VOL. L.
DUTIES OF CHURCH OFFICERS
(Paper read at the Prjesbyterian Workers’ Conference held at
Haines Institute, Augusta, Ga., January 31st to February 3rd.)
By Rev. J. W. Smith
; :
What I shall say here about
the above subject will be a di
gest or interpretation ;of the
duties as found in the Form of
Government of the Presbyterian
Church, U. S. A., which tyas the
Scripture for its background.
The office of elder appears in
two divisions: the preaching el
der and the ruling elder, The
preaching elder is the minister
and bears many titles: Messen
ger of God; . Angel of God;
Shepherd, etc. His duties are
parallel with those of the
Church of God, and the office is
coexistant with the Church it
self. It is not this division of
the office, however, that |I will
say most about, but the ruling
elder, which office, like the for
mer, is coexistent with the
Church. !
History. A brief review of the
history of this office wifi, per
haps, help us interpret the du
ties thereof. The first Biblical
reference to ruling elders, who
may be regarded as church offi
cers, is found in connection with
the history of the Children of Is
rael while in Egypt. Exodus 3:
16, “Go, and gather the elders
of Israel together.” In the He
brew theocratic state the elders
were the legal representatives
of the people, and were syste
matically organized into courts
with lower and higher judicato
ries. Exodus 18:21, “Moreover,
thou shalt provide |out ipf all
the people able, men, #uch„ as,
fear God, men of truth, hating
coveteousness; and put such
over them, to be rulers of thou
sands and rulers of hundreds,
rulers of fifties and rulers of
tens.” In the time of Christ
the synagogue system was gen
erally in vogue among the Jew
ish people. The people under it
were associated together in! syn
agogues or in congregations for
worship and godly living. They
were governed by bodies of men
called elders. Acts 15:15, ‘'And
after the reading of the law and
the prophets the elders of the
synagogue sent unto them. The
elders constituted the bodies
called the local sanhedrins,
which exercised judicial func
tions within limited districts,
while the control of the affairs
of the Church and State as a
whole were vested in a supreme
council composed of priests, el
ders and scribes, designated as
the great sanhedrin. Under
this same Jewish system our
Lord lived. One of the first acts
of His ministry was performed
in the synagogue at Nazareth.
(Luke 4:1). And He shows that
he recognized the synagogue, in
the expression, “Tell it to the
church.” Matthew 18:17.
The gifts that were sent to
Jerusalem by the Christians at
Antioch were received by elders.
‘And sent to the elders by the
hands of Paul and Barnabas/’
Acts 11:30. Paul and Bama
bus “ordained elders in every
church.”
Further, the chief ruler in the
synagogue, referred to in Acts
18: 8, was probably reproduced
in the parochial bishop of the
New Testament Church; the lo
cal sanhedrin was modified and
established as the Session; the
Presbytery was organized as a
court, and the great sanhedrin
became the model of Synods and
General Assemblies and Coun
cils. In all the several judica
tories thus indicated, elders
were members, associated with
those to whom it had been en
trusted to preach the Word of
God.
In the first General Assembly,
',nd when the Apostle Paul made
his report on his first mission
ary journey, elders were pres
ent, and later elders were en
couraged by the Apostle Paul.
The office took an important
change in the second or third
century of the Christian era—
when the office emerged into
that of the ministry to the ex
tent that ministers had absolute
control of affairs and the people
had no voice. The mistake was
discovered which reveals' itself
in the Roman Catholic Church.
The Reformation of the six
teenth century took place and
the Church returned to the old
landmark; the office of ruling el
der was" restored under the in
fluence of Calvin and others*
Wc are to deal, however, with
the duties of church officers.
That of ruling elder is first in
its historical connection and first
in importance. The duties of
ruling elder are directly connect
ed with the Session of the
Church to which he belongs and
are pointed out by the Form of
Government. They may be gen
eralized in the following man
ner: ! .
1. Attendance at Session
meetings. Ruling elders should
be present at every meeting of
the Session of which they are
members, unless unavoidably
prevented. . They should be
prompt in their attendance.
Promptness .and regularity on
the part of the members will keep
the business of the Session well
in hand, promote sympathy with
and knowledge of the work of
the. church and advance, in many
ways its general welfare. * Neg
lect in these particulars works
inevitable injury to the best in
terest of the congregation and is
out of harmony with the vow
they take, “Do you promise to
study the peace, unity and puri
ty of the church?” Of CPUF8§
they always answer in the affir
mative.
2. Loyalty to the Session.
Differences as to policy are nat
ural in administrative bodies.
To this rule the church is no ex
ception. These differences,
however, should never be allowed
to influence the relation of the
members of the Session one to
ward another, or to be spoken
of to any person other than
members of the Session, The
business of the Session should
be kept in the Session. If mem
bers of the Session would be
loyal to the opinion of the Ses
sion and not to personal opinion
the differences in churches would
be minimized ninety per cent.
Further, the members of the
Session should be careful to
avoid the appearance of unkind
ness one toward another, either
in word or deed. As rulers in
the house of God, in their mutu
al relations they should speak
the truth in love, should be pa
tient, charitable, gentle, and at
all times sustain and defend one
another.
Again I say, the ruling elders
should remember their responsi
bility to the Session, and should
avoid at all times giving the
impression that they act inde
pendently of each other, and not
until the Session works as a unit
will the realization of these
blessed words be ours:
“We are not divided, all one
body we;
One in hope and doctrine, one in
charity.” .
The maintenance of the unity
of the Session in all its actions
is fundamental to its own influ
ence fpr good as well as the wel
fare of the church.
3. Welfare to the Pastor.
The ruling elders are the pas
tor’s divinely appointed helpers
in his arduous labors. They
should carefully respond tb his
request for assistance in the
work of visitation and conduct
of devdtional service. However*
they may differ with him in poll^
cy they should never allow these!
differences to become obstacle*
to the work of the church. El
ders too often forget these du
ties which are theirs by virtue
of their office and which are
binding by virtue of their prom
ise, “Do you accept the office
Ruling Elder in this congregflN
tion and promise faithfully to
perform the duties thereof?” j
4. It is the duty of the ruling
elder to be present at every
church service, both on the Sab
bath and during the week. Thei|
prompt attendance will be o£
graat help to the pastor, wifi
stimulate others to come and
will increase their own influence
for good. Many a church suf
fers in the matter of proper at
tendance only because the-elders,
fail to attend regularly. Church
officers ought to be an example1
to thf flegjf in their fidelity td
th© obligation rating wpoa all
Christian people of regular at
tendance upon the worship of
Almighty God. Elders should
not only pe an example m cnurcn
attendance, feut thei*? pQnflppt in
th#ir private ftnd pufelie byes
should he m §*«nple to f‘tbe
believers, in word, in conversa
tion, in charity, In spirit, in
faith, in purity.” By the power
of example, elders influence
many gpuls to faith in Jesus
Christ, encourage weak Chris
tians who are trying to follow
the Saviour 'and influence the
congregation in general for
good. “A godly life is an epistle
known and read of all men.”
5. Ruling elders should put
to practice continually the
counsel given the church at
Ephesus by the Apostle, “Take
heed therefore unto yourgelvea,
and the flock, over which the
Holy Ghost hath made you over
seers, to feed the church of
God, which he hath purchased
with his own blood.” Ruling el
ders are in one sense “shep
herds,” and should put into exe
cution the ideas involved in that
word, subject to the authority of
the Session. They should be
guides, protectors, counsellors to
the members of the church- In
all matters of importance they
should take counsel with the
other members of the Session
prior to action, and should report
regularly to that judicatory.
6. Ruling elders should by
every means possible bring
themselves into sympathetic re
lationship with the young of
their church. The period of
youth is, from ©no viewpoint,
the period of danger, and the
proper influence exerted by the
elders may decide both their
temporal and eternal welfare.
Again, it is from the young that
the main growth of the church
is secured, the majority of con
versions being persons between
fifteen and twenty-five years of
age. The elders, therefore, as
they have in mind present addi
tions to the church, and as they
desire earnestly its welfare
when the generation to which
they belong shall have passed
out from labor to reward, should
seek diligently the friendship of
the young, leading them to
Christ, instructing them in the
truth, and preparing them for
high usefulness in the Redeem
er’s service.
Second, we shall consider the
duties Of deacons. The constitu
tional qualifications for this of
fice are very similar to those of
the office of ruling elder, ,the
difference being that male or fe
male may be elected to the of
fice of deacon. This office is
referred to in the Form of Gov
ernment Chapter III, section 2,
as one of the perpetual offices
in the church; that is, it cannot
be laid aside at will. In the sixth
chapter of the Form of Govern
ment we read, "The Scriptures
clearly point out deacons as dis
tinct officers of the church,
whose business it is to take care
of the poor and to distribute
among them the collections
which may be raised for their
use. To them also may be
properly committed the man
agement pf the temporal affairs
of the church.”
h A brief history of the office
will corroborate the foregoing
Statement. The origin of the
deaconate is narrated in Acts
sixth chapter and the first sev
en verses. The office had its
equivalent in the Jewish syna
gogue in the office specifically
appointed for the care of the
destitute. A special emergency
in the church at Jerusalem,
arising out of the neglect of
certain widows in the distribu
tion of the common fund was
the occasion of its establishment
in the Christian Church. For a
considerable time thereafter the
Office was limited to the serv
of tables and the care of the
poor. Gradually the diaconate
■was regarded as a necessary
step te ifee nriestheod, Like
pther church offices, it has been
diverted from its original pur
pose by the Roman and other
(so-called Catholic Churches. Th§
Apos|c»li§ djacopat§ was revived
to the Refemed Churches as
early as 1326. Calvin regarded
it as indispensable and the care
of the poor as its proper sphere.
|n the German and Holland Re
formed Churches it is the duty
of “the deacons to collect apd
distribute the aim§ apd other
contributions for the relief of
the .peer or the necessities of
toe congregation and to provide
tor the support of the ministry
of the gospel.” A similar duty
il| assigned to the office in the
jority of our Presbyterian
che§,
sighed by the church to the
deacons is the care of the poor.
In many churches they are also
entrusted with the charge of
the arrangements in connection
with the Lord’s Supper. In some
churches they are made tru§=
tees. The Form of Government,
chapter 21, section 1, empowers
deacons to preside over public
worship in vacant churches,
Deacons, no mere than elders,
can act on their Individual re
sponsibility. They should or
ganize as a board and have their
regular meetings. According
to the Form of Government the
pastor is to be Moderator, but
the Secretary and Treasurer
should be elected from the
members of the board.
Trustees,
Trustees are church officers
elected to manage the temporal
affairs of the congregation, sub
iect, however, to the will of the
Session. This trustee system
finds its origin in the antagon
ism of the State in the early
period of American history to
the Presbyterian and other
Churches. With the achieve
ment of American independence
came religious liberty and leg
islation which enabled all the
churches freely and adequately
to hold and manage their tem
poralities as a cnurcn.
The powers conferred upon
church trustees by the laws of
the different States vary from
full authority to manage down
to mere title-holding. Care
should be taken, therefore, to as
certain in each State the exact
powers given to the trustees.. In
many of the States, such, for
instance, as New Jersey and
Kentucky, the trustees of reli
gious societies are simply the
title-holders to property and
have no independent authority
in its management and dispose
tion. Both the decisions- of the
civil courts and deliverances of
the General Assembly point out
very definitely that the trustees
are subject to the will of the
Session.
Whether the trustees consti
tute the corporation or the offi
cers of the incorporated congre
gation, they should hold regu
lar meetings for the transaction
[of business. The place and time
of these meetings, with other
detail duties, should be described
in by-laws of the incorporated
body. Said by-laws Must, at all
times, be in accord with the
laws of the Church and State.
BARBER COLLEGE
NEWS
By Mary Coleman
With the second quarter ex
aminations over the college girls
have started on their last quar
ter’s work. We are almost
counting the days as Spring ap
proaches, with the trees hudding
out, the grass- springing up
everywhere and the birds com
ing up from the South.
On Tuesday morning, Miss
Foresman told us about the Con
ference which she attended at
Nashville. Tenn. She spoke of
the different phases of; work
which were stressed by different
speakers. She spent Sunday in
Birmingham and attended ser
vices at the Sixth Avenue Pres
byterian church which has one
of the best equipped Sabbath
schools in the country.
On account of the bad weath
er last Sunday, the school held
service in the chapel.
Miss Barr was a pleasant vis
itor with us a few days last
week.
We are very glad to report
Miss Naomi Ramsey, of the
present Senior High graduating
class, and Miss Joetta Stinson, of
the Junior Qoljege class, are
rapidly improving from opera
tions for appendicitis and tbnsi
, - ■ <■*
• ■^-wrn-TT—Ti
Mary Coleman as hostess gave a
•Valentine party in the college
parlor the Monday preceding
Valentine Day. The parlor was
artistically decorated for the
occasion. There were several
guests from out in town. Games
were played, after which a de
lightful repast was served. All
reported having had a wonderful
time.
We regret very much that
Miss Ethel Lou Young, of the
Freshman class, had to go home
on account of illness. We hope
for her an immediate recovery.
On the wall Of every girl’s
room is a picture sent by Miss
Forbes’ Missionary Society. We
are very proud of and thankful
for them.
Wednesday night a birthday
party was given by Miss Viola
Funderburk in honor of her
birthday. The guests had a jol
ly time playing games and par
taking of the delicious refresh
ments.
We were very glad to have
with us on last Sunday Dr. Cray
ton from Tuskegee. He is al
ways a welcome visitor.
Miss Anne Wiggin is here re
presenting the Student Friend
ship Work of the Y. W. C. A.
She gave us wonderful talks on
“True to the Job” and “Interna
tional Relationships.” The “Y”
members are planning to give a
camp-fire lunch for Miss Wiggin
before she leaves.
BETHANY PRESBYTERIAN)
CHURCH, NORFOLK, VA.
Sunday morning, March 11th,
at 11 o’clock, Mother and Child
Day was observed. At this time
a special program was rendered.
A wonderful talk on “Health”
by Dr. S. I. Moone, a very stir
ring welcome to the mothers by
Mrs. J. R. Dungee, and the
short but impressive sermon,
subject, “The Constant Love of
God,”-by the pastor, Rev. F. D.
Nance, were main features of
the program. Mrs. S. I. Moone
very capably presided at the
piano, accompanied by Mr. R. B.
Dungee, trumpetist.
We were very sorry to have
our efficient Superintendent,
Prof. J. R. Dungee, absent from
Sunday school Sunday, on ac
count of illness.
The Westminster Guild will
meet at the home of the Misses
Brown on Marshall Avenue
Wednesday afternoon, March
14th.
The Woman’s Missionary So
ciety had quite a success with
their Pew Rally on the fourth
Sunday. They are glad to state
at this writing that they have
raised their full quota.
The Norfolk Neighborhood
Chapter of the Armstrong
League held its annual meeting
in February, at which time Dr.
Gregg, Principal of Hampton In
stitute, was the speaker. The
President, Prof. J. R. Dungee,
presided.
Mrs. Bethel Watson, after an
extended visit to her relatives
at Monroe, N. C., has returned.
The Pig Foot Supper, given
by Mesdames Watson and Lo
max, at the former’s residence,
was an enjoyable affair. Quite
a neat sum was realized.
CHESTNUT STREET PRES
BYTERIAN CHURCH NOTES,
WILMINGTON.
Sunday morning the Rev. N.
A. Johnson, our pastor, gave us
a most interesting sermon on
Jonah, showing how often we
run away from God’s call to ser
vice and as God prepared a great
fish to . swallow Jonah, so he
sends the great fish of difficulty,
sickness, disappoinment, etc., to
us when we fail to answer His
call.
The Sunday night program
consisted of stereoptican views,
picturing Gethsemane. Mr. E.
C. Grigg sang most effectively
“Gethsemane.”. The closing
flftnoy With Mfi/- (iihia
tratedj, was sung most feelingly
by the congregation.
The Missionary Society met
in its monthly meeting March 5.
Mrs. E. C. Grigg was elected del
egate to the Presbyterial. We
are preparing to repeat the pag
eant, “America for Christ.” The
mission study, “See for Your
self,” was led by Mrs. Grigg.
Mr. John Whiteman, Sr„ con
tinues ill at his residence, N.
7th St. His sister, Mrs. Carrie
W. Davis, of Philadelphia, is
with him. We are glad to report
the other sick members of the
congregation are convalescing.
Miss Thelma McRae, daughter
of Mr. John McRae, who was a
patient at the State Sanitarium
for several months, passed away
February 28 and was funeralized
from the church, March 1. Up
to the time of her illness Miss
McRae was a faithful member
of the church, and being taken
in her youth reminds us all of
the brevity of life. Many beau
tiful flowers were given as a tri
bute of love.
The Pioneer Girls gave their
first party last month. The
main feature was supervised
play, consisting of games and
folk dances. The afternoon was
greatl^ enjoyed by all.
A MEMBER.
CEDAR GROVE COMMUNITY
NOTES.
By Mrs. Hattie A. Rusell.
Sunday, February 26th, was
a fine day and we had a well filled
house. Our pastor, Drl L. J.
Melton, brought to us a fine ser
mon. He spoke from the sub
ject, “Seeing for Yourself.”
This sermon was greatly enjoyed
by all.
Sunday, March 4th, our Sun
day school was largely attend
ed. The lesson for the day was
a good one and was beautifully
explained by some of the teach
ers.
The oyster supper which was
given on Monday night, Febru
ary 20th, was quite a success.
We were glad to have so many
of our friends with us that
night, and many of them ex
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