Elder Training: Part IV

Time to finish up this very drawn out series. Skipping over the various things we read for training, the last step before election to the office was the examination by the session. I'll admit it was a more detailed and difficult examination that I had assumed it would be. We candidates came in and sat in a row facing the elders (firing-squad style). The pastor and other elders asked many questions about the three areas in which we were trained.

Really, I'm impressed that our session took this so seriously. Yes, we were all friends in the room, but the purity of the Church is important enough to not spare us candidates a stringent test. Praise God!

I do have to share two funnies. First, one of our candidates planned to not get the hard questions by sitting in the middle of us - turned out he got just about all the hard ones. Second, someone asked me what are the five "solas" of the reformation. Thankfully, the first RUF shirt I owned had them on the back, so I was able to rattle them off. I was told later that there were some in the room that didn't even get what he asked or what I said in response.

Anyway, we were approved to stand for election by the congregation, were all elected, then a few weeks later were ordained and/or installed.