riglyne vir die toerusting van ouderlinge

Abstract

Guidelines on equipping elders for their task One of the biggest problems the contemporary church experiences is the fact that many believers are not spiritually equipped in an ongoing way – mainly because many church officials called to do so (Eph. 4:11-12), are in many instances not adequately equipped themselves. In this article some guidelines are suggested to equip elders more efficiently for their duty. In the first instance the semantic layers of the idea to equip are investigated by analysing certain Biblical key concepts in this regard. Secondly, an overview of the background of the office of the elder is given as is outlined in the church order of the GKSA. Furthermore, the general requirements according to which the elder should implement and exercise his duties as office bearer are also highlighted. This procedure is followed in order to identify the gifts necessary for an elder to implement his pastoral care and duties effectively. Lastly, the outcome of both aspects of the investigation is considered in order to suggest possible guidelines for the office of elders.