| dc.description.abstract | Elders have held places of leadership among God’s people since at least the days of
Moses. Today, elders help pastors lead a congregation through many roles. The office of elders
is invaluable to a pastor and his church. Now consider a white pastor who is called to serve in a
cross-cultural community. He does not know what he does not know about this new culture and
needs help. Elders from that culture will be a precious piece of his ministry. The following
thesis describes how a white pastor might establish elders from another culture to help him build
the church of Christ in his new community.
A study of the word “elders” in the Bible shows there is no prescription about how an
elder can serve as a leader with the pastor. Advice from African American, Hispanic, and
Hmong leaders teaches cultural considerations for white pastors trying to establish and work
alongside cross-cultural elders. Advice from white pastors who have served in cross-cultural
congregations teaches about having an open mind and heart to listen to and consider the input
and leadership of elders from another culture. The thesis closes with applications (drawing from
what Scripture says about elders and the advice from both cross-cultural leaders and white
pastors) for a ministry which seeks to establish cross-cultural elders for building up the kingdom
of God. | en_US |
