Search the encyclopedia
1000 articles found for “the elders of Israel”
Term of Office for Elders
[Christian Life]The term of office for elders is the period during which an elder holds and exercises office in the church. Korean Presbyterian churches often regard the eldership as a lifelong office, with elders serving until a mandatory retirement age. Some churches also hold periodic votes of confidence in which the congregation decides whether an elder should continue in active service.
Moderator of Presbytery
[Church Offices]The moderator of presbytery is the officer who represents a presbytery and presides over its meetings. In Presbyterian churches, a presbytery is the governing body made up of the churches of a given region and their representative ministers and elders. The moderator is elected at a stated meeting and usually serves a one-year term.
Sea of Glass
[Bible]The sea of glass is the sea "like unto crystal" that the Book of Revelation describes as spread before the throne of God in heaven. In chapter 15, those who have overcome the beast stand beside it and sing the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb.
Session (Presbyterian)
[Organization & Polity]The session is the lowest church court in Presbyterian polity, governing an individual congregation. Composed of the senior pastor and the active ruling elders, it oversees the spiritual life of church members and makes decisions about the operation of the church.
Jeremiah 26
[Bible]Jeremiah 26 recounts how, early in the reign of Jehoiakim, Jeremiah stood in the temple court and prophesied the temple's destruction. He faced a death sentence but was spared through the defense of the princes and elders and the protection of Ahikam.
Revelation 4
[Bible]Revelation 4 records John's vision, seen through a door opened in heaven, of the throne of God and the worship offered by the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures around it.
Judas Barsabbas
[People]Judas Barsabbas was a leader and prophet of the early Jerusalem church who appears in Acts 15. Together with Silas, he delivered to the church at Antioch the letter containing the decision of the Jerusalem Council.
Titus 3:1
[Bible Verses]A verse in which Paul instructs Titus to remind the Cretan believers to be subject to rulers and authorities and to be ready for every good work. It is frequently cited alongside Romans 13 in discussions of the relationship between Christians and state power.
1 Peter 5:7
[Bible Verses]1 Peter 5:7 urges suffering believers to cast all their cares on God because God cares for them. It is widely quoted as a word of comfort and an encouragement to prayer, and commentators note that it should be read together with the call to humility in the preceding verse.
Ordination of Women
[Controversies]The ordination of women is a debate over whether women may be ordained as pastors and elders. Among Korean churches, the Methodists, the Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea (PROK), the Presbyterian Church of Korea (Tonghap), the Full Gospel churches, and the Anglican Church, among others, permit it, while the Presbyterian Church in Korea (Hapdong), the Kosin Presbyterian Church in Korea, and the Hapshin Presbyterian Church in Korea, among others, do not.
Installation of Church Officers
[Worship & Rites]The installation of church officers is a rite in which a church formally sets apart the officers it has elected, such as elders, deacons, and, in Korean churches, kwonsa (exhorters). In Korean Protestant usage, the rite is called an ordination service when it involves the laying on of hands, an inauguration service when duties are entrusted without the laying on of hands, and a pastoral installation service when a pastor is installed in a local church.
Board of Church Officers (Jejikhoe)
[Organization & Polity]The board of church officers (jejikhoe) is a deliberative body in which a congregation's officers, such as pastors, elders, deacons, and kwonsas, meet to discuss and carry out the practical work of church finances and service. It is found chiefly in Korean Presbyterian churches, where it operates under the provisions of the church constitution.
Letter of Aristeas
[History]The Letter of Aristeas is an ancient Jewish writing that, presented as the work of a courtier of the Egyptian king, recounts how the Pentateuch was translated into Greek at Alexandria by seventy-two Jewish elders. It contains the story from which the name Septuagint derives.
Acts 14
[Bible]In this chapter Paul and Barnabas preach in Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe and suffer persecution. They appoint elders in every church, then return to Antioch and report on their first missionary journey.
Elihu
[People]Elihu is a young man in Job 32–37 who steps forward after the debate between Job and his three friends has ended and delivers a lengthy discourse. He is introduced as the son of Barachel the Buzite.
Urijah (prophet)
[People]Urijah, the son of Shemaiah of Kirjath-jearim, was a prophet in the reign of King Jehoiakim of Judah. He prophesied judgment in the same terms as Jeremiah and fled to Egypt, but he was brought back and put to death by the king's sword. He appears only in Jeremiah 26.
Titus 1
[Bible]The first chapter of the Epistle to Titus, in which Paul greets Titus, sets out the standards for appointing elders in every city of Crete, and instructs him to rebuke false teachers sharply.
Laity
[Church Offices]The laity are the ordinary members of a church, as distinct from clergy such as pastors and evangelists. In Korean Protestant churches, officers such as elders, kwonsa, and deacons are usually counted among the laity as well.
1 Timothy 5
[Bible]In this chapter Paul instructs Timothy on how to treat older and younger members of the church, widows, and elders. It addresses the care of widows who are truly without support, as well as the principles governing honor for elders and accusations against them.
Representative Prayer
[Worship & Rites]Representative prayer is a prayer offered aloud by one person on behalf of the entire congregation during a worship service or gathering. In Korean churches it is usually led by lay officers such as elders, senior deaconesses (kwonsa), and deacons.