But I think churches can begin by acknowledging that they often pick elders who already fit within the traditional structures and paradigms. Put bluntly, some churches treat the elder board like the cool kid’s club, where only certain people are invited. Rather, if elder boards sought out leaders who did not fit these existing paradigms, they might find more truth-tellers than they expected. This could include those from different social classes, different vocations, different educational backgrounds, or different ethnic and racial groups.
