Called
I wonder sometimes why elders are called that. I’m not talking about their age, but on how they were appointed as such. How did they decide, “Hey, this person seems to be spiritually mature already. Let’s make him/her an elder”. It just seems so hypocritical at times, because one can always pretend to be “mature” just so please people, and that those who appoint these new “elders” are elders themselves. It’s like saying, “Congratulations, young one. You are now one of us.” I’m not really being cynical about it. Well, maybe a bit, but do you understand where I’m coming from? How do they “call” people into service? How do they determine if one is fit enough to lead or to serve? Is it simply because of what they see? I’d like to believe that it all comes from the Lord, but sometimes, things just make me pause and force me to think about what’s going on. Do they choose these people in terms of conformity - if they seem to follow the rules that are being imposed? Is it in terms of “trainability” - how one seems to be malleable enough to be molded? I really don’t know. I guess my being a Marxist is really something I can’t get rid of from the picture, because I really do believe that people are all on level ground - no one is better off than others. Maybe I’m treading on heretical ground as a Christian (which I am), but things are just too puzzling to be ignored. Maybe it’s just what’s happening in our group and not in others. I’m not seeking for perfection, but there should at least be a certain kind of logic in how they approach things. If there isn’t, fine, but at least they could provide even the shortest of explanations in how they determine things.