warns about the “savage wolves” from the outside and “men from among your own selves,” those on the inside, who may attempt to bring disunity and harm to the church. Notice Paul’s admonitions: “Be on guard,” “shepherd the church,” “be on the alert!” All this to say again that one of the main roles of the elder team is to be extremely diligent, to be vigilant and to be watchful when it comes to guarding the unity and health of the church! Peter dedicates a large amount of his second letter (Chapter 2) to managing division and false teachers.
What potential situations should elders watch for? Here are a few possibilities:
Power struggles within the leadership and involving others outside of that group need to be addressed, confronted, and immediately handled.
Serious relational problems between individuals in the church which go unresolved. When these situations are left to simmer, many times a church will choose sides and within a very few days, the church can be divided into two or more segments. Gossip, backbiting, and bitterness begin to emerge. Elders need to be aware of situations like this and be trained and prepared to handle them with love and spiritual discernment.
False doctrine being taught which may cause believers to choose sides and split the church. Elders need to know what is being taught in small groups, classes, and Bible study meetings.
Disagreements over critical issues (the building of a new church building) and some not so important (the color of the new carpeting in the foyer).
And the list could go on.
When guarding the unity of the flock, elders need to be very observant, and show wisdom in their approach to the issue. They must be spiritually discerning, asking the Lord for the spiritual wisdom from above. They need to be careful, get all the facts, collaborate together and be proactive in moving forward to a Spirit led solution.
