SPIRITUAL LEADERS
I. ELDERS
As noted above, Elders determine the spiritual direction of the Church through the Word of God & Prayer (Acts 6:4). Thus, Elders determine the organization of the Church from a biblical basis. Other Spiritual & Servant Leaders organize around this scriptural basis as put forth by the Elders.
Spiritual decisions agreed upon by the Elders may be best assimilated by meeting with & discussing with other leadership teams, before presenting decisions during Member’s Meeting and other Church gatherings. These spiritual decisions would be best taken first to Shepherd’s Team, who has no authority to vote on WHAT we believe as Eden or WHY we believe it, but they must determine how to apply our beliefs to our people in an edifying manner.
Although the Elders will prioritize focus on the preaching & teaching ministry of the Word, they will need to be able to provide guidance & wisdom to practical problems, while still allowing authority to rest on other leadership teams (e.g., Children’s Ministry, The Band Worship Ministry, Cleaning Ministry, etc.). Again, spiritual decision authority will rest with the Elders, but other leaders will have authority to make certain decisions based on their roles & responsibilities, such as the Budget set by Board, Day-to-Day Ministry determined by Staff, Ministry Leaders planning their ministry calendars & schedules.
Voting on spiritual items will be reserved to the discretion of the Elder Board. There will be no voting on spiritual items such as Baptism, Church Polity, or Views on the Trinity by the congregation. Larger Financial & General Direction items will be voted on by the congregation.
II. SHEPHERDS OF THE CHURCH
Although the Elders are those spiritual leaders who handle the preaching & teaching of the Word, the Shepherds are spiritual leaders who help apply the Word to the congregation. To differentiate and distinguish between Elders & Shepherds, we consider the task-orientation of the Elders from the people-focus of the Shepherds. As the Elders are made up of qualified men with the gift of teaching, which can be applied to the preaching of the Word, Shepherds are made up of both men & women who may be, likewise, called into the pastorate of the Church. Not all Shepherds are Pastors, and not all Teachers are Preachers; however, all Pastors are Preachers, though not all Preachers are Pastors.
Shepherds not only help assimilate the beliefs & spiritual direction of the Church to its people, but they also commit to shepherding the members’ souls through different seasons of life: the moments of celebration, like birth & marriage, and the times of difficulty, such as death & divorce.