My first Elder's meeting: part 1

Looking ahead to my first Elder's meeting

No sooner have I been elected Elder and it's time for my first Elder's meeting. I'll be honest, I'm a bit nervous!

What if I can't think of anything to say? What if I have nothing to contribute? What if I say something and everyone disagrees? All of these questions are running through my mind ahead of Tuesday's meeting.

It's a bit like your first important meeting in work. You want to make a good impression by sounding informed, decisive and enthusiastic. You absolutely do not want to make a fool of yourself in front of your peers. Whenever I've been in this situation I've always done two things: prepare in advance and listen and observe before commenting.

1. Prepare in advance

Clearly, our Minister, Revd Adrian Bulley, is man after my own heart. He circulated the papers and agenda for the Elder's meeting two weeks ago. Plenty of time to read the papers and minutes from the last meeting and get up to speed. Also, the agenda looks very exciting. Amongst the standard running-a-church-business, there a couple of agenda items I feel I can contribute to. However, out of respect for any potential confidentiality, I can't share all the details just yet. However, I will check with the Minister about what I can share in this blog. I'm sure there are some official ways of communicating decisions made at Elder meeting - I certainly don't want to get into any bother before my first meeting!

2. Listen and observe before commenting

I read the following piece of advice on Inc.com (business/leadership magazine) and it has become my mantra for any meeting I go to:

One of the most important things to do in the meeting is to stop talking and listen! Proper preparation tells you exactly what to listen for, which makes it easier to pick up on important information and act on it. Strong preparation and the ability to act on an opportunity often get mistaken for luck. Preparation and execution is just that. Luck is something else.

Good advice for anyone's first meeting and one I will adhere to on Tuesday.

I'm sure no one at Tuesday's meeting will expect we to waltz in and start acting like Alexis Carrington-Colby-Dexter-Rowan - and I'm sure Adrian will be relieved to hear I'm not planning a corporate take-over! 

Alexis v. Bake or Matt the Elder V. Adrian?!

Instead, I shall observe and listen and offer an opinion where appropriate. I'm sure the Holy Spirit will move me to speak when necessary. Which means, all I have to do is prepare in advance and enjoy the experience! Now that I have written this, I feel quite excited about Tuesday! I'll be sure to let you know how it goes.

In the meantime, who has been to an Elder's meeting? What's it like? How was your first Elder's meeting? Please do share!

With best wishes

Matt the Elder