Leadership

In the Presbyterian form of church government, the church is led by a group of Elders elected from the congregation, assisted by Deacons, likewise elected.

“Presbyterian” comes from the Greek word for “Elders” and refers to our understanding that the Biblical model for church goverment is based on oversight by a board of Elders, traditionally called the Session. The Bible gives three general responsibilies to the elders of a church: Teaching, Ruling, and Shepherding. Our Teaching Elders are the ordained clergy who are examined by the Platte Valley Presbytery (Teaching and Ruling Elders in our district). Our Ruling Elders are laymen, ordained to the office after being examined by the Zion Session and found to meet the requirements of 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1.

“Deacon” is the Greek word for “Servant”. The office of Deacon is filled by men who are entrusted with special responsibilities for service in the church. These services include managment of the physical and financial possessions of the church, as well as implementation of ministries of mercy.

At Zion, the Elder and Deacon roles have an open-ended term of service; terms of office do not expire after a set number of years. Zion’s officers typically serve until they move or retire. They also may arrange to take a leave of absence.