The Session
The Role of the Session at Wellington Presbyterian Church:
The Session holds final responsibility for all church functions, including teaching, evangelism, pastoral oversight and sound management of resources. It is in close partnership with the Pastoral Staff as its main “hands and feet” to carry out the ministry, and is also in partnership with Diaconate to further their work of mercy and service while the Elders stay focused on the ministry of the Word, Sacraments, and prayer.
Its Members & Committees:
The Session is made up of Teaching Elders (pastors) and Ruling Elders who are serving a current term on Session. In order to better fulfill its Christ-given role, it has formed two committees to help facilitate certain leadership functions.
The Shepherding Committee:
Purpose: To work with the Pastoral Staff to come alongside struggling members in order to:
1. Provide special council and encouragement.
2. Shepherd members toward repentance and reconciliation through the church discipline process.
The Leadership Committee:
Purpose: To aid the Sr. Pastor in staff and leadership development in the church to:
1) Help potential officer candidates carefully consider their potential call to servant-leadership, and to make recommendations to the full Session on potential ordained leadership candidates.
2) Assist the Sr. Pastor in annual reviews of Pastoral Staff.
The Role of an Elder at Wellington Presbyterian Church:
Elders have many roles in Scripture- overseers, presbyters, teachers, etc. But the primary Biblical description is that of an under-Shepherd with Christ as the Chief Shepherd (cf. 1 Peter 5:1-5). The Elder’s role at WPC takes the following main outlines of responsibilities:
1) Responsible to assist in leading the ministries of WPC towards fulfilling its vision by actively participating as Elder liaisons in various ministry teams.
2) Responsible to teach the flock by both example and instruction through various avenues from Small Groups, to Sunday School classes, to seminars, to one-on-one discipleship.
3) Responsible to Shepherd the flock through leading a Connections Group.
Each Elder takes responsibility to “S.H.E.P.H.E.R.D.” those entrusted to their care according to the following description:
S- Servant-leadership & membership connect…
- Shepherd the members through personal relationship connections
H- Help pro-actively & personally to grow though problems & struggles…
- Shepherd the members amidst spiritual and physical problems
E- Enhance member’s connection with others in the body of Christ...
- Shepherd the members into a network of connected relationships @ WPC
P- Peace-making promoted as deep expression of the gospel...
- Shepherd the members by peace-making
H- Hone understanding between servant-leaders & membership by good communication...
- Shepherd the members through good communication, clarification, and vision-casting
E- Equipping process encouraged by connecting members with means for growth @ WPC...
- Shepherd the members by the equipping process
R- Resources of member related to opportunities for service @ WPC...
- Shepherd the members’ spiritual gifts into spiritual service
D- Demonstrate prayerful & humble discipleship...
- Shepherd the members through prayer & being example to the flock including exemplary passion for worship, outreach, and discipleship
4) Responsible to be exemplary servant-leaders to the flock. This includes such things as:
- Regular, whole-hearted participation in Sunday services including greeting guests and members before and after services, serving Communion, offering, and other service roles as required
- Pursuing faithfulness by repentance and faith in our calling as husbands and fathers
- Pursuing faithfulness by repentance and faith in our witness to Christ in the world