The necessity of training elders
This editorial by Barry Gritters addresses the qualifications and preparation needed for newly installed elders in the Protestant Reformed Church, acknowledging both the weightiness of ecclesiastical office and the sufficiency of God's grace for the task. Gritters encourages prospective elders by noting they possess more qualifications than they realize and that the Lord equips those He calls to shepherd His church. The article emphasizes the importance of proper training and spiritual readiness for the oversight of preaching, discipline, and the keys of the kingdom.
Newly installed elders are just opening their eyes to the task the Lord gives them, and it is not an easy one. You who have never served before are likely more than a little awestruck by the responsibility. To rule Christ's church?! It is beyond your abilities. Even you who sat in the elders' bench before are awed, because experience taught you actually how weighty the work is -- far beyond any natural abilities you have. Am I qualified for this work? That is the question that follows you to...
Full article available on sb.rfpa.org