Elders in any church can still fail and falter at times. The willful and abiding sin of an elder must not be ignored, but dealt with according to Scripture. First Timothy 5:19-21 says,
“Do not receive an accusation against an elder except on the basis of two or three witnesses. Those who continue in sin, rebuke in the presence of all, so that the rest may be fearful of sinning. I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and Christ Jesus and of His chosen angels, to maintain these principles without bias, doing nothing in a spirit of partiality.”
An accusation of sin against an elder is not to be received lightly, nor is it to be overlooked. An Elder who may be caught in a sin and refuses to repent is to be disciplined for turning from God’s will in the same way anyone else in the church would be. In no way are they to receive preferential treatment. The testimony of the church is most visible in the lives of the elders that govern it. If elders ignore the Biblical mandate for holiness, the church will suffer the consequences. Equally, if the members of Grace Fellowship are not submissive to the Biblical mandate God has given to them, its testimony will suffer, its priorities will be unbalanced, and ultimately its potency as the carrier of the Gospel that liberates us from sin will be lost.