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Elders 

The Introduction to Co-Mission’s manual on Elders provides the following background on elders:

The Apostle Paul regarded the appointment of good “Elders” (the original term is “presbyters” and meant “senior men”) as vital to the healthy gospel witness of any church (Titus 1). The “Elders” were to be a team, to take advantage of complementary gifts, wisdom and energy. They were to be senior, to benefit from the experience, wisdom and authority that comes with age. They were to be
men, because every church is God’s household with men to provide loving leadership.

Paul explains in his letters that those appointed as Elders must excel in three characteristics: personal godliness, skill in teaching scripture and ability to manage the congregation. Such men were not to be self-appointed or elected but chosen by other senior Christians (1 Tim. 3, 2 Tim. 2, Titus 1 and Acts 13-14). They were to be publicly commissioned (“ordained”) by senior Church
leaders and recognised by their own congregations as having God-given authority to “shepherd” (i.e. “pastor” the church cf.vs28) and “oversee” (i.e. “bishop” or govern) the congregation. This was a leadership pattern in continuity with Old Testament patterns of synagogue leadership.

The following extract from Titus sets out the characteristics of an elder:

6 An elder must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. 7 Since an overseer is entrusted with God’s work, he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. 8 Rather he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. 9 He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it. (Titus 1:6-9) 

Glenys
Hello and welcome to our church. If you are a new visitor, we have a page for you to get to know us and learn more about planning a visit.
Click here to see more.

Planning your Visit

Planning a Visit? 

If you're thinking about joining us one Sunday the following information should help you know what to expect.

Where and When

OasisAcademy

We meet at the Oasis Academy Putney (click here for how to find us) on a Sunday - our service starts at 10:30am but if you arrive 10-15 minutes before then you'll have time to find your bearings and be welcomed by a few of our church family (starting with someone from our Welcome Team who will greet you on the door).

Accessibility: The venue is wheelchair accessible and there are disabled toilets along the main corridor.

What does a typical Sunday look like?

Our service begins at 10:30am with a official welcome from one of the team. This is followed by a time of sung worship, led by our band, which often includes a kids song with actions to help all of us - from the youngest to the oldest! - engage with what we're singing about.  After the opening songs, the children head out for their own activities (more information about that here) while the rest of us take the chance to greet those sitting around us.  We'll then share some news about what's coming up in the life of the church before a member of the church family leads us in prayer.  We'll then hear the Bible read and preached, with the sermon connecting the timeless truths of the Bible with our modern lives, before finishing with a final song.  After the service (which typically lasts an hour to an hour and a quarter), we encourage people to stay for tea or coffee, share lives and continue to speak about God's word.

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