Council of Elders and Church Council

The congregation discerns God's call for people amongst us to be the elders of the church. Their ministry is to assist the Minister of the Word in spiritual oversight over the life and witness of the Terrigal Uniting Church. The secretary of the Council of Elders is Phil Rogers.

From amongst the elders, a Church Council is formed, along with people elected by the congregation, who oversee the finance and property. The secretary of the church council is Rhonda Sherman.

What is the ministry of "elder"?

The National Assembly of the Uniting Church in Australia has provided the following:

“The ministry of Elder is one of spiritual oversight, and may also be exercised in pastoral visitation, teaching, encouraging members of the Congregation to share in mission, and assisting the Minister in leadership of worship and administration of the sacraments and other areas in the life of the congregation. Elders who serve on the Church Council have a particular responsibility to ensure that matters of spiritual oversight, pastoral care and the mission of the church have priority in the work of the Church Council.”

The primary role of an elder is to provide leadership within the congregation in assisting the congregation to fulfil its ministry and mission. The ministry of elder will therefore be fulfilled in the totality of the congregation’s life and not just in councils or decision-making. Members of the congregation can expect that the men and women whom they elect as elders will model the Christian life.

Elders will be caring people, who will exercise pastoral oversight of the groups and activities of the congregation. They will also maintain a pastoral relationship with individual members - providing encouragement in the faith, supporting them in their life in society and helping them to focus on and participate in what is important to and within the community of faith.

Elders retain an important role in assisting the congregation to worship well, working with the minister/s and others with worship leadership roles. They will be persons who will participate with the minister/s or other worship leaders in the congregation’s liturgies, particularly the sacraments of Baptism and the Eucharist.

Those elders who, as part of their ministry, are members of the Church Council, will exercise their ministry within that Council by ensuring that at regular meetings of the Church Council the Council and/or the Congregation takes seriously the responsibilities listed in Reg. 3.1.13 (a) i.e. the:

• Building up of the congregation in faith and love;
• Sustaining the members in hope;
• Leading the Congregation into a fuller participation in Christ’s mission in the world.

Some ways of expressing these responsibilities are the provision of pastoral care, opportunities for and encouragement in faith formation and re-formation, the formulation and updating of the Congregation’s vision for mission – local, regional and global, the nurture of members for mission and evangelism, and the increase of Biblical literacy and theological awareness.”