MidSouth Moments: What Presiding Elders Do and Don’t Do

“So l exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.” Peter 5:1-3 (ESV)

The MidSouth Provisional Annual Conference has 18 Presiding Elders who serve (to date) 243 congregations. That is an average of 13.5 congregations per District. We anticipate that with churches joining our Conference every month, 4-6 more Presiding Elders will be added to the Cabinet in 2024. Our strategy is to maintain a maximum of 15 churches per district.

“So,” some may ask, “why do we need Presiding Elders?” One answer can be found in 1506 of The Transitional Book of Doctrines and Discipline. Briefly, here are a few personal comments I will share under the heading “5 Things Presiding Elders Do” and “5 Things Presiding Elders Don’t Do.”

What Presiding Elders Do

1. They are colleagues who voluntarily and lovingly support clergy and congregations beyond the responsibilities in their personal ministry settings.
2. They provide information, resources, and strategies for making disciples of Jesus Christ in the church, across the community and around the world.
3. They build trust and partner with clergy and congregations, representing and supervising them through the appointment process.
4. They “shepherd the flock” under their care with prayer, counsel, mediation, and exhortation as needed.
5. They celebrate the mission and ministry of local congregations and our Global Methodist connection at annual Charge Conferences.

What Presiding Elders Don’t Do

1. They do not harass churches to pay their Connectional Funding.
2. They do not complain about their salaries (their only pay is reimbursement up to $75/month for travel expenses).
3. They do not avoid difficult conversations.
4. They do not discipline or remove a pastor without due process as described in The Transitional Book of Doctrines and Discipline.
5. They do not expect anything from the pastors in their district they do not expect of themselves.

Our Presiding Elders serve with honor and humility – honoring the Church that has given them the opportunity to serve in this role and humbly answering the call our Lord to be faithful and available as needed. Thank the Lord for our Presiding Elders, pray for them, and partner with them as friends and colleagues for the sake of all God loves.