Under Consideration

A few weeks ago I was approached about the possibility of becoming an Elder in the church. Apparently, they're keen to get a younger insight!

Anyway, I have since been considering the matter carefully.

On the one hand:

• Someone has to do the job, and the truth is that the existing Kirk Session is only getting older. The ability of others to carry it is likely to diminish, and so it's somewhat incumbent on those of us who can to help out.
• I'm also conscious that you need to be in the meetings to have a voice. This goes back to an incident in my first church many years ago, when the then Kirk Session put out a statement on a controversial topic that I very much disagreed with (to the extent that had it gone beyond a simple statement and into actual policy, I would have had to consider walking away). I felt that the wider congregation should really have been consulted, but the truth is that the Kirk Session was acting within their remit. In which case, being on that body would be a good thing.

But...

• I'm very much the sort of person who will either commit to something fully, or not at all. I'm not keen on doing something in a half-hearted manner, and I really dislike dropping the ball. And it's fair to say that I'm already somewhat stretched in my commitments. In which case, do I have the time to take something new on?

It's a tough one. Especially as it is by no means guaranteed that the opportunity would come again...

#8: "Eldership", by various authors