Episode 1 Introduction

The Elder Podcast is a source of information for Elders and those interested in Church leadership. They discuss qualifications, duties, and review helpful books. They also share experiences and discuss how to handle different situations. The goal is to serve Christ and improve leadership skills. The host, Rod Nogle, has been an Elder for 40 years and has served in various churches. They discuss common issues like hiring staff, communication, conflict resolution, and writing bylaws. It's important for Elders to delegate tasks and focus on prayer and ministry. The podcast encourages sharing experiences and collaborating with other church leaders. They have a Facebook group and encourage email communication to support and learn from each other. Welcome to the Elder Podcast. I'm Rod Nogle, an Elder at the Ladoga Christian Church in Ladoga, Indiana. Join me each week as we discuss being an Elder in the Church today. Welcome to the first episode of the Elder Podcast. I thought it would be a good idea for you to understand what this podcast will be about. The intent of this podcast is to be a source of information for Elders and for those who desire to become an Elder or maybe even just serve in Church leadership. We'll discuss the qualifications for the position, the duties of an Elder, and also review books that may be helpful to you. I'll talk with others about experiences that they have had and how they have faced those situations so that way you can hear how they've gone through those things and how they solved them as well. As you know, we do things right, and sometimes they aren't so right. In either case, we hope the discussions will help you better prepare for situations that you may encounter as well. Our overall goal as Church leaders is to serve Christ to the best of our abilities, and by improving our skills and abilities, our service improves as well. Just so you know who I am, I'm currently the Preaching Elder at the Ladoga Christian Church in Ladoga, Indiana. I've been an Elder for 40 years, and with career and family moves, I've served in positions throughout Indiana and Illinois specifically as an Elder in four different churches. My wife, Deb, and I also own and ran a Christian bookstore for a number of years, allowing us to make so many good relationships with Christians of other denominations. Meanwhile, the majority of my Church leadership has been in a Restoration-affiliated Church. I have found that conversations with other Church leaders, they've dealt with all the same things, or at least similar things, that I have. The size of the churches that I've served have ranged from 25 in northern Illinois in a church plant that we were involved in to 600 weekly attendees in a church in central Indiana. The attendance at Ladoga right now is running about 60 each week, but you know, regardless of the size of the church, most of the issues are the same. Some of those issues include hiring staff, reviewing them, communication among the leadership team and the congregation, dealing with conflict, also disciplining Church members, recruiting, training Elders, Deacons, and other volunteers, and also writing bylaws and Church doctrine. By doing these things right the first time, we're able to establish so much with our congregations. It's important that we manage our time as Elders, and we don't neglect our time of study and prayer, though. I find that Elders can take on responsibilities that take their focus off of what it is that they should be doing. In many churches, small ones especially, Elders act more like Deacons. We see things that need to be done, and since no one seems to be doing them, we jump in. You know, this isn't new. The Apostles found themselves in the exact same situation in the first century church, but instead of waiting tables along with their main duties, they delegated. We must be able to identify those individuals that can handle those tasks for us, so that we can keep our focus on prayer and the ministry of the Word, just as they did. If delegating is something that you find hard to do, know that you aren't alone. Keep listening, and I promise it will be one of the topics that we cover in a future episode. How about your experiences? Do these match up? Maybe you've had similar or other experiences that you'd like to share. Well, that's what we want to do here. I've noted over the years that there are ministers' associations or ministerial associations in the area, and these guys meet on a regular basis. I don't see that happening with Elders and other church leaders, though. You know, we're all facing the same things or similar things, though, so why not help each other? We can sometimes get a little competitive with other churches in the community, and we really shouldn't be that way. We're all here to serve Christ and to reach the lost. As I mentioned earlier, we have differences within our congregation, but that doesn't keep us from serving together. The same is true for churches within the same community. By working together, we also let the community know that we are one in Christ. While we may have different locations, times that we meet, and also some other few doctrinal points, but our focus is on Christ, or at least it should be. At the core, we all believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. I want to share my experiences and the experiences of others to help the church leaders grow and improve in their service to Christ. One of the ways that you can help is to share your experiences, too. I've set up a Facebook group that will allow us to discuss some of those topics online, but social media is limited. I would also encourage you to email me at rod at theelderpodcast.com. Let's make this a place where we can help each other and be better leaders for the kingdom of God. Thanks for listening.