What does it mean to be a Church Elder? How do Elders fulfil their role? How does being an Elder fit with the other pressures of life? How should Elders deal with some of the greatest challenges facing the Church? Eldership is a serious commitment to a lifelong role of responsibility. In this unique collection of personal reflections on key issues for Elders by Elders across Scotland, we have one of the most revealing and absorbing insights ever into what it really means to play an active role in the daily national and local life of the Church of Scotland. Elders have much to tell each other and others in the Church about their challenges, how they’ve grown and developed along the way; new ways of doing things; of ‘being Church’. Such a conversation may raise as many questions as it answers -but it also delivers a sense that no member of this ‘silent army’ is alone in the work that they do and the vision they are trying to make real. Above all, this unique book offers affirmation, insight and an exciting starting point for further discussion and debate.

LAURENCE WAREING is an experienced writer and researcher for the BBC and national newspapers and is former Director of the Church of Scotland’s audio-visual unit, Pathway Productions.