Examine Your Elders

Given the deplorable spiritual state of the Christian church in the west, and the fact that most people are outside the Christian church, even those who are members in her, the finger of blame must surely be pointed at the pulpit.  At least this is what DMLJ believed.  The pulpit is the reason why so many are outside the church.  People come looking for reality, but find pretence.


Teaching elders have the heavy responsibility of ensuring that the church is operating along biblical lines.  It is his and privilege, duty and responsibility for caring for Christ's church on earth.  That means that the elders should have a care for each other as well as for the spiritual well-being of the church.  This could show itself in the regular examination of the elders as to their walk with the Lord.

There are detailed examination questions that could be used to ascertain how church elders are living.  For example, the examination questions as used by the Welsh Calvinistic Methodists in the societies in the eighteenth century would be a good place to start.  Here, you will find the direction in which examination ought to go.

Careful probing is essential for the spiritual health of both the elders and the congregation, but this will only be done by those ministers who are committed to overall congregational and denominational health.  I have heard a leading evangelical imply that it doesn't matter if elders are spiritual and godly men or not - just treat them as if they are and give them spiritual responsibilities!  I could not believe what I was hearing.  In other words, these men are playing the children's game, "Let's Pretend."  But they are doing it within Christ's church.  They are playing religious games with the souls of church people, and one day they will have to give an account for their misdoings.  What irresponsibility! 

Why do elders not spiritually examine their fellow-elders?  Because in so many churches, there are elders who are deeply unspiritual, godless men whose mouths are utterly filthy, church elders who are notorious womanisers, blasphemers, men who curse and swear like anything.  Now what would Presbytery think and do to any such minister who reports that after careful examination, several elders were found not to be fit for office.  This would be met with utter horror.  Why?  Because Presbytery ordained these men to office within Christ's church, men who do not even belong to Christ.  Add to that the enigma of woman elders, and you have a real problem facing the church.

But then if (or since) the churches are Roman in their orientation, and by that I mean, if they believe in their own infallibility, what does such a massive mistake say about them?  They will not claim infallibility but they behave as if they are.  Only the RC church in Ireland admits to being fallible (vis-a-vis the clerical child sex abuse scandal that is still ongoing in Ireland and elsewhere where Rome has put down her roots), despite its official position of being infallible.  Infallible Protestant churches will not wish to admit that they have been wrong.  And of this you can be very sure: the firm's men will back the church to the hilt, regardless of how far from Gospel truth she has departed. 

For there to be even the beginnings of church reform there must be moral and spiritual courage on the part of teaching elders, for without clear guidance from God's Word, any actions will be disastrous.  The church needs to take a long and hard look at her condition if reform is to be commenced.  And the more difficult reform proves to be, the greater the need for it.