OPC Ruling Elder Podcast

John Muether reflects on the qualification “able to teach”. John has served as a ruling elder for 35 years, first in Lake Sherwood OPC for 12 years and then in Reformation OPC, Oviedo, FL for 23 years. For many years John served as Historian for the OPC, and still serves on the Committee of the Historian and the Committee on Christian Education. He is currently Professor of Church History at RTS, Orlando, and Dean of Libraries for RTS. A pdf of Murray Smith’s article is available here. The...

Rev. Craig Troxel continues the Podcast discussion of qualifications for elders, emphasizing the need for godly character. Ruling elders are to be sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, and hospitable. On today's episode we also discuss a recent article by Murray J. Smith “An Overseer must be…Able to Teach” (1 Tim 3:2): ΔΙΔΑΚΤΙΚΟΣ as the Center of the Character Chiasm in 1 Timothy 3:1–7” JETS 69.2 (2026): 301–320 An online pdf is available here. Lawerence Eyres says, “hospitality d...

Archibald Allison introduces the Biblical qualifications of ruling elders. Archibald is pastor of Emmaus OPC in Fort Collins, CO. His 1994 article in Ordained Servant (Vol 3, No.4. pages 80-96) is available here. That article, combined with a subsequent article on qualifications for deacons, is also available as a free CCE ebook here. Over the next several issues of the ruling elder podcast several men will outline the Biblical qualifications for elders. Sinclair Ferguson’s comments abou...

The Rev. Everett Henes, Moderator of this year's General Assembly, reflects on moderating the Assembly and the place and importance of ruling elders participating in the higher assemblies. GA Reports on various subjects can be found here. This year's GA had 87 ministers and 52 ruling elders, for a total of 139 voting members. Everett’s Recommended Books Carl Trueman, The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self: Cultural Amnesia, Expressive Individualism, and the Road to Sexual Revolution, Crossw...

Ruling Elder Keith LeMahieu talks about term eldership. Keith is a ruling elder in Bethel OPC, Oostburg, WI. He serves on the GA Committee on Home Missions and Church Extension, and the Committee on Coordination. Many of the listeners will know him from his work on planned giving. The Form of Government of the OPC puts the matter of elder's tenure into the hands of local congregations. Fg. XXV. 2. “Each congregation shall determine, by vote of communicant members in good and regular sta...