Ordaining Our First Unpaid Elder: Faithful Obedience

Jun 07, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: The Weight of Shared Shepherding

When God entrusts a flock to multiple undershepherds, no single voice bears the burden alone. Ephesians 4 reveals pastors exist not to monopolize ministry but to equip every saint for works of service. A church thrives when leaders multiply their capacity to disciple by raising up others. This shared shepherding guards against burnout and mirrors Christ’s heart for collaborative kingdom work. Sunday's ordination embodies this biblical vision of distributed leadership. [46:17]

"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."
(Ephesians 4:11-13, ESV)

Reflection: Where do you sense God inviting you to be equipped for ministry? How might supporting shared leadership deepen your own discipleship?

Day 2: Unity Forged in Blended Worship

A multigenerational church chooses togetherness over stylistic preferences. Sacrificing personal comfort for corporate unity mirrors the early church’s “one accord” devotion. When worship prioritizes collective joy over individual taste, it becomes a living parable of Christ’s unifying grace. The blended service—hymns old and new—testifies to a family valuing presence over preference. [32:20]

"Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!"
(Psalm 133:1, ESV)

Reflection: What worship preference have you surrendered for the sake of unity? How does joining diverse voices in praise shape your view of God’s kingdom?

Day 3: Perseverance Through Unseen Storms

Faithfulness often grows in soil tilled by crisis. For FBCR, a drained bank account, unpaid bills, and pandemic shutdowns became the furnace where trust was refined in 2020. Choosing gratitude over despair during financial and relational trials revealed the church’s resilient character. Debt-free survival after embezzlement and COVID testifies to God’s provision and faithful, unified perseverance. [36:46]

"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness."
(James 1:2-3, ESV)

Reflection: When has a past trial prepared you to trust God in current uncertainties? How can your perseverance encourage others facing adversity?

Day 4: Faithfulness Over Familiarity

Decades of service prepared hands for new responsibilities. From deacon to elder, a lifelong member’s journey shows spiritual growth requires releasing comfortable roles to embrace biblical callings. Aspiring to eldership after initial skepticism models humility before Scripture’s authority. Faithful stewardship of influence begins when tradition bows to truth. [44:31]

"The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task."
(1 Timothy 3:1, ESV)

Reflection: What familiar ministry role might God be asking you to reevaluate through Scripture’s lens? How does aspiration differ from ambition in serving Christ’s body?

Day 5: Stepping Into Unseen Obedience

Ordaining an unpaid elder requires faith and obedience. The church leans on Hebrews 11’s definition of faith—acting on unseen certainties revealed in God’s Word. This moment crystallizes years of prayerful study into tangible obedience, proving that scriptural fidelity outweighs the comfort of tradition. [40:24]

"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen."
(Hebrews 11:1, ESV)

Reflection: Where is God calling you to obey Scriptural truth before seeing outcomes? How does today’s act of faith encourage your own steps into uncertainty?

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Ephesians 4:11-13 (ESV)
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.

Observation Questions

According to Hebrews 11:1, how is faith defined, and how does this relate to the church’s decision to appoint unpaid elders despite no prior visible precedent?
What specific responsibilities do Ephesians 4:11-13 assign to pastors/elders, and how does this differ from viewing their role as merely managing programs?
The sermon mentions that shared oversight is “not luxury but wisdom” for a growing church. What wisdom is there in having many Pastors/Elders/Overseers in a local church? [46:41]
How did Proverbs 3:5-6 shape the church’s posture toward adopting a plurality of elders, even amid questions or reservations?

Interpretation Questions

Why might a plurality of elders be described as a safeguard against isolation and burnout for leaders, rather than just an organizational preference?
The sermon states, “Faith leans past what is seen.” How does this principle challenge the idea that visible results or immediate comfort should guide church decisions?
Ephesians 4 emphasizes equipping saints for ministry rather than pastors doing all the work. How does this redefine success for a church’s leadership?
The church faced adversity like embezzlement and a pandemic but emerged debt-free. How might trials like these test or strengthen a congregation’s reliance on Scripture?

Application Questions

In what areas of your life is God calling you to act on faith rather than waiting for visible “proof” of how things will work out? How can Proverbs 3:5-6 guide those steps?
The church prioritized unity by moving to one blended worship service. What is one practical way you can actively contribute to unity in your church community? [31:38]
Shared oversight requires trust in qualified leaders. How can you intentionally support and pray for elders (paid or unpaid) in their role of shepherding?
The sermon highlights “everyday disciple-making” in coffee shops and homes. Who is one person you can intentionally encourage or mentor this week in a casual setting? [35:09]
Adversity revealed the church’s dependence on God’s provision. When have you seen God sustain you or your community through difficulty? How does that shape your trust in Him today? [36:21]
Danny Shaw’s journey from skepticism to aspiring elder shows openness to Scripture’s correction. Is there an area where God’s Word is challenging your assumptions? How will you respond?

Sermon Summary

God’s design for his church sets pastors, elders, and overseers as one office, named in several ways and shared among a plurality of qualified men. The New Testament pattern speaks plainly that some labor for pay, some not, yet all share the same charge. That Scriptural conviction led our church to revise its bylaws, and open the door for both paid and unpaid elders to shepherd the flock. The result today is not a novelty but obedience, not a fad but an act of faith.

Hebrews names faith as “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” That definition meets a 150 year history that had not yet seen a plurality of elders appointed from within. The Scriptures supply the conviction and call us to follow in obedience. Proverbs adds the needed posture: trust the Lord with all the heart, do not lean on personal understanding, acknowledge him, and he will make straight the path. That posture explains why a body with honest questions would still say yes to God’s blueprint.

Ephesians 4 describes what Christ gives to his church and why. He gives shepherd-teachers to equip the saints for the work of ministry and to build up the body until unity in the faith, deep knowledge of the Son, and mature manhood measured by the fullness of Christ are formed. That horizon does not arrive before glory, so the work never ends. Shared oversight is not luxury but wisdom, because hundreds of saints must be equipped, guarded, and grown.

A long testimony of God’s grace frames this moment. A multigenerational body chose one gathered service to protect unity, blended its corporate worship to match who it is, and stretched its arms past Richlands to mission partnerships, relief work, school support, and everyday disciple-making in coffee shops and homes. When embezzlement and a pandemic hit, the Lord carried this church from near empty accounts to debt-free footing with renewed resolve to stand on the truth and center every ministry on the gospel. That same resolve now names and ordains Danny Shaw as the first unpaid elder, a brother formed over decades of service, shaped by Scripture from initial skepticism into willing aspiration. The call before him is the same call before every elder: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, share the weight, and labor until Christ is formed in the saints.

Key Takeaways

1. Plurality of elders is biblical The New Testament uses pastor, elder, and overseer as one office and portrays multiple elders serving each local congregation. Pay status does not define the office, only qualified character and shared responsibility. A church that aligns its structures to that pattern chooses faithfulness over convenience. Structural change becomes spiritual obedience when Scripture sets the terms. [27:38]
2. Faith leans past what is seen Hebrews calls faith a settled assurance in what cannot yet be seen, which means obedience can run ahead of personal comfort and institutional precedent. Proverbs adds the way forward, calling believers to trust rather than lean on their own understanding. When Scripture convicts, obedience is not optioinal. The fruit often appears after the step is taken. [41:15]
3. Shepherding pursues Christlike maturity Ephesians 4 frames pastoral work as equipping saints, building the body, and pressing toward the fullness of Christ. That aim is lifelong, which is why pastoral labor never clocks out and never shrinks to mere programming. True shepherding measures success by unity, doctrine deepening, and transformed lives. [45:56]
4. Shared oversight strengthens the flock A growing body needs multiple shepherds to teach, guard, and equip with endurance and wisdom. Shared leadership prevents isolation, spreads the load, and offers the church a fuller set of gifts. Plural elders are not duplication but multiplication of care. The body’s health rises when oversight is both qualified and many. [46:41]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[25:24] - Years in the making
[27:38] - Three statements on eldership
[29:44] - Bylaws approved for elders
[30:02] - Ordaining Danny Shaw
[31:38] - One service for unity
[33:05] - Missions and community service
[35:09] - Everyday disciple-making
[36:21] - Adversity faced and endured
[37:30] - Debt-free and God’s provision
[38:12] - Standing on Scripture
[39:23] - Stepping forward in faith
[41:15] - Trusting the Lord’s lead
[45:56] - Ephesians 4 pastoral charge
[49:49] - Ordination vows and amen

Sermon Clips

44s

#DebtFreeChurch

“``Folks, here's where we're at today. We're debt free. Now at that time, we also were still paying off a note on the Family Life Center and to the tune of about $5,000 a month or 5,400 if I if I remember correctly of what the monthly payment was. But here we are just six short years later, we are completely debt free. We have a $170,000 to our name. 65,000 of that is designated for some specific things. We have 80,000 in our general fund, $25,000 in a mutual fund. God has been good, and and you have persevered through some really hard times. Now we've got a ways to go, but I'm incredibly proud of our church the way we've handled adversity with grace.”

45s

#SharedPastoralLeadership

“Danny Shaw, I'm proud of you. I'm proud to see your desire to serve a church in a way that you've not seen, let alone experienced. I'm proud that you're trusting in the Lord and leading not on your own understanding. I'm proud that you by faith were are going to serve as an elder faithfully at our church. I could speak on behalf of both Stephen and I that we are excited. We are beyond excited to have the opportunity to serve alongside you as we endeavor together to shepherd the flock of God that is among us. Folks, the responsibilities of pastoral ministry are great. So much so that god and his perfect wisdom made clear that they are to be shared responsibilities.”

47s

#ScriptureFirst

“Folks, I'm incredibly proud of the ways you stand on the truth of God's word and on the gospel. Can I think of, of when I first got here, we were dual affiliated as a church? We were partners with the the Southern Baptist Convention and North Carolina Baptist Convention, but we're also duly aligned with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of of North Carolina. But but as we studied the scriptures and examined our missions partnerships with those two entities, we realized that we really didn't need to be partners with the CBF. They were doing some things that were contrary to what's clearly taught in scriptures, and and our people decided we no longer want to be partners with them. And we stepped away prioritizing faithfulness to what God teaches in his word.”

45s

#EquipTheSaints

“Now folks, I want you to think about that in terms of what our pastors as a church, what our pastors are responsible to do. Because as pastors, as shepherds, pastor Steven and I have been sharing in these responsibilities. The responsibility that God has given for us to equip the saints for the work of ministry. Folks, there's literally hundreds of members of First Baptist Church. There's over 200 members at our church, and we can plainly see how difficult a job, yet it's our responsibility for the two of us to equip every one of those saints to do the work of ministry. It's a tall order for two. It's a tall order for even three, yet that is the responsibility and mandate we have from God.”

55s

#FaithInTheUnseen

“And in talking to many of you, it's not something that we're super excited about. It's not something that a lot of us are are jumping up and down with joy and are excited about, but we are going forward with this and doing this as an act of faith. The author of Hebrews says this about faith in Hebrews chapter 11 verse one. Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. And folks in the nearly one hundred and fifty years of our existence as a church, we have not yet seen godly qualified men who are members of our church before to the opportunity to be appointed to serve as elders in our church. We've not seen that.”

47s

#PerseveredThroughCrisis

“And when the dust settled, folks, we had $28,000 to our name. Now $28,000 sounds like a lot of money, but a church of this size with all that we do, that's three weeks worth of operating expenses. And on top of that, we had $28,000 to our name. We also discovered we had $91,000 in bills that were past due that had not been paid by the person who was embezzling the money. And then to make matters worse, that was January 2020. What happened in March 2020? We weren't able to meet. We had a lot of adversity as a church, and I'm proud of the ways that we have have endured that and persevered through that.”

39s

#EldersByScripture

“We've not seen that. We don't there's no evidence that we can see that that would compel us to do that yet. We've been convicted by the word of God. We've been convicted by the scriptures. This is what it teaches. This is what God's design for his church that godly qualified men are to be appointed to serve as elders. And so we endeavor by God's grace to do that. A few weeks ago, I preached, from Proverbs chapter three. And if you remember Proverbs three, five, and six, we're told, trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your on your own understanding.”

34s

#UnitedForWorship

“Now for those of you who are are are newer to our congregation, there was a time where we met at two different times. We had two different worship services. We had a a contemporary service at 08:30 in the morning and an 11:00 service where it was a traditional service and and a Sunday school hour in between. And and what we saw and what we found was folks that went to one service didn't know the folks that went to the other service. There was division in our church. There wasn't unity. And and when we looked at the scriptures and we reflected on that, we came to the conclusion, we need to be together for worship.”

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