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Tell me about… Elders
“The Presbyterian Church in Canada ordains people, elected by the congregation where they are professing members, to the office of ruling eldership. Elders serve the office of the ruling eldership as members of the church court called the session. Together, ruling elders and the minister of Word and Sacraments share the authority and responsibility for leadership, pastoral care and oversight of the congregation.”
-Excerpt from “Together in Ministry” pg. 27
One term that you may often hear within Clarkson Road Presbyterian Church is “Elder.” In most circles, this is an indication of one’s chronological age, but the definition also implies a certain amount of wisdom that is gained with years of experience. Within the Presbyterian Church in Canada, however, elder is a specific term referring to people within a congregation who are elected to a leading and caring role. Despite the term, one’s actual age is not a factor in determining who can serve as an elder. Some congregations have elected elders as young as sixteen, because they have discerned within a given young person wisdom beyond their years.

Elders are ordained for life, but this is not necessarily tied to their service with the Session. If an elder resigns, they no longer serve with the Session, but they are still considered an elder. As with other professing members, they may be re-elected to Session, but there would not be a need to re-ordain them. Some congregations have moved towards “term service” for elders, where an election takes place every two years, and elders can serve up to six years at any given time. Clarkson Road elects its elders for as long as they feel called to serve.

Elders are a central part of how the Presbyterian Church works. In fact, they are so central, that the very name Presbyterian literally means “governed by elders”. The word in Greek for “elder” is Presbyteros. As such, the role of the elder within Clarkson Road is an important part of the life and work of this congregation.

For extensive, detailed information, the Presbyterian Church in Canada has put together a PDF document called "Together in Ministry" which dedicates an entire chapter to the role of the Elder within the congregation.