From House to House

By W Huizinga

This book provides practical advice to help equip a new church elder for his office. New elders usually look for direction and information about the office with which the Lord has invested them. This book has them in mind. At the same time it can be useful for all in those the office or for those who see the importance of this office.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pro Ecclesia Publishers
• Release date: Mar 11, 2022
• ISBN: 9781005553968

W Huizinga

Reverend W Huizinga (b. 25 January 1946) is minister-emeritus of the Free Reformed Church of Armadale, Western Australia. He previously served as minister of the Word in London and Watford Canada (1971-1976), Hamilton, Canada (1976-1986), and Armadale, Western Australia (1986-2011).He is also the author of the pre-profession of faith course The Way.

Book preview

FROM HOUSE TO HOUSE

A PRACTICAL GUIDE FOR CHURCH ELDERS

W Huizinga

First published by Reformed Guardian in 2004

First eBook edition by Pro Ecclesia Publishers in 2022

Published by:

Pro Ecclesia Publishers

Armadale, Western Australia

www.proecclesia.com.au

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CONTENTS

1. AN INTRODUCTION - W Huizinga

A. The Biblical Basis of the Office of Elder

B. The Benefit of History

C. The pointers and helps

2. THE HISTORY OF THE HOME VISIT - K Jonker

A. The background history – the confessional

B. The reformation of the spiritual care

C. The home visit

D. The blessing of the home visit

E. The practice of the home visit after Geneva - the situation in The Netherlands from the sixteenth century onwards

F. Three remaining concerns for today

3. POINTERS FOR ELDERS - C van der Leest

A. Introduction

B. The Common Position of both Elders and Deacons

C. The Elder as Shepherd

D. The remaining work of the elder

E. The elder with respect to himself

F. The elder and the minister

G. Questions to which the elders should try to get answers

i. The external circumstances

ii. Living with the Bible

iii. Prayer

iv. Church attendance

v. The attitude toward the office-bearers

vi. Their place in the community

vii. The giving and receiving of instruction.

H. Listening and questioning

I. Corrections

J. The official home visit

i. Direction and length

ii. Opening and closing

iii. The subject matter

iv. The finishing touch

K. Unscheduled Visits

i. Significance

ii. Method

iii. The finishing touch

L. Closing remarks

i. District division

ii. Transfer of the district

iii. Praying

4. HELPS AND THEMES FOR HOME VISITS - W Huizinga

A. Thrown into the deep end

B. Guidance

C. Annual themes for home visits

D. Some drawbacks

E. Another detraction from annual themes

F. Informing the families beforehand

G. Practical Tips

H. A good visit

5. INTRODUCTION TO THE PRACTICAL HELPS - W Huizinga

A. How do you conduct a home-visit? The burning question!

B. Preparation

C. Opening of visit

D. What should be read?

E. How to initiate a good discussion

F. When children are present

G. The type of questions to ask and not to ask

H. Sample questions

I. Be counsellors!

J. What about questions from the family?

K. Closing prayer

L. Reporting to the church council

6. PRACTICAL HELPS IN HOME-VISITING - W Huizinga

A. Don’ts in home visits

B. Some questions for home visits

i. The type of questions to ask and not to ask

ii. Sample questions

iii. A list of questions for home visits

C. A list of ten passages, with introductory remarks and questions for home visits

1. FROM HOUSE TO HOUSE

AN INTRODUCTION

This introduction is intended to provide some practical advice about home-visiting, that important task of church elders. In another book I address the deacons (see: Deacons come Visiting).

This booklet targets one specific purpose, namely, to help equip a new elder for his office. We are especially aware that new elders look for direction and information about the office with which the Lord has invested them. This booklet has them in mind. At the same time it can be a useful booklet for all in the office or for those who see the importance of this office.

A. Biblical Basis for the Office of Elder

A beginning elder will want to know the biblical basis for this office. We encourage you to go to the new (revised) form we use today. At your ordination emotions may have influenced you. Then the occasion tends to carry us along. We do not let all the important aspects of the office sink in properly. So sit back and have a read once more.

The Great Reformation took us back to the Scriptures. Sola Scriptura! Tota Scriptura! Not tradition or the long practise of a multitude of offices, all ranked on a hierarchical ladder, but the Bible alone and Bible in full is our norm. Yes, the Great Reformation restored biblical offices.

Read once more the Form for Ordination of Elders and Deacons, especially the first and excellent section about the institution of the office of elder, and note all the proof-texts from both the Old Testament and New Testament in the margin. The form includes many proof-texts in the margins. This is very informative and helpful.

For example, one can turn to Acts 20 where we read how Paul, at Miletus, calls for the elders from Ephesus to come to him. Paul defends his apostleship. He had not shrunk back from declaring the whole counsel of God, teaching both in public and from house to house.

Then Paul charges the elders of Ephesus

Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with his own blood. For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock (vv. 28-29).

Yes, these elders are to shepherd the flock, going from house to house. One purpose for these visits is to ward off false doctrines and practices which Satan loves to use to invade the church of our Lord. The church purchased with the blood of the Son of God must be protected.

Also see 1 Thessalonians 2; Titus 1 and 1 Peter 5. The special offices exist in order to equip the regular offices. Ministers and elders must equip the saints who all have the three-fold office of prophet, priest and king. Equip the saints so that they can do the work of service/ministry. Read Ephesians 4:11-14. This is the biblical perspective. Home visits foster this.

B. The Benefit of History

History teaches us how the Holy Spirit continues to reform and renew the church of our Lord. Also with respect to the task of giving spiritual oversight of the flock!

In the history of the Great Reformation we see how the Holy Spirit did this. It might surprise and shock us, but at one point the church in Geneva ousted, sacked their minister, John Calvin. As a result Calvin went to Strasbourg. Here he served a French refugee church for three years. During his exile from Geneva (1538-41), he also had the opportunity to discuss many aspects of the reformation of the church with his colleague, Martin Bucer, in Strasbourg. There with the assistance of Martin Bucer, Calvin re-discovered the office of the elder. This office had gone missing in church history. You read of monks and nuns, of bishops and deacons, of friars and abbots, of priests and fathers, but where were the elders? Yet in the writings of Scripture, in the OT as well as in the NT, the elders play an important role in governing the people of God.

In 1541 the church which had dismissed its minister now fervently begged him to return! Though