Our current letter series “Wise Practices” aims to share practical knowledge and wisdom to help us grow as doers of the word. Each letter will share applied methods and answer a ‘how.’ These practices are not perfect or comprehensive. They are personal testimonies; shared knowledge and wisdom gained through pursuit and service that helped facilitate growth in our lives. We pray they help you grow as well.
The call to serve as an elder in the local church is one that comes with great responsibility. This call to service is one that I wrestled with for quite some time before being ordained this past December. Here are a few thoughts from my journey that I hope is helpful.
First thing that I began to notice was that I had a growing compassion and concern for the spiritual well being of the people around me. This concern was for those that I encountered everyday that needed to hear the gospel and have a relationship with Jesus, but it was also for those in the church. I longed to help them grow in their walk with Christ, to help them have a greater understanding of the Bible, and for them to grow as disciple makers themselves.
Secondly I began to notice a growing desire or compulsion to serve.
I have served in many capacities over the years, but the reasons why have changed. In recent years I experienced a growing compulsion or growing desire that had to be fulfilled.
Even during covid when meeting times where all online, I sensed a longing to be with the church and to serve the church. This longing helped me see that gathering and serving with other believers was a great source of joy in my life.
Third, there was recognition of the call by others. As I was processing the growing desires to serve and the growing compassion I wanted others to help me walk through this time. I first discussed this with my family because this call would affect them as much as it did me. Second, I sought out counsel from other elders. I asked them to give their evaluation of my life, what I was experiencing, and was it a true call. The last thing I want is to pursue something wrongly and out of selfish ambition.
My time of identifying the call to serve as an elder was one of great self reflection and evaluation. It forced me to open up to others and allow them to give me their insight and evaluation of my walk with Christ. I am humbled by the opportunity to serve at Tri-Cities Baptist, and I pray that God will continue to bless our church more than we can ever imagine.
Brandon Van Huss
Elder
Brandon VanHuss serves as our Preteen Pastor. He and his family live in Mount Carmel, TN. Brandon graduated from Mountain Empire Community college with a degree in Respiratory Therapy and completed the Tri-Cities Leadership Training Program in 2018. He and his wife, Penny, have been married since 2001 and have two daughters Emma and Sarah.