Installation of Elders (March 2023)
At our 26 March 2023 service, our elders who were recently re-elected reaffirmed their vows to serve God's flock. It was also a time for the congregation to commit to supporting and working together with them for the good of the gospel.
At our recent English Congregational Meeting, we renewed the terms of Elders Nehemiah Chong and Jonathan Tan for another three years.
We thank God for calling and raising these men who have chosen to obey and be faithful in this way. Elder Nehemiah and Elder Jonathan have been faithfully serving in the Young Adults ministry and Missions Committee respectively. We also thank God for sustaining their families over the past few years.
Our elders all affirm ten different statements in their vows which they profess upon installation. These statements pertain to their faith and their calling. They reaffirm truths that all Christians are to hold fast to, and certainly, as elders, they also believe in our church's statement of faith.
In their vows too, they also pledge to "be faithful and diligent" in their duties as elder, and "endeavour by the grace of God to adorn the profession of the Gospel in (their) manner of life by walking with exemplary Christlikeness". Indeed, our elders too, are able to walk in a manner worthy of the gospel only by the grace of God! As a church, we too, can be praying for them in this way.
The church was also given a chance to respond, and together, we pledged to also support our elders and work with them to accomplish the mission of the church. As Ephesians 4:11-13 reminds us, God has given us shepherds and teachers in order to equip the saints for the work of ministry -- "And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ..."
We thank God for our elders, and pray that God will raise more faithful men. Let us also continue to keep our elders as they seek to serve and the lead the church, and their families well.
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You can watch the installation service here.