Ellen Gould White
What does Ellen White write about...
Ellen Gould White über: "Elect newly baptized members to leadership positions"
Answer
The election of newly baptized members to leadership positions should be carried out with great caution and prayer, because God prefers persons with experience in trials and hardships. A hasty appointment of new converts without examination of their character and household leadership contradicts biblical principles and can harm the congregation. While new members should be encouraged and given practical responsibilities, leadership should rest with experienced individuals who patiently guide new talents.
God chooses experienced leaders
»I have seen that those who have only a few years of experience in the matter of the present truth are not the right ones to advance in the work. Such individuals should show restraint when assuming positions that conflict with the judgment and opinion of those who have witnessed the emergence of the work... God will not select men with only little experience to lead in this work.«
Danger of premature appointments
»In some of our congregations, the organization and ordination of elders were done hastily; the biblical rule was disregarded, and as a result the congregation suffered great sorrow. There should not be such haste in selecting leaders that men are ordained who are in no way suited for the responsible work... The gospel net gathers both good and bad. It takes time for character to develop; there must be time to discover what people truly are.«
Education instead of immediate leadership
»The newly incorporated congregations must be educated. The preacher should devote more time to education than to preaching. He should teach the people how to spread the knowledge of the truth. While the new converts should be taught to seek the counsel of those who have more experience in the work, they should also be taught not to place preachers in the place of God.«
Delegating responsibility to enable experience
»Leading men should delegate responsibilities to others and allow time for planning, thinking, and execution so that they can gain experience. Give them a word of counsel when needed, but do not take the work away from them merely because you think the brothers are making mistakes... All our workers must have space to exercise their own judgment and discretion.«
Careful selection of leaders
»When selecting men to serve as guardians of the congregations in responsible positions, great care must be exercised. My brothers, do not make this choice blindly, lest the flock of God be given an example that teaches them to tear and devour. The men who bear responsibility in the cause of Christ should be men of prayer and humility.«
Original Sources (English)
Stephan Krol
Founder of EGW Vision
Why I built EGW Vision
Hello, I am Stephan Krol. I started this Ellen White website to make the writings of Ellen G. White and the Adventist pioneers easier to access for everyone.
EGW Vision helps you find topics, statements, and quotes faster, especially when many original sources are not yet fully available in your language. The tool searches semantically, groups relevant content by topic, and presents matching results as clearly as possible in your language.
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