Ordination Sermon | CrossPointe Downtown

Josh and (Jo) Joleanna Conover

Scott and Linda Reavis

I’ve Been Walking with You

Walking with Ryan Walker

Walking with Scott and Josh

Walking with the congregation (whether you knew it or not)

CrossPointe Coast was actually planted only a few months before you here.

We’ve been with you through all of the changes …

… including when Ryan came here to lead you seven years ago.

And now, it is a joy filled day to be with you as you commission these two elders …

… and for the formation of this new plurality of elders

PRAY

4:00

WHO IS THE CHURCH?

The key question is a matter of who … not what.

The condensed answer to the what question is our mission statement.

MISSION: to Point our Community to Jesus Christ

But the most important question remains … who is the church?

Jesus: the head of the church

Jesus is the first proclaimer of the gospel.

Jesus’ business is that we would know God and enjoy him!

Elders: senior leaders under Jesus

Their business is to shepherd the flock to Jesus according to Jesus’ own instructions.

Deacons: lead servants in the church

Their business is to serve the congregation on the ground in such a way that the leadership of the elders moves forward in the midst of the body.

Partners: lead and serve (together) under the elders and deacons

It’s the last of the four answers, but its the most important of the last three.

Because this is the body of the church.

And all, apart from Jesus, (whether elders, deacons or others) are at their core partners together in the gospel.

This morning our focus is on eldership.

At CrossPointe we believe an elder is at his core a partner in the congregation who has partnered well.

A true elder is a man who can be found already about the work of serving and shepherding in the context of the congregation and community long before he is ever set apart for this task.

1 Timothy 3:1 (ESV)

The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task.

8:00

PLURALITY OF ELDERS

Everywhere elders are mentioned there is a plurality.

Acts 15:4 (ESV)

When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they declared all that God had done with them.

test

Acts 20:17 (ESV)

Now from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church to come to him.

test

Philippians 1:1 (ESV)

To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons:

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APPLY:

This morning we are giving thanks to God that he is moving this young church plant into a new season of plurality.

As you move into this season you are moving forward in maturity together.

11:00

ELDERS ARE PASTORS

In American cultural Christianity we have often followed a business model …

… or even more likely followed the model of American government of checks and balances

Paid/Vocational Pastors as a sort of executive branch.

It is their job to get the ministry done or we vote him out and get a new one.

Elders as a sort of accountability and who set the rules and bylaws like congress.

Deacons somewhere between the lower branch of congress and the congressional budget office.

They take care of the finances and some of the other business of the church.

And finally the congregation just votes every so many months or years to make sure all their candidates are getting the job done.

And, occasionally, serve as a sort of referendum or exercise veto power if they think any of the branches of government have gotten out of control.

In the meantime, they sit back and enjoy the benefits of membership.

This is one of the reasons why we use the word “partners” at CrossPointe.

Membership has its privileges and it might seem like its the leaders to provide for them goods and services.

But in reality, the congregation has been called into a partnership …

… a shared labor in the gospel.

14:00

FIRST: The first HUGE problem is that pastors are not the presidential head of the church.

That spot is securely occupied by Jesus.

SECOND: You just won't find a single place in scripture where a church is firmly established (following a season of missionary planting) that one man is in charge.

THIRD:

Ephesians 4:11 (ESV)

And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers,

Elders are to do the work of equipping the saints for the work of the ministry.

They are not to participate in a broken system of accountability where one man does all the work of ministry.

There are a variety of necessary gifts in the church.

And that variety is scattered all about the congregation.

FOURTH: The people of the church are surely members of one body, but we are partners in Gospel proclamation and ministry.

Elders are shepherds of this partnership.

1 Peter 5:1–2 (ESV)

So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you

APPLY:

An elders is a pastor.

After today, this church will have three pastors.

17:00

∴ There Are Three Kinds Of Pastors

Vocational Pastors

Bi-vocational Pastors

Volunteer Pastors

All hold the same office and therefore have the same qualifications.

Together these pastors divide the labor to accomplish their commissioning.

The vocational pastor is often the planting/missionary pastor whose particular labor is the weekly preaching of the Word.

These elder candidates not only, servants in the church …

Scott Reavis: serving as a Director with Wycliffe Bibe Translators

Josh Conover: Works with Ground Radar Penetration Systems …

… that I won’t even pretend to understand.

Both are faithful in the variety of places God has called them to serve as disciples.

They are partners in the gospel with Christ’s church in all of these places.

And when they are ordained as elder they will not cease to be partners first.

We don’t graduate from partner in the gospel.

Partner is the highest privilege we have in the church.

It is as partners that we serve in the variety of other roles God might place us into in life and in the church.

And so, today, Scott and Josh join Ryan as elder and pastors of this church.

They are genuinely equals as the seek to divide the labor according to their gifts, abilities and availabilities.

And they also remain partners with the rest of the congregation …

… as the body of Christ over which Jesus alone is the head.

20:00

SKIP

QUALIFICATIONS OF AN ELDER

Titus 1:9 - The apostle Paul calls Titus to … … hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.

Since, as an elder, it is your business to present the truth of Jesus and his gospel to the congregation and community, …

… it is essential that you also walk in that truth; that you bear out in your life the fruit of faith.

That said, we also know that you yourself are a man in need of the gospel.

It is a difficult thing to be called to the standard of being above reproach.

As an elder, you are in a unique position to bring either honor or reproach to the church and to the name of Jesus.

Your fellow elders echo the scriptures in calling you to be a one-woman man, …

We call you to live a life that is holy and above reproach

hospitable, not a lover of money

upright, not arrogant or quick-tempered

a lover of good, not violent or greedy

self-controlled, rejecting drunkenness

disciplined, not greedy

Still there remains this final admonition, …

… for there is no greater way to bring reproach to Christ and his gospel than to pretend as though you are without sin.

And so, we call you, when sin or weakness or wandering comes, to remember the grace of the gospel …

… and to point the congregation to that grace in one of the most powerful ways possible–by repenting quickly.

For, it is when you repent and believe the gospel that you show us that the grace of Jesus alone is sufficient for you.

SKIPPED

ROLES OF AN ELDER

We believe that (using the language of Alexander Strauch’s book, Biblical Eldership) …

… an elder’s role is to feed, protect, care for and lead the flock.

The elders feed the flock by teaching sound Christian doctrine.

We protect the flock by refuting false doctrine.

We care for the flock meeting practical needs and ministering to the wounded.

We lead the flock moving the church along toward the fulfillment of the vision.

COMMISSIONING THE ELDER CANDIDATES

Finally I want exhort you along with this summary and reflection upon 1 Peter 5:1-4 …

… where Peter exhorts the elders among the church …

1 Peter 5:1–4 (ESV)

So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.

… shepherd the flock of God that is among you

Among you …

… smell like sheep — because you are one and you are with them

And as you serve as shepherd, you aren’t a supervisor in an office.

You are right there in the midst of the life of the congregation.

You are in one another’s homes, enjoying meals and conversations, and hardships and the joys of life together.

23:00

… exercising oversight

overseer (interchangeably with elder and pastor)

Remember, the ministry is the work of the congregation together as partners in the Gospel.

Your work is not to do the whole of the work (though you do your part …

… but to oversee the work

by the Word

prayer

the equipping of the saints.

… not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you;

As Hebrews 13:17 encourages the congregation to … (ESV)

Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.

There is a relationship and responsibility that is shared between the congregation and the elders …

… for the elders to labor for a willingness to serve and for the congregation to labor to make service a joy for them.

How do we do this, but to together keep our eyes fixed on Jesus

… not for shameful gain, but eagerly

What is shameful gain?

It is using God's flock (dare I say, prostituting Jesus' bride) for worldly gain.

But if you are eager, surely there is gain? Right?

Is there anything to be gained from being an elder?

We will see this in just a moment

27:00

… not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.

Our authority is not an authority of position, but of witness.

Our authority comes from the Word.

And that Word has authority over our lives just as much as the lives of those we teach.

Let us show that authority by first being elders who have been shaped by the Word.

We are not domineering, but fully submitted to God’s own Word and its impact upon our lives.

When we exercise our authority we do not point to our title.

We point to our life’s treasure, which is Christ.

The best way to do this is to live lives that actually treasure Christ.

Mark 10:45 (ESV)

For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Even the humility it takes lead by serving points to Jesus who came to serve and suffer for the sake of His flock.

Jesus truly is the good and chief shepherd.

Even the nature of our serving should look like Him.

And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.

AH! Here is the reward!

Our reward is to see the chief shepherd appear!

We share the reward of all the church …

… to see and savor our Savior!

We are reminded again that you are not the "chief shepherds."

Jesus alone is the Senior Pastor and chief shepherd.

And here is the reward for which we are eager!

Here is what compels us.

Here is our gain.

The eternal spiritual reward directly from the hands of our own Good Shepherd.

APPLY

Today is such a big day for you, Scott and Josh … and for your families (Linda and Jo).

2 Corinthians 12:15 (ESV)

I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls.

GOSPEL

The last song we will sing today is “Is he worth?”

These men are not.

Scott and Josh know their need for Christ.

…

Pray

COMMUNION