How To Get Started
G. I. Williamson
Extracted from Ordained Servant vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 5-7
“And let the presbyters [elders] be compassionate and merciful to all, bringing back those that wander, visiting all the sick, and not neglecting the widow, the orphan, or the poor, but always ‘providing for that which is becoming in the sight of God and man’; abstaining from all wrath, respect of persons, and unjust judgment; keeping far off from all covetousness, not quickly crediting [an evil report] against any one, not severe in judgment, as knowing that we are all under a debt of sin.... Let them serve Him in fear, and with all reverence, even as He Himself has commanded us, and as the apostles who preached the Gospel unto us, and the prophets who proclaimed beforehand the coming of the Lord [have taught us]. Let us be zealous in the pursuit of that which is good, keeping ourselves from causes of offense, from false brethren, and from those who in hypocrisy bear the name of the Lord, and draw away vain men into error” (the Epistle of Polycarp to the Philippians [A.D. 65-155] The Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1, The Apostolic Fathers, p. 34).
In writing this account I want to begin by saying two things. First, it was my years of service in two of the Reformed Churches of New Zealand that taught me what it really means to have a body of elders acting as shepherds of the Lord’s people. I had heard of such things, of course, through my early contacts with the Christian Reformed Church back in the late 1950s. But I had never seen it in the Presbyterian churches I grew up in, or in those that I later served before going to New Zealand. Least of all did I learn it in Theological Seminary (which in my case was Pittsburgh-Xenia) even though I now know it is one of the most important things that a teaching elder can ever learn. Second, I do not want what I write here to be interpreted as criticism of any of my predecessors, who have served the church I now serve. Men who served here before me had the very difficult task of trying to minister to at first three, and then later on to two congregations at the same time. Anyone who has ever tried that will understand why some things we have done in recent years were not done before.
Yet I must confess that it was something of a shock to me to find that in the 50+ years of the existence of these North Dakota churches there had never been any regular and systematic visitation of the members by the elders. So, when it became possible to join the two remaining OP churches in this area together we made it our top priority to inaugurate a plan of visitation by the elders of the church. Today I am thankful to be able to say that not only is this a firmly fixed part of the session’s work, but there is solid evidence of the Lord’s blessing upon it. The regular attendance at both services is much better than it was. While rural folk are noted for their resistance to change, even among our older people there has been a marked change in both attitude and outward practice.
How did we do it? We answer this by briefly describing the steps we took. (1) The first thing was to assure the elders that, in the beginning, the pastor would accompany them on every home visit. This was not the long-range objective, but it was a self-evident need at the beginning. I was experienced at home visitation having been taught by good Dutch elders in New Zealand. Now it was my turn to perform the same service to my brothers here. In this way it was not too difficult to get cooperation from most of the elders. (2) The second thing was to make the first round of visits one in which the Session made a sincere apology for having so long neglected the kind of oversight that the Scriptures require. So the elders did not come to the members to begin finding fault with them, but rather to confess their own fault and to ask forgiveness. Only after this was done was a small beginning made in exhorting the members where they needed it. (3) The third thing was to make a review of these visits a regular item on the session’s agenda. This involved a distinct change in a typical session meeting. Much more time is now devoted to a serious consideration of the spiritual needs of our people, and to what measures we as a session might take to seek a remedy. This meant that much less time, proportionately, was devoted to the more mundane things which had often filled the agenda before. (4) The fourth thing—and I regard this as very important—was that through this process of elder visitation followed by reports and discussion in session, a common mind began to emerge among the elders. If there is anything that 40 years in the ministry has taught me, as a pastor, it is this: unless we first attain a basic unity in the session there is little hope that we will achieve any reform in the local church. We are all thankful to the Lord that this has been one of the great blessings he has given us through our visitation work. It occurred to me, in writing this, that a personal testimony might be helpful. I therefore include, at this point, the personal testimony of one of our elders known to many of you from his service in both our smaller and larger assemblies.
I was ordained a ruling elder in the OPC on October 14, 1973. We met for session meetings regularly every three months to carry on the business of the church, review the petty cash bill the pastor submitted for telephone calls, etc. Most of the business we did was of a trustee nature (such as deciding what repairs had to be done on the church building). The pastor would read correspondence and we would set dates for upcoming activities.
Most visitation—if any—was done by the pastor. If there was a discipline problem the session would instruct the pastor to write a letter. I have to confess, here, that I did not really understand what it meant to watch over the flock. (It was like standing on top of a doorstep and watching ants run around on an ant hill, not knowing what they were doing—just what was seen).
In 1969 I visited a Presbytery meeting for one afternoon. I thought it was a waste of time. I didn’t care what was going on in Bancroft, South Dakota, or in Denver, Colorado. It wasn’t until 1975 that through the preaching of Pastor Jack Peterson the Holy Spirit showed me— by getting involved—that it was my responsibility to help others in our Presbytery and denomination. I have been interested and wanted to be involved ever since, and every chance I had I was present at Presbytery meetings and have attended 12 General Assemblies. But all of this wasn’t enough. I still did not feel as though I was an elder doing my duty. In 1984 our present pastor was installed and our Session was led to take more responsibility for those God had placed under our supervision. We started a visitation program so that we could, for a change, do something before things became a problem. God has blessed us with both numerical and spiritual growth. The members of our congregation have grown spiritually because they have been able to ask the elder visitation team about things in a specific way—including personal questions that have been on their minds. We have also been able to exhort, admonish and encourage each member individually, letting them know by our actions that, yes, we do care. Yes, this is what was missing. Now, after all these years, I feel that this is what it is to be an elder. — Ron VandenBurg
I do not believe it is in accord with the word of God to just have the teaching elder do this visitation. (But is it not true that this is pretty much the way it has been in the American Presbyterian tradition of recent times?) I also believe there is a scriptural basis for making this a team effort rather than a solo performance. I am not saying that there should be no visitation by individual elders. Of course there should be such visits. As a matter of fact I make such visits frequently myself. But I also maintain that there ought to be a regular official visitation—on at least an annual basis—of all the members of the church, and that this visitation is best made by two elders together. When Jesus “called the twelve to him” the Scripture says he “began to send them out two by two” (Mark 6:7). And, in my view, this is particularly important if we, the elders of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, want to begin a faithful oversight of the Lord’s people.
I believe it is right here that many young men flounder at the very beginning of their pastoral ministry. They see the many glaring weaknesses and—yes, let’s say it—sins in the congregation. So, with their burning zeal for the Lord’s cause, they go to various members of the church to confront them. It doesn’t take long before there is considerable opposition. (The uncomfortable sinners will insist, of course, that it’s not so much what the young pastor said as the way he said it.) So the damage is already done. Enmity is focused on one person—the young inexperienced pastor. And the elders are often torn between their desire to placate the people and to support the pastor. Too often, I believe, placating the people wins out and the support of the pastor loses. But how different it is when it is not just one person (the preacher), but the entire session (speaking with a unified voice) that comes to the people. How very different it is, too, when there are two witnesses (two elders) by which every word can be established. I can tell you from experience that there is a world of difference between these two ways of exercising oversight of the flock. When the elders are not there it should come as no surprise when they do not want to side with either party. But when the elders are there, knowing what was said— and what was not said—they are in a position to take the pastor’s side very strongly if he is in the right. In my experience the practice of making a regular (at least once each year) official home visitation virtually eliminates opportunity for the common evil of having the pastor misrepresented. For this reason alone I would strongly recommend it.
But there are other reasons as well. One is the obvious fact that two heads are often better than one in dealing with the needs of God’s people. What one elder may not be able to bring out, another can. In our Session we have elders with very diverse occupations and educational training. What a beautiful thing it is to see a godly elder with a high-school education wisely assisting a college professor who is beyond his depth in meeting a certain need in a particular member being visited. What a wonderful educational process this is, not only for the members being visited but also, for the elders themselves. And, as they grow in their proficiency as elders, they also grow in their respect and love for one another. And that is not all. In my experience nothing enables an elder to know the needs of the people—individually, yes, but also collectively—as this does. As the home visits are discussed at each meeting, there will often emerge a collective sense of what is urgently needed in the public proclamation of the Word. Because of my strong conviction that regular home-visitation by elders is one of our greatest needs in the OPC we begin—in this issue—a reprint of Dr. P. Y. De Jong’s excellent little book on the subject entitled Taking Heed to the Flock.
For your own good, and the good of your congregations, I plead with you, my fellow elders, to take heed to what Dr. De Jong has written.