The Why and How of Elders' Districts
Healthy Food for a healthy Household of God: a series of articles and podcasts complementing the sermon series, on the why and how of Reforming.
Every family and every individual who are Members of Reforming has an elder who knows them, prays for them, and watches over their souls (Hebrews 13:17). That's the simple idea behind Elders' Districts.
The Why
Peter writes to the elders of the scattered churches with a charge that has shaped how Presbyterian churches like Reforming think about pastoral care ever since:
"Shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock." (1 Peter 5:2–3)
A flock isn't cared for in the abstract, or from a distance, but is cared for one sheep at a time, by shepherds who actually know the sheep. That's why, while the Session of Elders holds oversight of the whole congregation together, each elder is entrusted with a district: a list of Member families and individuals for whom they carry particular responsibility.
This reflects something basic about how the Bible pictures church leadership. The Session isn't a board that governs from a distance, and eldership isn't a role that ends at the boardroom door. It's under-shepherding, exercised close up, in ordinary relationships. Districts simply make sure that every person at Reforming is actually known by name to someone charged with their care, rather than being cared for only in general.
It also protects against a leadership team that only ever meets to make decisions and never meets the people those decisions are for. An elder who has no district can drift into governance without shepherding. A district keeps oversight tethered to real people, real households, and real needs.
Lastly, Elders’ Districts make sure that our convictions around shared pastoral authority and care are real among us. We don’t believe the Bible paints a picture of Pastor-only pastoral authority and care - but instead is presbyterian in plurality. A congregation is cared for and led by a Session of Elders, with oversight from a Presbytery of Elders, under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
The How: The Session Holds the Whole, Each Elder Holds a Part
A session ordinarily consists of the minister of a charge together with two or more ruling elders, established by the presbytery to exercise oversight over every aspect of congregational life. When the Teaching Elder moderates a meeting of the Ruling Elders, the court is, quite literally, sitting in session—the Latin root of the word. Under Christ, the Chief Shepherd, this is where pastoral authority and pastoral care for Reforming sit.
Out of that shared oversight, each elder is then given their own district: a defined group of families and individuals they are responsible to know, pray for, and watch over. It's the practical outworking of plural eldership and shared authority with distributed care.
The How: What a District Elder Actually Does
Being assigned a district isn't primarily an administrative task. It's a shepherding one. An elder with a district aims to:
Know who is in it, and pray for them by name.
Notice when someone drifts, struggles, or goes quiet, and follow up.
Be a familiar, approachable face to whom Members can bring a concern, a question, or a need to.
Bring anything requiring wider wisdom or action back to the Session, where the whole eldership can respond together.
None of this replaces the ministry of the whole congregation to one another. It simply ensures no one falls through the cracks of a growing church, and that pastoral care is a shared, structured responsibility rather than something that only happens if someone happens to ask for it.
The How: Our Current Elders
Reforming's Session is currently made up of:
Russ Grinter — Elder & Pastor
Rory Weightman — Elder & Session Clerk
Cam Clare — Ruling Elder
Ryan Smith — Ruling Elder
Together they hold oversight of the whole congregation. Individually, each carries a district of families and individuals for whom they have particular care.
Getting Involved
If as a Member you're not sure which elder your household's district belongs to, or you'd simply like to connect with one of them, reach out to the Session of Elders at elders@reformingchurch.org.
And if you’re not a Member yet, please do talk with one of the Elders about this, or email that same email above.
