Paul Lokke Interviews Steve Schnaidt

Paul Lokke interviews Steve Schnaidt on his work as one of ICF’s elders. Sunday, February 15, 2009

Paul: One of our goals as elders is to spend as much time as we can with you, the people of ICF. Since our meeting in November, we have met with many of you in various settings. Through these interactions, we have come to realize there is a need for more understanding about what ICF is and how it operates. ICF is an elder-led church. We believe Scripture clearly teaches that this is the best model of church governance. Sometimes this type of church governance is unfamiliar or hard for people to understand. As a result they wonder who is in charge and how decisions are made. So we want to take a few minutes each Sunday for the next several weeks for you to get to know us a little better. Who are we and what do we do as elders? Today, I have asked Steve Schnaidt, who is one of our elders, to come up here so we can get to know him better. Steve, tell me about yourself and how you ended up in Moscow?

Steve: I began to walk closely with Christ during college. After receiving an engineering degree I felt God leading me into full-time ministry. For many years I ministered in the U.S. and various other countries. In 1993 God led me and my family to Moscow to help begin a Bible college.

Paul: So what do you do now?

Steve: My work with my mission organization dovetails with my activities with ICF, so I am able to partner with ICF full-time as an elder, focusing on congregational care. I spend time meeting with and encouraging men, advising, counseling, sharing the gospel, teaching the Bible, discipling, leading small groups and helping support and facilitate those ministries associated with the care of the local body.

Paul: So are any of the other elders full-time? How are all the elders paid?

Steve: No - Tim Campbell and I are the only full-time elders at this point. And only I have full-time paid support through my sending mission organization. Tim has been serving on a full-time basis for the last several months, although he is not getting paid. He is self-funded, although this will be unsustainable in the long run. The other elders are employed in other jobs, so they’re not able to devote 100% of their time to their elder ministries. They devote endless hours to their ministries as elders but still maintain their other jobs and get paid through those jobs.

Paul: So does that make you the ‘Senior Pastor’ and Tim the ‘Assistant Pastor?’

1 Steve: No – in our church we do not have an office of ‘Pastor’ but instead we have a board of elders. Tim and I are equal members of that elder board. Just because we are full-time elders does not mean that we have more authority than the others. We just have more time available to give to the ministry of being an elder. Even though the elders do not spend the same amount of time doing their elder ministries, all have equal authority.

Paul: Well then, who do you and the other elders see as the head of ICF? Who gives direction and makes the final decisions?

Steve: Scripture clearly presents Jesus Christ as the Head of the church. (Eph 1:22-23 & Col 1:28) There is no other Head of the universal church and of each local church. Jesus Christ is the Chief Shepherd and Overseer. Another way to state it is that He, rather than any ordinary man, is the ‘Senior Pastor’ of ICF. The church governance model of Christ’s Church is essentially a theocracy – that is, God ruling.

Paul: Steve, if Jesus Christ is the Head of ICF, how does He practically oversee and shepherd it?

Steve: He does this through the provision He has made – which is elders, sometimes also called overseers. The terms elder and overseer are used interchangeably in the New Testament. These nouns are always used in the plural when referring to human leaders of a local church. In other words there is to be a plurality of elders. So in a local church, the leaders should be a group of elders or overseers under the authority and direction of the Chief Shepherd and Overseer, Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 2:25)

Paul: What are the chief functions of these elders?

Steve: The chief functions of the elders are to shepherd the church and to oversee the affairs of the church. (1 Peter 5:2-4, Heb 13:7) They are to do this humbly, without compelling people or ‘lording it over them.’ They should serve as examples and they must always remember that the Chief Shepherd will one day hold them to account for what they say and do in His Name.

Paul: How does this work in practice here at ICF?

Steve: As the elders of ICF seek Jesus’ direction and will for ICF, the Holy Spirit is able to work through all the elders, rather than through just one person. This ensures that Christ’s directions are confirmed through the multiplicity of the elders as they pray and study the Word of God in order to seek Christ’s will on all matters of the church.

Paul: Since there is a plurality of elders, does any one of the elders have more authority than the others?

2 Steve: No. They all have equal authority under the Headship of Christ.

Paul: But if all the elders have equal authority under the Headship of Christ, how do the elders make decisions, especially when there is disagreement?

Steve: We make decisions by consensus. We do not vote. If one or more are in disagreement or do not have peace about a decision, we do not go forward with it. Instead we take time to pray and look at what God’s Word says until Jesus gives us confirmation together through mutual agreement that this is the right decision and direction to go. I have been an elder at ICF for 5 years and have experienced this first hand. I can tell you – it works! It is a beautiful thing to experience. The unity and sense of His presence, blessing and leading is very exciting!

Paul: Steve, thanks for letting us get to know you a little better and helping us understand how you and the other elders serve here at ICF.