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Every group has leaders. 

Robert Thune, in his book Gospel Eldership, says that every human society gives leadership to somebody.  On the playground, when kids play football, someone has to pick the teams.  When volunteers clean up a neighborhood park, someone has to organize the initiative. Even when you watch a family movie, someone has to decide what to watch (or, at least decide how your going to decide!). 

So, how does leadership in the church work?

Well, we believe that the Lord has designed for the local church to be led by a plurality of qualified men, called by the Holy Spirit, and recognized by the covenant community.  The Bible calls the men who serve in this role “elders.” (Acts 14:23, Titus 1:5)

What is an elder?

An elder, biblically-speaking, is also known as a shepherd, a pastor, an overseer, or a bishop.  (Acts 20:17, 27-28; 1 Ptr. 5:1-2) These terms are all used interchangeably in Scripture, and all describe a single role. 

And that role, to be carried-out by each and all of the elders, is best summarized by four responsibilities in the local church:  Feed, Lead, Care, and Protect. 

More about these roles can be found in the MCC By-Laws, as we endeavor to be obedient to God’s direction in Scripture.

Where do we get elders?

Simply put, elders are not dropped out of the sky, nor are they purchased from a special factory. They are not superhuman, and they are neither above nor separate from the body of Christ. Elders are raised up by God, and recognized by the people among whom they serve. Elders come from those men who are already “eldering” within the church.  At Mountain Christian Church, we currently have five pastors, or elders, who have been recognized by God as called to serve in this capacity. 

What’s my part?

You are going to hear quite a bit about elders over the coming year.  As a member of MCC, we will need your help and your investment: we have three elders who will be coming to the end of their term of service this year.  As such, we are in the process of identifying God’s call in the lives of three others whom He is raising up to serve. Currently, Luke Feldner has already been identified as an Elder Candidate, and is pursuing this call. I hope you will pray for us in this process, and personally encourage him and Melissa as they seek God’s will.

Well, there is much more to church leadership, and this has barely scratched the surface of just one important issue. But hopefully you will be encouraged to ask questions, and seek out more information, as you take part in the Lord’s process for us.

If you want to know more about eldership, and how our other leadership structures work at MCC, you can ask for a copy of the By-Laws, or click here to listen to Pastor Frank's sermon on eldership, "The Noble Task of the Elder."

“I don’t want anyone to know I am depressed,” she pleaded with me, “what would people think?  How can I be a Christian and be depressed? I know God is good … why can’t I snap out of this?”

I wish I could tell you that this was a one-time conversation, but it’s not. I hear it almost weekly and it breaks my heart.

Because it’s fraught with lies. A trap designed to keep a brother or sister in the dark, alone and ashamed. Our God of Light never intended this, and depression is part of being a believer.

Let’s look at Psalm 130. Psalm 130 is part of the Psalms of Ascent; the songs the pilgrims would sing as they journeyed to Jerusalem for worship. Written in triads, the Psalms of Ascent begin in 120 with the psalmist in the deepest darkest despair who can barely look to his Lord and end in Psalm 134 with restored joy that comes from communing with God in the assembly of believers.

The journey through the Psalms of Ascent cover the life of the pilgrim between his darkest despair and being restored with joy. Psalm 129 speaks of the psalmist’s torment by wicked men who torture God’s people. Let’s look at how the psalmist deals with his pain.

Song of the Ascents

1 Out of the depths, I cry to You, O Lord!

2 O Lord, hear my voice!

Let Your ears be attentive to

the voice of my pleas for mercy!

3 If You, O Lord, should mark iniquities,

O Lord, who could stand?

4 But with You, there is forgiveness,

That You may be feared.

5  I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,

And in His Word, I hope.

6  My soul waits for the Lord,

More than dawn-watchers for the morning,

More than dawn-watchers for the morning.

7 O Israel, hope in the Lord!

For with the Lord, there is steadfast love,

And with Him, there is

plentiful redemption.

8 And He will redeem Israel

from all his iniquities.

Note how the psalmist feels here – in the depths of a watery chaotic despair.  Isn’t that the feeling of depression? Submerged in confusion that hurts, drowning in discord, every breath consumed in lungs already brimming with anguish. Depression is like this, isn’t it? Grey days slam into one another and doubt besets us.

Is this it? Will this pain every stop? Am I doomed? Would everyone else be better off without me?

(If you feel this way, just know the answers are: no, yes, no, NO!) Scripture tells us that there is a time to weep as well as laugh (Ecclesiastes 3:4).

The psalmist shrieks out from these shadows to his God. Although nothing makes sense right now, he reminds himself of what he knows of his God.  This is a God who hears the cries of His children (Read Psalm 86:1-7 to experience this more fully) no matter where they are (Psalm 139:7-12).

God hears you in your pain. He is not disappointed nor put off by it. Psalm 88 tells us of a psalmist’s overwhelming agony as he cries out. Allow your Lord to walk with you through this season, turn to Him, not away from Him.

Sometimes, though, we are afraid to call out because we suffer from shame. Maybe we have sinned and are like Adam and Eve and think we need to hide from God. We know we have done wrong, we know we deserve His wrath, we know we just can’t measure up. Maybe we have hurt someone else. Or maybe our depression comes because someone has sinned against us and we wonder how we will recover from the wounds. Verses 3-4 tells us that the psalmist knows about this, but also reminds himself (and the reader) that there IS forgiveness with this amazing God! The psalmist knows that justice and righteousness are the foundation of His throne (Psalm 89 & 97) where He extends His covenantal love to His people.

What a truth to cling to when we doubt that He might not love us anymore, or that we have done something too terrible this time (Read Romans 8 to dispel this lie from the pit of hell!), or that we are just too needy.  On this side of the cross, sin is paid for. We confess our sins to remind ourselves of His forgiveness, and the power of His forgiveness allows us to extend that forgiveness to others.

Depression doesn’t dispel easily. Although we look to His Word, it isn’t an easy fix. We wait, along with the psalmist for the light to restore hope in us. But it doesn’t mean that we aren’t spiritual or that we are failing. The psalmist waits, and we find that there are others in the Bible that we wait with – Elijah (1 Kings 19), David (Psalm 6 and others) and Paul (2 Corinthians 1:8-11).

The end of Psalm 130 is an encouragement from the psalmist to hope in the God of Israel. He is the God of hope, and it is to Him that we must turn to in these dark seasons.  When we realize that our suffering is for eternal purposes, we must trust Him to guide us through it (1 Peter 1:6-9).

Please, if you find yourself in this dark despair, reach out to a brother or sister who will remind of the hope that seems so elusive at this time! You are dearly loved by a holy God and it is not His intention that you walk alone. You can also contact Elizabeth – she will pray with you and walk with you through this.

For the guys:

You need to have an understanding heart and a good ear. Your wife wants you to understand when there are things that are bothering her. You need to have the ears to hear and a discerning heart to give the kind of understanding answers God would want you to give. We are called to be Godly leaders in our home and we will be judged on how we treat our wives and children. Now I don't know about you, but that makes me want to do a better job at the duty God has given me.

Shannon and I live a very blessed life, we are slowly becoming empty nesters and we are able to spend the evenings enjoying each others company. Early in our marriage there was a lot of strife because Shannon wasn't a Christian and didn't understand when I talked about things of God, she was more interested in raising the twins and making our house a home in Texas. After God moved us to Albuquerque with my job we found a small bible believing church and she finally gave in to God's call on her heart.

For the Ladies:

Since that experience and with time I have grown to understand that there are things God will do that I don't always understand at first. His answers are in His time. Sometimes the answers are now, later, or just flat out no. But they are always right! I can feel confident in trusting my husband's decisions because I trust him, I trust that he has the best interest of our family at heart and that he is listening to God's leading.

• Night Light by Dr. James and Shirley Dobson
• Habits of a Healthy Marriage "Seminar" by Paul Tripp

Do you have any suggestions? What marriage devotionals have you used to strengthen you marriage? We would love to hear about them in the comments!

A two-hour flight to Houston, seven hours to Lima, one hour to Pucallpa, and a three hour flight to San Lorenzo in a four seat Cessna and I am almost there. Actually, it takes an additional five-hour boat trip to reach our destination, Musakarusha.

We are deep in the Amazon Jungle. Few venture here, there are only the indigenous Indians, the Candoshi Tribe. It is not surprising then that these are largely a forgotten people. The only signs of outside support are a dilapidated health center, school, and a non-functioning water system all built by the government.  

However, the Candoshi are not forgotten by Jorge Alverez and Pastor Victor. Both have committed their lives to bringing clean water and Living Water to these remote Indian villages. I first met Jorge in 2003 when I traveled to Peru to train Jorge and the American missionary employing  him, Tommy Head, how to drill and install water wells.  I continued to work with this team for about 10 years until I was more in the way than a help.  It wasn’t long after this time that Tommy Head came to an untimely death in a motorcycle accident (his riding was part of his very popular motocross ministry).

With Tommy’s death the entire responsibility for the ministry was placed on Jorge’s shoulders. But with God’s hand on him, Jorge has met the challenge in a very inspiring way. Jorge made big plans, he made important changes in the services he offered and he formed a local charity that allowed him to expand the ministry. One particularly important change was to invite other like-minded Peruvian’s to join him in the ministry.

The key to it all is the personal relationship that the team establishes and maintains with each community.

It was at this time that he met Pastor Victor, a then new pastor in a jungle village. Victor quickly took over evangelistic activities teaching biblical based hygiene, counseling villagers, and preaching the Gospel each night they are in a village.

This effort has come with a price. The environment in which they work is dangerous, the rivers they travel are treacherous with huge trees laying just below water level ready to destroy their boat or motor; snakes, bugs, heat, floods; disease, particularly malaria that they both contracted this past winter putting them in the hospital for weeks; and even witch doctors that will incite drunken riots against them when they feel threatened.  They also leave family and friends on a regular basis, living in hot uncomfortable conditions (there is not room service in the Jungle).

However, their work has born much fruit. Their efforts have seen many come to Christ, almost 700 wells have been installed and maintained, and the physical and spiritual health of the Indian’s has measurably improved. The key to it all is the personal relationship that the team establishes and maintains with each community. This is so evident as we motor down these remote rivers and in each village that we pass villagers run to the banks and cry out Jorge and wave vigorously. Jorge and Victor have gained the Candoshi’s respect, trust and appreciation. This is difficult given their past experiences with the government and outside world.

As I pack up to leave I am left with a single thought. These are the right men for the right job at the right time in this difficult environment. God’s hand is squarely on their ministry and it shows in their incredible heart for these people. I am also confident that we are a blessed church to be part of this ministry and able to support a portion of their transformative work. Please keep Jorge, Victor and the rest of the team in your prayers.