Interview for Church Elder

Context: Interview for a Church Elder
Date/Time: 7/9/08
Place: Christ's Community Church
Duration: 1.0 hour and 30 minutes

Descriptive Notes: Dr./Pastor Randy Wieland and Gina, the coordinator for a position we know as Serve Elder, were present to interview a candidate for an Elder position in the church. Randy led the conversation with a group of questions and allowed for participation from all at the table. I was able to explain my position to the candidate and she was OK with me participating. Some of the questions were as follows:
1. Tell us how your spiritual journey is going.
2. Tell us about your view of being a team player.
3. Share your ideas about being with, and investing in people.
4. A situational question about how to handle negative people and material that may be given that is anything but positive.
5. How are you after the difficult situations and conversations?
6. What is the mission of the church and how are you actively involved in the mission?
7. What concerns you most about your future role of an Elder?
8. Who do you feel you need to represent in your role of an Elder?

Reflective Notes: This situation reminded me of interviewing to find a good teacher or a team leader. During the meeting, Randy not only asked the questions, he also processed through the comments with the applicant and made certain that she heard his views on Eldership. Some vocabulary that Randy used also made connection to what we do in educating children. Our staff members do need to be called to the profession, they do need to be equipped to do the job, they need to be prepared for every day, they need to be able to discern and then make good decisions, and finally, they need to LOVE people. Other key words mentioned were Trust, Care, Thanks, and Celebrate. From this position, it seems that an Elder is like a teacher of sorts: helping others with their daily walks, keeping in touch with their "kids", and letting others know how they could help if needed.