A Note from the Elders:
Soon after Jesus conquered death and ascended to Heaven, lots of people were coming to faith in Jesus Christ as their savior and joining the church. At the same time, the apostles faced a dilemma of how to best continue sharing the Gospel and serving more people’s needs. The Holy Spirit guided them to create two roles for local churches: elders and deacons. Elders’ responsibilities were to teach the Gospel, pray for God’s help and oversee the church, as seen in the book of Acts (though elders have been present since the book of Exodus).
In the Bible’s books of Titus 1:5-9 and 1 Timothy 2:11-15, 3:1-7 God reveals his hopes and plans for elders. We believe that Christ is the head of the Church and that the local fellowship is to be governed by elders, men chosen on the basis of biblical qualifications.
We, as the elders at Voyagers Bible Church, are humbled and grateful to be with you in the ministry of Jesus Christ. As elders, we have each felt a call from the Lord to serve in this role. We look to Christ to guide us in overseeing the matters and ministry here for Christ’s glory and everyone’s care. If you would like prayer, healing, or have questions about Voyagers Bible Church or the Gospel of Jesus Christ, please contact us or a pastor. We look forward to meeting you!
Sincerely,
Elder Board:
Elders: Gavin Hudson, Stephen Jardon, Mark Schulz, Michael Parra, Robert Godfrey, Chris Hedrick, Chris Popke.
Contact: vbcelders@voyagers.org
Becoming an Elder at Voyagers
The process of becoming an elder at Voyagers begins with an aspiration and prepossessed biblical character traits described by Paul in his letters to Timothy and Titus.
1 Timothy 3:3-7
“Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task. Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate,self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness,not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 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. (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?) He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.”
Titus 1:5-9
“The reason I left you in Crete was that you might put in order what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you. 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. 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. Rather, he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. 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.”
Once a man expresses interest, potential candidates are then identified by the elder board through observed leadership which is evidence of the attributes listed above.
If a candidate fulfills the biblical criteria, several elders will meet with him over a number of months to become more acquainted with him and determine if he is a good fit for the board. These meetings may include reviewing the candidate’s theology, time spent in prayer, and discussion of a book chosen by the elder board (ex: The Measure of a Man by Gene Getz).
When the board agrees that the candidate would be a good fit, they may begin a more in depth candidate process including:
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- Meeting with all elders (corporately and/or individually).
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- An in-depth review of theology with particular focus on Voyagers’ core beliefs.
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- The candidate and his wife meet with elder board.
- The elder board spends time in prayer and if led, will present a candidate to congregation for prayer and consideration.