Eldership is not a static office. Future elders must be grown over time; current elders must continue to develop. The Pauline pattern in 2 Timothy 2:2 frames this clearly:
2 Timothy 2:2
“And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.”
Paul to Timothy, Timothy to reliable people, reliable people to others — four generations of intentional formation. The same pattern applies to eldership in every local church.
6.1 Growing Future Elders
The work of identifying future elders begins long before any formal process. It begins in how the body is taught, how Saints are mentored, how the eldership models the office, and how potential is nurtured in younger believers.
Modelling. The current eldership lives openly enough that younger Saints can see what eldership looks like. Their families are visible, their patterns of prayer and study are known, their handling of difficulty is observable.
Teaching. The body is taught, regularly, about the offices of elder and deacon — what they are, what qualifies, what the New Testament expects. A body that doesn't understand the offices cannot produce candidates for them.
Mentoring. Each current elder takes responsibility for the spiritual development of two or three Saints who may, in time, grow into eldership or diaconate. This is informal in form (regular meetings, shared time, reading together) but intentional in nature.
Stretching. Saints with potential are given roles slightly beyond their current capacity — leading a small group, teaching a series, taking pastoral responsibility for a specific situation under supervision. The work itself is the most formative training.
Reading. Recommended reading shared across the body and especially with those being developed. Both scripture (regular study habits, specific books worked through) and the wider Christian tradition (books on eldership, doctrine, marriage, prayer, the spiritual disciplines).
6.2 Ongoing Development for Current Elders
Eldership is not a finished state. Current elders should be growing throughout their service:
- An annual reading list — typically three to five substantial books over the course of the year, covering doctrine, pastoral care, marriage and family, prayer, and church history.
- Regular times of prayer and fasting together as an eldership team, beyond the meetings about agenda items.
- Annual eldership retreat — a multi-day time away together for prayer, planning, and team formation.
- Periodic external input — conferences, mentors from other faithful churches, occasional teaching from outside the body.
- Honest peer feedback within the eldership — annual or biannual one-on-one conversations between elders, naming what each sees in the others' service and growth.
- Family check-ins — periodic conversations between eldership team and each elder's spouse (with the elder's knowledge and consent) to ensure home life remains healthy.
6.3 The Apprenticeship Pattern
For a Saint formally on the path to eldership or diaconate, the Stage C testing phase in Part Four is the heart of their apprenticeship. But apprenticeship can begin before formal consideration. A senior elder who notices a Saint with potential may begin an informal apprenticeship — regular meetings, shared work, ongoing prayer — long before any conversation about office is initiated. Many faithful elders look back and identify a particular older Saint whose investment over years shaped them into the office without their being aware at the time. This is the 2 Timothy 2:2 pattern in real time.