Tradition is the living faith of those now dead.
Traditionalism is the dead faith of those still living.
Jaroslav Pelikan
The Vindication of Tradition
Traditions of a church can provide an organic link to her past. They can also choke out the future. It takes discernment to have traditions without traditionalism.
Another reason that I think that, in most cases, the elders are the ideal ones to lead the church is their tie to history, their ability to bridge the past and the future. The average minister comes into a congregation and spends a limited number of years. He’s not part of the past of the congregation and probably won’t be part of the future.
A wise minister recognizes the temporal nature of his work. He doesn’t defer to his elders on everything nor kowtow to the youth at every turn. He works to shine God’s Word on the church’s present situation, helping provide insight that might not be there otherwise.
A strong eldership provides the knowledge of the past with a desire to prepare the church for the future. It allows the minister to focus on God’s Word and its application to the congregation, while the elders focus on shepherding the flock.
Lots of ideals there. But I think a healthy congregation has an eldership that refuses to be a board of directors and a minister that refuses to be CEO. They choose to walk the path of the Lamb rather than the cold cobblestones of Wall Street.
When I was interviewing for youth ministry jobs, the number one thing I looked at was the eldership. I was blessed to grow up in a church where the elders were true shepherds, not simply a board of directors. I wanted to make sure that the church I worked for had the same thing. As a paid minister, I think it’s really important to be able to see your elders as more than just bosses – they need to be spiritual friends and mentors as well.