PASTORAL ELDERS AND CHURCH ELDERS: LEADERSHIP RETREATS

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This pictures of a cabin comes from ExpositoryThoughs. (I think its one on our camp grounds in Perrysville, Ohio, we had several retreats there.) I visit this this site weekly. Its design for pastors and preachers. I am going to address the question that Paul Lamey ask on expositoryThoughts...

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"I’m getting out of town this afternoon (through Saturday) with my fellow elders for our annual leadership retreat. I would be interested to hear if some of you do similar things with your leadership and if so what do you do? For fun? For ministry? "
– Paul Lamey

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Question asked:

• I’d love to hear of the agenda/schedule from your time together.

Paul commented:

• In a nutshell (in no particular order here) we discuss every ministry that our church is involved with in order to assess strengths/weaknesses/needs (women’’s ministry, children, missions, etc.).
  We spend a lot of time on how we are taking care of the congregation as shepherds (physical needs, spiritual needs). We discuss particular families and situations that need attention.
  We brain storm and think a lot about future plans and goals and what it will take to accomplish such ideas.
  I typically lead our men through a study with a focus on our leadership but also with the idea that the study itself further instructs the men ""how"" to study scripture. This year I will teach through Philemon. We will have two or three sessions on this.
  – Paul Lamey
  

I asked Paul: "Pastoral Elders and Church elders, how do you view them in relationship to leadership? How often do you meet?"

Charles,

• The only distinction we make among our elders is between vocational/non-vocational or compensated/non-compensated (1 Tim. 5:17). While not all the elders are gifted in the same way or to the same degree we are all equal as leaders among the flock and equally qualified (1 Tim. 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9; 1 Peter 5:1ff).
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  We also have the responsibility to train-up other qualified men (2 Tim. 2:2) so that the church is always under the leadership of faithful men.
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  Our full elder session meets once a month for a time of instruction, prayer and to discuss congregational issues (both administrative and spiritual). We also meet informally in the intervening times for special meetings where we may need to counsel someone or address a particular issue that doesn’t require the full session. We meet once a year for our retreat and plan to take our wives every other year.
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  I hope this helps. Thanks for the questions.

----Paul