Sally ([info]atreic) wrote in [info]christian_cambs,
2005-08-14 17:16:00
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Becoming a priest

(No, I'm not thinking about it, I was just curious)

I have a rough idea how the CoE works if you want to be a priest, in that you go to selection committee and then you get sent away to colleges (like Wescott House in Cambridge) and train

And the Salvation Army did a similar thing if you wanted to be a Major, although I think you had to go away to London?

But how do places like City Church get their elders? Are they affiliated to all other "evangelical" churches, (ie is it a specific term like "methodist" rather than a vague collective noun for churches with similar beliefs?) and is there some training college that they get sent off to?

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  • 2 comments

[info]chess

August 15 2005, 08:53:16 UTC 6 years ago

As far as I can tell, the first elders of such a church are the ones who founded it, and then they pick new ones on whatever criterea they feel like. I think that's the official policy of New Frontiers, which quite a few of them are affiliated with. The elders rarely have much formal training, although they are often enthusiastic attendees of conferences and events like Spring Harvest.

[info]mr_ricarno

August 15 2005, 19:18:42 UTC 6 years ago

Leaders of such churches are generally home-grown, part of the congregation. The congregation recognises a gift for leadership within that person and encourages that gift by giving opportunities for it to be exercised. Generally there is not much formal training involved, but Newfrontiers used to run a gap-year course (probably still run it) which was seen as preparation for church leadership.

While I don't think such an approach is a bad thing in principle (the early Church managed to get away with it for a century or so), it does leave big gaping opportunities for abuse - a domineering, overbearing personality which tries to manipulate the congregation towards unhealthy dependence upon the leader's teaching could be initially mistaken for a 'gift of leadership'. It has to be done wisely and prayerfully.

The leader of our local newfrontiers church had a rule that anyone taking up an eldership position had to go and get some form of theological training. A good rule, I think.
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