This week we hear from Dave Dobson! Follow along as he outlines how long he has served as an elder and what originally prompted him to become an elder. We are blessed to have Dave Dobson as an SDBC board member!
How long have you attended SDBC and how long have you served on the Board of Elders?
My family and I arrived at SDBC from Ontario in 2003 and I first served on the elder board between 2006 and 2009. My current time as an elder started in 2016 and I will complete my second 3-year term, and am due to come off the board, in April 2022.
What was it that prompted you to join the Board of Elders?
I care deeply about the local church and its purpose – to preach/teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ and win and disciple believers and be a light of God's grace in the community. Seeing as I spend most of my days in the business world, and have gained specific skills and experience in leadership roles, I thought serving as an elder would be an ideal place for me to apply the talents and time God had given me.
What is your role on the board?
For the past five years I've served as chair of the board effectiveness committee (BEC). The BEC's mandate is to "provide guidance to the elder board on best practices for their official activities." This involves helping to define and clarify the relationship between the board and the lead pastor, lead board "self assessments" and "review and recommend to the board amendments of the constitution and bylaws to ensure they are current and appropriate for the governance of the church," among many other things. I am also a member of the lead pastor assessment committee.
What does it mean for you, personally, to be part of the Board of Elders at SDBC?
It is a great honour to serve the Lord and the congregation of SDBC and have a chance to provide input and make a real difference in the direction and ministries of the church. I enjoy this type of work which is strategic and collaborative in nature and affords me the opportunity to selectively and appropriately apply learnings that I have gained outside the church environment. I very much want to honour God with the opportunities he has given me and to learn how to faithfully, and boldly, "stand in the gap" as it says in Ezekiel 22:30. I never want it to be said of me that, "I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one."
How does being on the board both challenge and encourage you in your life and walk of faith?
Being on the board causes me to think deeply about the church and what we are doing to fulfill the Great Commission: "And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, 'All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.'" (Matthew 28:16-20). I'm thankful to God that our church has had, and does have, some very effective board members who are committed to this same purpose. When we gather together as a board (with the pastors), we are there to do God's work. It may not always be easy, there may be difficult challenges to overcome, even strongly held different opinions that need to be expressed and understood, but we have always come to a good conclusion, because we are all committed to the same principles – we are here to serve, not take, and we come under the authority of scripture and are empowered by the Holy Spirit in our work. This is a wonderful thing that is rare in this world. Coming out of each board meeting I am encouraged and inspired to give even more of my life to this most important cause.
Please remember to pray for Dave as he serves our church with his passion for Jesus and love for the Church. Click here to email encouragement to Dave.
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