Pastoral Care and Governance 07-14-09 TJ.pdf

Elders are called to willingly and eagerly shepherd the flock of God. Elders are called to keep watch over the souls of the flock, as those who will have to give an account. Elders are called to equip the saints for the work of the ministry, for building up the body of Christ (1 Peter 5:1–2, Hebrews 13:17, Ephesians 4:11–12).

Your Bethlehem elders desire to do pastoral care and church governance with increasing joy and effectiveness. Toward that end, with the approval of the congregation, the elder council was restructured at the end of 2007. The diagram below depicts the current organizational structure of the Council of Elders.

Goals of Our Current Elder Structure

We proposed the restructuring because, with the growth of our body, we had a need for more elders. The council meetings were long and getting longer as we added more elders. Sharing thoughts and ideas in such a large group was more like public speaking than a council-like environment of give and take.

With our new structure, we, as a council, are collectively devoting more time to prayer and the Word, governing the church, teaching the Word, and tending the flock of God at Bethlehem. We will continue to seek the Lord’s help in shepherding Bethlehem more effectively for his glory and our good.

Please pray that we as a council would continue to discern what to do and how to do it, and that each of the elders at Bethlehem would increasingly love Jesus and marvel at his canceling of our debt of sin. Pray that we would love the Church, Christ’s bride, and that we would eagerly and willingly oversee and care for this church we have been called to serve.

If you have questions regarding the elder’s organizational structure and how it is working, please ask any elder or contact me at tjohnson@impact-ps.com.

Endeavoring to test everything—and hold fast to what is good (1 Thessalonians 5:21),

Tim Johnson, Elder Council Chairman