What Church Elders Can Do by W. J. Fitzgerald

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Tacoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Dec 6, 1906

What Church Elders Can Do

By W. J. Fitzgerald

In our system of organization the church elder occupies a very important and influential place. He may exert strong, active influence either for good or for evil in the church of which he has been elected chief officer. Again, he may assume such a neutral or passive attitude on questions of general interest to the denomination, that he may prove a mere figurehead, or less.

Elders are supposed to be true shepherds and leaders of the churches. The Scripture admonition to elders is, “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers.” The last word of this quotation shows what the true position of the elder is. He is an overseer of others. He is to act a leading part in the doing of the work of the church, but he is not to do it all. He is to see that others perform their share of whatever work falls to the church.

It is a wise and safe plan for every

church-member to act an individual part in response to every call from the General Conference for a general movement either to raise funds or to do some phase of missionary work. An elder should never rest until he has led each and every member under his care to act faithfully and well his individual part.

If all the elders throughout the Atlantic Union Conference will vigorously shoulder their responsibility as regards both precept and example, it will require but a few weeks to raise our share of the $150,000 fund.

Marvelous, indeed, will be the rapidity with which this apparently great undertaking will be accomplished, if all our elders act their part faithfully and vigorously. So soon will this fund be raised, that all will be encouraged to undertake some other great and far-reaching plan for the upbuilding of the general cause.

If the plan to raise the $150,000 in a brief period, brings every church elder to assume an active part, and through the elders brings every church-member to do his individual part, the fact that the fund will be raised will not be the greatest thing accomplished. The raising of the fund will then serve as a means to bring our whole people into strong and concerted action for the carrying forward of the work to a successful finish.

May we not depend upon the church elders to nobly do their part in this great undertaking? Will they not rally their churches for a great Thanksgiving offering as the beginning of this great work? — W. J. Fitzgerald, in Atlantic Union Gleaner.