Volunteer elders are at the heart of Jesus’ church, but their role is sometimes misunderstood. Here’s some advice for raising up elders to carry the mission forward in your church.

From Pastor Dave Bruskas: Volunteer elders are critical to the mission of Jesus at Mars Hill Church. They teach the Bible, counsel struggling members, pray over the sick and hurting, baptize new Christians, and oversee core ministries in the church. They do all of this in addition to working a full-time job and leading their homes. Pastor Matt Rogers is an exemplary volunteer elder and an exemplary elder, period. We are grateful for his life and ministry at Mars Hill Church.

Three years ago, my lead pastor asked if I would pray about pursuing eldership in the church.

At the time, our church of around 800 people had no volunteer elders. I imagined the role looking a lot like a “board of directors” position, perhaps advising the lead pastor and attending a couple meetings. This was pretty much what the role looked like for most of the elders I knew in other churches.

Since I had been on plenty of boards, had graduated business school, and knew a thing or two about helping lead large teams, I agreed and started the process of learning more about what it meant to be an elder. It turned out to be nothing like I expected.

Volunteer elders are critical to the mission of Jesus at Mars Hill Church.

There is not a single part of my life that has not been changed by God’s calling to eldership. My professional job and career goals have radically changed. The way I spend my weekends has changed. My reading and personal devotions have changed. My family has changed, and any notion of free time I once had has definitely changed. And I could not be more grateful.

To any lead pastor looking to raise up volunteer elders: Invite men who love Jesus into the joy of being part of his ministry. Do not look for men who will simply be good advisors; look for men who are so deeply amazed by the power of Jesus Christ they will set aside some amount of career achievement and personal hobbies to see even a tiny glimpse more of his saving grace.

Here are three practical steps to raising up elders in your church.

1. Invite them to be co-laborers in ministry

Many churches consider volunteer elders to be more like board members, not pastors, and yet the Bible makes no distinction between vocational and non-vocational elders. The biblical responsibility for the elders of the church to teach, pray for the sick, guard against false doctrine, and act as shepherds and overseers of the church applies equally to volunteer elders and vocational elders.

The only distinction the Bible makes among elders is that those who labor in preaching and teaching are worthy of double honor. When Paul exhorted the Ephesian elders to protect the flock the Lord bought with his own blood (Acts 20:17–38), the majority of those men would not have been vocational pastors—they were volunteer elders.

Invite men who love Jesus into the joy of being part of his ministry.

Make sure your volunteer elders feel the weight of giving an account before God for the church he has called them to serve. Be sure they deeply aspire to that responsibility because of their love of Jesus and his church.

A practical way to set this tone among the elders is for all of them to be referred to as “pastor.” Introducing a man as “pastor” in front of the congregation sets a very clear expectation both for him and the church.

2. Guide them to adjust their schedules

Active service as a pastor in a local church comes with sacrifice. For some, it will be sacrifice in career success, as frequent travel and long work hours will not be compatible with the needs of a church for their pastors. For others, it will be hobbies and personal recreation that take limited time away from family.

Set clear expectations with your new volunteer elders, and their wives, that life will look different once the congregation begins to see them as their pastor. There is a strong emotional weight in the gravity of holding the office of elder. Their first hospital visit as a pastor, the first time they must exercise church discipline with a member of the church, their first funeral, their first major error in teaching—all weigh heavily on a man who treasures the honor of the bride of Christ.

The Bible makes no distinction between vocational and non-vocational elders.

Help your new elders make the necessary adjustments in their lives to shepherd to the flock for the long run. Help them to be wise in what jobs they will take, to prudently guard time with their family, and to learn what it means to find rest in Christ.

3. Encourage them to value the different gifts among the elders

Often a man weighing a call to eldership will believe he needs to have similar gifts as the other elders presently serving. Encourage him to see God’s intention to have a plurality of elders with different gifts and personalities.

It is a rare thing to find an elder with equal measures of giftedness in teaching, encouraging, and administration. The “prophets” in the group will be tempted to impatience with the “priests,” the “priests” to impatience with the “kings,” and the “kings” with them all. The role of the lead pastor in this dynamic is to foster a culture of mutual respect and recognition of the need for different gifts brought together by the Lord to better serve his church.

Pray for a variety of different gifts among your elders, and make a point to thank the Lord in the presence of all the elders for the unique gifts he has entrusted to the different elders. When a man presents himself for eldership who is gifted differently than the other presently serving elders, encourage him that God may be raising him up to provide balance to the group, and encourage him and the other elders to see his different gifts as a blessing, not a hindrance.

Make sure your volunteer elders feel the weight of giving an account before God for the church he has called them to serve.

The greatest joy in serving as a volunteer pastor is seeing more of Jesus. Seeing the glory of God up close, as he saves lost people and answers prayers that seemed beyond hope, has built a deeper hunger and thirst for him than I could have imagined.

It is a powerfully moving experience to sit in church on Sundays and cheer as people are baptized. It is entirely another to stand with them for baptism, look them in the eye as they tell the story of how they met our Savior, see the look on their face as they come up out of the water, and hug them soaking wet.

The joy of seeing Jesus up close is your most powerful way to encourage a qualified man to pursue eldership, and it will be his greatest motivation to pursue becoming a volunteer pastor.