Elder

Elders Ordained to Minister Through Service, Word, Sacrament, and Order

A United Methodist elder is ordained by a bishop to minister through service, word, sacrament, and order. Both men and women are eligible for ordination.

Although the church proclaims that each member is to embody and carry forth the ministry of Christ to the world, some members of the church community, in recognition of their particular gifts and graces, respond to God’s call and offer themselves in set-apart leadership. The ministry of the ordained, like that of the apostles, is distinct, but not separate from the ministry of other Christians.

Generally, a candidate for ordination as elder holds a bachelor’s or equivalent degree from a college or university and has completed the major work toward a Master of Divinity or equivalent degree from a school of theology or seminary. After educational requirements are complete, a candidate is commissioned and then serves a three-year probationary period, which is considered a trial period leading to full membership in the annual conference.

What do elders do?

An elder preaches and teaches the Word of God, administers the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper, equips the laity for ministry, exercises pastoral oversight, administers The Book of Discipline of the church and leads in service of mission and ministry.

The servant leadership of an elder is expressed through leading the people of God in worship, prayer, and to faith in Jesus Christ, exercising pastoral supervision in the congregation, and leading the church in mission to the world.

In addition, an elder as a full member of the annual conference may vote on all matters in his or her annual conference and/or jurisdictional or central conferences. He or she is responsible for continuing availability for appointment, growth in vocational competence through continuing formation, participation in annual evaluation with church or district agents, and supervisory and mentoring responsibilities within the connection.

Where do elders serve?

The United Methodist Church is a connectional church, with a unique way of matching the gifts and graces of a particular pastor to the ministry needs of a particular congregation.
District superintendents assist the bishop in prayerfully making appointments to local churches, or to a multi-point charge consisting of two or more congregations that share a pastor. An elder may also serve in other ministry settings beyond the local church, including United Methodist institutions or ministries such as parish development, general evangelism, campus ministry, missionary work, or as faculty and administrators of United Methodist educational institutions. They may also be appointed to ecumenical ministries.

An ordained elder is a member of an annual conference rather than a local church, and is appointed annually to a ministry setting during the regular session of an annual conference, usually in early summer.

Darren Cushman Wood, Elder

Call to Pastoral Ministry is Long Journey

Darren Cushman Wood found it relatively easy to see himself as a preacher. The call to pastoral ministry was a bit trickier.

Cushman Wood, senior pastor at Speedway United Methodist Church in Indianapolis, "grew up United Methodist, in a rural, conservative congregation where it was very clear that each person was expected to make a public expression of commitment to Christ," he says.

His came in high school, beginning "a year or year and a half of developing a passion for serving Christ, both in the Methodist Youth Fellowship and at school," he recalls. Cushman Wood began reading about Wesley, and, at 15, started a spiritual journal. "I decided if Wesley did it, I should too."

Further reading included Howard Snyder’s The Radical Wesley and Patterns for Church Renewal, an account of Wesley’s conversion, church renewal and modern-day applications. Even though full understanding would come later, "it began to sink in — preaching was a spiritual gift, in the sense that I could not not do it," he says.

The full culmination came on a hot July Sunday evening before his senior year, when he preached his first sermon. "About 40 people showed up. I covered Creation to the Second Coming in eight minutes, in a three-piece suit, no less," he says.

But it helped to clarify his call to preach. "I believe people feel called by strong pastoral drive or the charismatic experience of proclaiming gospel." It took years, he says, to develop a pastoral calling.

He attended the University of Evansville, a United Methodist-related institution, with the vague assumption that he was studying to teach theology. Working as youth director in a local congregation while in college helped him visualize three elements of pastoral service:

• its intellectual dimension;
• its social dimension beyond personal pietism; and
• affirmation from the congregation.

"By the time I left college," he says, "I could see being a pastor rather than a preacher."

Cushman Wood continued his studies at Union Seminary in New York—"the epicenter of liberal Protestantism"—he describes it, and a far cry from his rural, conservative background. The experience helped him to rediscover his Midwestern and evangelical roots, leading him to return to Indiana, and to the people he came from, his United Methodist commitment, and the revival experience.

During his time at Union, he met and married his wife. His new father-in-law, a Presbyterian minister, "came to fill the role of mentor for me. He was someone I could bounce ideas off of, and receive affirmation." He credits other individuals in his annual conference with helping him to understand the itinerant process, polity, and politics at General and Jurisdictional Conferences.

"During my time as a pastor," he concludes, "I have learned that my integrity and character are more important than what I can do. Within the ministry of the elder, we have to continually examine our calling. With every appointment, we must ask ourselves, ‘Am I called to this ministry?’ and ‘What characterizes congregational renewal and redevelopment?’

The video clip below of Justin Halbersma, an elder from Minnesota, is from a brochure and DVD set called Ordained Ministry in The United Methodist Church. The brochure and DVD can be ordered from Cokesbury at 1-800-672-1789. Refer to item number 530656. For orders smaller than 250, only the cost of shipping is charged. For orders over 250, there is a charge of $1 per resource above the first 250 copies, plus shipping. Because this item is free, it cannot be ordered online from Cokesbury.

Challenges Facing Elders in the United Methodist Church

Challenge to the Church — Creating a “Culture of Call”

In the face of declining numbers of young people entering ordained ministry, The United Methodist Church is challenged to create a “a culture of call” to attract young leaders.

“We need to create a culture and atmosphere where it’s OK to accept the call,” says the Rev. Ed Lewis of North Broadway United Methodist Church in Columbus, Ohio. His church has sent a number of young people off to seminary.

Recent research indicates the number of elders younger than 35 declined from 3,219 in 1985 to 850 in 2005, a percentage drop from 15.05 percent to 4.69 percent of all UMC elders. And, while the total number of deacons and local pastors is increasing, the number of elders decreased by about 2 percent from 2000 to 2005. “The continuing decline in the number of elders and the increase in the numbers local pastors is a clear sign of the change in clergy demographics of our annual conferences,” said the Rev. Mary Ann Moman, associate general secretary of the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry’s Division of Ordained Ministry. “One of the things the numbers say is that as a denomination, we may need to begin to look at circuits again,” Moman said. Many small churches want their own pastor and do not want to share with other churches, she said.

The video clip below is from a brochure and DVD set called Ordained Ministry in The United Methodist Church. The brochure and DVD can be ordered from Cokesbury at1-800-672-1789. Refer to item number 530656. For orders smaller than 250, only the cost of shipping is charged. For orders over 250, there is a charge of $1 per resource above the first 250 copies, plus shipping. Because this item is free, it cannot be ordered online from Cokesbury.

Why are so few young people hearing and accepting God’s call? Part of the answer may be tied to the fact that half of the total number of United Methodist elders are older than 50. Those elders, as well as their younger counterparts, must be made aware of and trained to meet the needs and issues facing emerging generations — most of whom were not even born when older clergy received their theological training.

The Rev. Meg Lassiat, director of GBHEM’s Student Ministries, Vocation, and Enlistment, says the inability to attract quality young leaders is “becoming an issue of more importance across the general church.” However, she believes the establishment of her position, along with other efforts, enhances the church’s opportunity to attract and develop young clergy.

The church’s National Leadership Development Advisory Team represents an effort to encourage young people to seek ordination. Development of resources to foster sensitivity and support for young adults and those involved in the candidacy process is a first step.

The General Board of Higher Education and Ministry’s www.ExploreCalling.orgvocational Web site has been developed to offer an accessible collection of materials useful to both young people who are exploring a call to ordained ministry and those who work with them.

The ongoing EXPLORATION events, sponsored by GBHEM, invite high school seniors to age 24 to explore whether God is calling them to ordained ministry in The United Methodist Church. The more than 500 young people attending the 2006 event said the sessions helped them to clarify what God is telling them to do. And, 199 signed commitment cards that they are interested in ordained ministry.

Herbert Coleman, director of recruitment at Wesley Theological Seminary, says seminaries are working to attract younger students. Wesley sends faculty to preach at local churches, where they establish ongoing relationships with young people with the gifts and graces for ministry to cultivate their call. Other seminaries’ summer programs target young adults interested in ministry.

Although numbers are important, remembering that ministry and vocation come with God’s call is key. Recruitment is more than a job search. Many second-career candidates for ministry heard God’s call when they were younger, then ignored it in favor of secular work.

Steps Into Ordained Ministry as an Elder

If you believe God is calling you to serve the church and the world through ministry as an elder:

• Listen for God’s call in your life;
• Talk to a pastor and other Christian leaders to help you discern the direction of God’s leading;
• Read about the subject, including The Christian as Minister and Ministry Inquiry Process;
• Meet with your district superintendent;
• Work through the Candidacy Guidebook with a mentor;
• Publicly declare your call before the pastor staff/parish relations committee, the Charge Conference and the district Committee on Ordained Ministry;
• Gain approval as a candidate from the district Committee on Ordained Ministry;
• Complete educational requirements;
• Become ordained.

The video clip below is from a brochure and DVD set called Ordained Ministry in The United Methodist Church. The brochure and DVD can be ordered from Cokesbury at1-800-672-1789. Refer to item number 530656. For orders smaller than 250, only the cost of shipping is charged. For orders over 250, there is a charge of $1 per resource above the first 250 copies, plus shipping. Because this item is free, it cannot be ordered online from Cokesbury.