Koorie Elders are the moral and spiritual leaders of our communities. They are also the teachers, the ones who pass knowledge onto the next generation.
Member of Meeting appointed with ensuring the well-being of meeting within the meeting. That means they try to ensure approprate ministry, and organise details of the meetings. Like overseers they usualy serve for three years and are appointed by preparative meeting. 'Eldership' means caring for the spiritual life of each person in the meeting, making sure that there are meetings for worship, with lots of beautiful silence and thoughtful 'ministry', opportunities to talk about the meaning of life, and chances to learn whatever you need. Every person contributes, but usually monthly meetings appoint some members of the local meeting to be responsible. Like overseers they serve for three years. Try asking them a question! riend Formal name for a Quaker. The Society's full name is the Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends in Britain (phew!). Always capitalised and different from `friend'. Also used as a title in place of `Mr' and `Mrs' etc since these are considered to promote inequality. See also Quaker.
Someone who has been to many Gatherings and is supposedly knowledgeable about the Family. Rainbow ideology states that elders, while wise, are not leaders, as the Family admits to no leadership.
A mature believer charged with spiritual supervision and ministry within the church. Elder and bishop are generally used interchangeably in the New Testament. "Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine" (1 Tim. 5:17).
A man or woman who has been elected by a local congregation and has been set apart by ordination to rule in the church. See also; ruling elder and teaching elder.
A clergyperson who has completed preparation for the ministry of Word, Sacrament, and Order; has been elected into full connection by an Annual Conference, and has been ordained as an elder.
any of various church officers
a co-intelligent leader, someone whose primary aim is to help a human system achieve a higher level of dynamic, co-intelligent self-organization
a member of the Church who is elected by the Congregation and ordained to his or her office
a monk who has been ordained for a minimum of ten years and who is acknowledged to have attained insight
a pastor of his or her district, a man or woman who regularly prays for and with those entrusted to their care
a servant leader, a role model, a teacher, a counselor, a listener, a mediator, an encourager, a visionary, and an equipper
a spiritually mature man who leads and teaches the church
The first rank in the Melchizedek Priesthood.
The verb to elder is used for the exercise of spiritual leadership either to support and encourage members or attenders in their ministry or to question or discourage an individual whose behavior is deemed inappropriate. The noun elder is occasionally used to designate individuals recognized as having significant spiritual gifts and expected to exercise special oversight of the spiritual life of the meeting and its members. In the past such individuals were specifically recorded by a monthly meeting, and their names were then reported to the quarterly meeting, and yearly meeting; this practice was discontinued in Philadelphia Yearly Meeting by 1962.
Title of a local church lay leader. For ordained clergy, particularly leadership, the preferred term is Pastor, e.g., Pastor Jan Paulsen.
one of a group of voluntary, ordained leaders - responsible, along with the minister, for the spiritual and practical aspects of local church life and for local church government
An office in the Melchizedek Priesthood; a title designating a holder of this priesthood, a General Authority or a male missionary.
Leader of a congregation.
The term Elder (or its equivalent in another language) is used in several different countries and organizations to indicate a position of authority. This usage is usually derived from the notion that the oldest members of a group are the wisest and thus most qualified to rule, provide council or some other form of leadership.
In Mormonism, an elder is a priesthood and leadership position in many denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement.
An Elder in Methodism -- sometimes called a "Presbyter" -- is someone who has been ordained by a Bishop to the ministry of Word, Sacrament, Order, and Service. Their responsibilities are to preach and teach, preside at the celebration of the sacraments, administer the church through pastoral guidance, and lead the congregations under their care in service ministry to the world. The office of Elder, then, is what most people tend to think of as the pastoral, priestly, clergy office within the church.