| Bucyrus Free Will Baptist Church |
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| Welcome to the Bucyrus Free Will Baptist Church web site _________________________________ |
| The Bucyrus Free Will Baptist Church 1676 Hopley Ave. Bucyrus, OH 44820 Phone Number: (419) 562-9899 |
| Service Times Sunday School 10 am Sunday Evening Worship 6:30 pm Mid-Week Prayer Meeting 7 pm Communion and Feet Washing Every fifth Saturday on months with five Saturday's beginning at 7 pm |
| Need a reason why you should go to Church? "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching." - Hebrews 10:25 |
| Featured Song for October: White Oak On The Hill by Merl Dye. For booking information contact Merl Dye at (419) 347-3032 |
| Introducing the Bucyrus Free Will Baptist Weblog By Pastor Eric Boggs |
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| "I'm a fourth generation Free Will Baptist who believes, teaches, and preaches the Free Will Baptist Doctrine from a King James 1611 Bible and proud of it! I hope these weblogs on the Free Will Baptist doctrine and our Church Standards will be a blessing to you." |
| Weblog #27 The Core Value Of Honoring Elders If nursing homes are any indication as to how the Church world respect’s and honor’s its elders, than the current condition of the church world is in sorry shape. One thing we have always done at the Bucyrus Free Will Baptist Church has been to honor our elders, treating them as wise and experienced pillars of the church that need to be respected and listened to on a consistent basis. That is why as a body, honoring our elders is one of the seven core values of the Bucyrus Free Will Baptist Church. The word elder or elders is found in the Bible 199 times and is actually a word that confuses some people as to its meaning. Elder in the Hebrew is zaqen, meaning to be older, a leader, a dignitary, or a formal position as a community leader. Elder in the Greek is presbyteros, meaning to be older, an ancestor, or an official leader of the Church depending upon the context of the sentence. This is where we get the Word Presbytery and Presbyterian. Both definitions are pointing to two distinct meanings, the first referring to age while the second is referring to position of importance either in the community or in a church community. Our own English definition also gives us these two separate identities, one referring to age and the other referring to a position within an organization as an official office. Given this understanding, we quickly see how some denominations within the Church community will actually call their ordain officials elders. I know this is true within the United Baptist denomination, which is a denomination that the Bucyrus Free Will Baptist Church has enjoyed fellowship with. Although we do not specifically use this label within our denomination under these circumstances, we do understand why these denominations would and respect their understanding of the word. Our use of the word is given to older Christians who have been serving the Lord for many years why understanding that the word elder was also used during Bible times to describe ministers and deacons. We see the idea of the word elder to mean holding an ordained office in Titus 1:5 where we read, “For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee:” Again the idea of the word elder being used to describe an ordained position within the church is reaffirmed in Acts 14:23 which says, “And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed.” The idea of the word elder being used to describe an ordained official is obvious. But what about the times in the Bible when the word elder is being used to describe someone who is of a matured age? I Timothy 5:1 and 2 states, “Rebuke not an elder, but intreat him as a father; and the younger men as brethren; The elder women as mothers; the younger as sisters, with all purity.” This use of the word elder is indeed talking about someone who is older as compared to younger. I Peter 5:5 adds to this use of the word when it says, “Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.” These scriptures inform us on how elders, both men and women, when given the definition that the word elder means of matured age, should be treated. It is from this ideology that we give birth to our core value of elder honoring. But to better see why we believe this, we must first better define who an elder is. An elder is an older person who has reached a point in his or her life where they can safely say that they are experienced with living and all that life can throw at them. We also firmly believe that an elder is someone who has been saved for long enough that you know they are firmly rooted in the Gospel and that their salvation is solid. In other words, they are a dependable, knowledgeable, and experienced older person. How old and for how long must one be saved in order to be an elder? That is based on the particular individual and how God has touched their life. There is no “elder ceremony” or special service dedication. It happens for different people at different times, but it is the point in an individual’s spiritual walk when they no longer depend upon someone else within the church to be their spiritual leader, but become one of the pillars of the church them self. When this happens, Paul tells us in I Timothy 5:19 that we are not to, “Against an elder receive not an accusation, but before two or three witnesses.” Also understand that in I Timothy 5 the previous two verses are also talking about ministers, “Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine. For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward.” So we see in the same chapter Paul uses both definitions for the word elder. It’s important to keep in mind that when you read the word elder in the Bible, sometimes it is referring to an ordained official and not to someone of mature age and spirituality. A good example would be James 5:14 which reads, “Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:” This act should be reserved for the ordained officials in the church. In closing, we believe in honoring the elders of our congregation because without them the church would have no stability and little leadership. A Church with no elders is a church with no protection. When a church has good solid elders, than you have pillars holding the church up with the help of God. Revelation 3:12 says, “Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God….” Elders have overcome this world and offer an example for the younger to follow. That is why we should honor our elders. |
| The Free Will Baptist Doctrines Blog Series |
| The Bucyrus FWB Standards Blog Series |
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| The Bucyrus FWB Core Values Blog Series |
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