Duties of Officers & Congregants
Lord's Day Exhortation
This morning, we are ordaining and installing two men: one to the office of parish elder and the other to the office of deacon.
As you know, there are several ways Christians have organized the governance of the church, according to the general principles found in the Word of God (WCF 1.6).1 At King’s Cross Church, we practice what is called the “four-office” view of elders and deacons. In this, we have deacons and then recognize three distinctions among the elders (ministering elders, teaching elders, and parish elders).
The collective duty of our elders consists of shepherding the flock (1 Pet. 5:1–2), equipping the saints for the work of ministry (Eph. 4:11–12), laboring in prayer (Acts 6:4, 13:1–3, Jas. 5:14–15), preaching and teaching the Word of God (1 Tim. 5:17), administering the sacraments (Mt. 28:19–20, 1 Cor. 11:23–26), and performing church discipline and restoration (1 Cor. 5:1–5).
While elders care for the spiritual needs of the congregation, deacons primarily care for material needs. As we read in Acts 6, “seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and wisdom” were appointed to benevolence ministry, allowing the apostles to focus on the Word and prayer. Our deacons provide financial counsel and assistance to families in need, and they helpfully oversee hospitality and logistics for our Lord’s Day services.
As members of this congregation, you also have duties in relation to the brothers who serve in these offices. You are called to honor and encourage them as they labor among you, obey them in accordance with God’s Word, imitate their godly example, assist them as you are able, and pray that the Lord would sustain them in their ministries (Heb. 13:17, Phil. 2:28–39, 3:17).
The Apostle Paul wrote to the believers in Corinth that he was a laborer for their joy (2 Cor. 1:24). It is not a light thing to be chosen by a congregation for these sacred offices and to take on the responsibility of caring for those God has purchased with His own blood (Acts 20:28). But our elders and deacons gladly serve you in this way for the glory of God and for your eternal good. Therefore, you are called to support them in their work as they minister Christ to you and your families.
Prayer of Confession:
Merciful Father,
We readily confess to You this morning that we sin each day in various ways against Your holiness, and also against those closest to us. We truly have no hope apart from Christ and the mercy found in Him.
We know that Your Word calls us to obey those who watch over our souls, and to do so in a way that brings joy and not grief to them in their work. And so we confess the ways in which we have not heeded their teaching from the Word, any dishonoring thoughts or attitudes toward those we have called to serve us, and the sins which cause them sorrow.
Lord, we also acknowledge that one reason why our nation has strayed from Your light is that those appointed as leaders began to neglect Your Word, and those in the pews did not hold them accountable to it. And so we ask that You would raise up many more godly men to serve as ministers, elders, and deacons in Your church, men who tremble at Your voice, who deeply love the flock entrusted to them, and who are willing to proclaim the truth. And may they be called to serve by godly congregations who sincerely love You.
We know that if we in the church regard any iniquity in our hearts this prayer will be ineffectual. And so we silently confess our individual sins to you know. And Selah.
This exhortation was given on January 11, AD 2026, at King’s Cross Church in Moscow, Idaho.
WCF 1.6: “…there are some circumstances concerning the worship of God, and government of the church, common to human actions and societies, which are to be ordered by the light of nature, and Christian prudence, according to the general rules of the Word, which are always to be observed.”