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Better Church Elders Episode 5: Maintaining Healthy Eldership Relationships
What things contribute to healthy relationships? What are some of the pitfalls we must try and avoid?
WATCH
A 19-minute conversation online between Charles Hewlett and Jonny Weir.
DISCUSS
As an eldership or board, discuss the following question together after watching the video:
- What are your thoughts about the connection between the relational health of the elders and the quality of life within the wider church?
- Can you identify some relational characteristics in your church that are also evident in your leadership team (both positive and negative)?
- Jonny says to welcome disagreement and to wrestle from different perspectives. Talk about how your eldership or board responds when there is disagreement among you. Do you have a strategy for handling difference?
DO (ACTION)
Here is one activity for your eldership team to complete:
Over the next month, as individual elders or board members, think about the “3 core commitments” Jonny talked about (listed below). For each of them, come up with one way your eldership or board could increase commitment to the value. After a month, spend some time together comparing each other’s suggestions and talk about how they might be implemented:
- Clear commitment to honour God
- Clear commitment to valuing each other
- Clear commitment to the flourishing of the church
EXTRA (READING)
If you would like to go a little deeper with this topic, Jonny Weir recommends chapter 9 of the book: The tortoise usually wins: biblical reflections on quiet leadership for reluctant leaders, by Brian Harris (2013, Paternoster). In fact, Jonny recommends you purchase the book. This reading is provided as a 10-page PDF that can be downloaded by clicking on the link below.
You can purchase the book, The tortoise usually wins: biblical reflections on quiet leadership for reluctant leaders, by Brian Harris (2013, Paternoster) online from the following places: