Ruling elder Tom Warnock and his wife, Flo

Chapter X
Ruling Elders

1. Christ who has instituted government in his church has furnished some men, beside the ministers of the Word, with gifts for government, and with commission to execute the same when called thereto. Such officers, chosen by the people from among their number, are to join with the ministers in the government of the church, and are properly called ruling elders.

2. Those who fill this office should be sound in the faith and of exemplary Christian life, men of wisdom and discretion, worthy of the esteem of the congregation as spiritual fathers.

3. Ruling elders, individually and jointly with the pastor in the session, are to lead the church in the service of Christ. They are to watch diligently over the people committed to their charge to prevent corruption of doctrine or morals. Evils which they cannot correct by private admonition they should bring to the notice of the session. They should visit the people, especially the sick, instruct the ignorant, comfort the mourning, and nourish and guard the children of the covenant. They should pray with and for the people. They should have particular concern for the doctrine and conduct of the minister of the Word and help him in his labors.[1]

While we rightly esteem the office of the Christian minister, it is no less important that we rightly esteem the office of ruling elder (and the office of deacon, as well). One can make the case that a rightly functioning ruling eldership (what Presbyterians call “The Session”) has been a key element in preserving the faithfulness of many churches.

One of the most important pieces of advice given to me during my internship was, “Be sure that the church to which you are called has a strong, Reformed session.” To say the least, I was blessed by that during my years as pastor of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Franklin Square, New York. And a major part of that blessing was working for all those years with Elder Tom Warnock, who went home to his eternal reward on November 20, 2023, at the age of 89. Having been ordained as a ruling elder in 1967, he served in that capacity for over half a century. He was, in every sense of the phrase, a model ruling elder. This tribute to him, and to God’s grace in his life, is written as a précis of the marks of those who “rule well” in the Lord’s Church. It is a way of practicing the exhortation: “Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith” (Heb. 13:7).

The first words that I heard from Elder Tom Warnock were on the evening of Ronald Reagan’s election to his first term as president in 1980. After I answered the phone and confirmed that I was, indeed, Bill Shishko, I heard, “My name is Tom Warnock. How would you like to come to Long Island to be our pastor?” That cheery, forthright greeting was an epitome of the spirit of the man with whom I would be privileged to serve for nearly thirty-six years.

Elder Warnock was probably one of the best-read ruling elders in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. His library equaled that of a minister. In fact, his library probably surpassed the libraries of many ministers. How many ministers have six, five-shelf bookcases filled two-deep with books—and books that have obviously been well-used?!. His well-read and well-worn Bible was full of notes. He read the Reformers. He read the Puritans. He read other rich theological material. And the “stuff” of that reading came out naturally in his conversations and deliberations. His heart was suffused with what is often called “experimental Calvinism,” i.e., both the doctrine and the life that breathes through the Westminster Standards. His life’s pattern of being in God’s Word and faithful expositions and applications of God’s Word each day is surely a model for all Christians, and especially for church officers.

“Ruling elders, individually and jointly with the pastor in the session, are to lead the church in the service of Christ” (FG 10.3). While Tom did that in many ways, his leadership was particularly manifested in his service as Sunday School Superintendent for most of the years in which he served as a ruling elder. His “opening exercises” were rich devotional times that were clearly well prepared and earnestly presented. No doubt growing out of his own diligent reading, he took Christian education of the congregation with the greatest seriousness. He also conducted the Franklin Square church’s Wednesday evening Bible studies held at the church facility. These already special times were made even more special as they were followed by coffee and an array of scrumptious desserts from the kitchen of his wife, Flo. This was a superb example of combining well-prepared spiritual food with equally well-prepared physical food. Tom’s management of the church book table (which would eventually become a book room) was a vital complement to these other ways in which Tom sought to disciple congregation members. Tom always knew good books to recommend to people to help them with their questions about Christian faith and life. This model elder who was always learning and growing in grace was also always about the work of helping others learn and grow in grace as well.

Tom was a good listener. In session meetings he listened carefully to arguments made on various sides; and he would only speak after it was obvious that he had weighed carefully all that he heard. He might not always agree with a decision, but he submitted to his fellow elders, and, because he listened well, he could articulate the session’s position both carefully and wisely. Those listening ears were always on display when the Word of God was preached. Tom loved the preaching of the Word and always gave thoughtful responses that encouraged a man who had truly “labored in the Word.” (Although he was not bashful about responding negatively to any preaching that seemed ill-prepared and that was not permeated with Scripture.) He was a model of a ruling elder who had “particular concern for the doctrine and conduct of the minister of the Word and [who helped] in his labors” (FG 10.3).

In his work of rule, Tom was not afraid to say hard things. I will be eternally grateful that, after going through a period of bitterness early in my ministry in Franklin Square, in a meeting during which the session dealt firmly but graciously with me, Tom probingly said, “Bill, we’re not upset when you speak about hell in your sermons—a faithful minister must do that; but, have you ever wept over what you’ve had to say?” I lost sleep for three nights after that piercing question, repented both privately and publicly for my harshness, and, by God’s grace, grew in my pastoral and ministerial sensitivities through the “righteous smiting” (Ps. 141:5) of a man who was both jealous of Christ’s honor in his church and likewise concerned for the life and conduct of his pastor. Tom would say frequently that the three main marks of an elder are “gentleness, gentleness, and gentleness.” At the same time, he spoke the truth—and usually with great wisdom.

Elder Warnock was a principled man. Once, when one of our interns was pouring out his heart about a delicate matter that he knew he would need to face in his first ministry, Tom (after listening carefully) responded by saying, “Your responsibility is to do the right thing no matter how hard that may look right now. But the Lord will honor that, and you will know his blessing.” What a refreshing reminder that was to the intern, and to me as I listened in. Could any of us say that in a better way? Tom was principled and wise (and gentle!) in communicating the importance of always acting in principled ways.

Our home was blessed each year by the annual home visit of Elder Warnock. (How our churches would be transformed if all elders took seriously the responsibility of meaningful annual home visitation.) And given that the Shishkos were a family of eight, those visits were quite an accomplishment! Elder Warnock would always arrive at our home at 6:50 p.m.—ten minutes before the 7:00 p.m. meeting time! He knew that he had a full evening ahead of him! He met for about thirty minutes with each child, taking time to intersect with their lives, reviewing the Scripture memory and catechism work for their grade according to our standard text, The Memory Work Notebook, by Paul Settle (GCP), gently calling them to follow Christ faithfully, and praying with each of them. Then, at about 10:00 p.m., he would tell me to get the children to bed while he spent time with my wife, Margaret. At 10:30 I would join them, and Tom would cap off that long evening by encouraging us in our married lives (and gently admonishing me if he thought that I was falling short in any of my father or husband duties) and praying with us. Our children still remember those visits; and Margaret and I praise the Lord that we were privileged to enjoy this home visitation service by one of our ruling elders—something that has been a hallmark of Reformed churches in their best expressions. Ruling elders “are to watch diligently over the people committed to their charge to prevent corruption of doctrine or morals. . . . They should visit the people, especially the sick, instruct the ignorant, comfort the mourning, and nourish and guard the children of the covenant” (FG 10.3). Elder Warnock was a model in all those things.

Tom was an enthusiastic man—as I experienced from his first words to me on that phone call in 1980. Whether it was classical music (about which—along with the best sound equipment—Tom was an expert), the birth of a child within his family or the congregation, the reception of new church members, his latest book, or his beloved Yankees, Tom was never not enthusiastic! He modeled Paul’s exhortation, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men” (Col. 3:23). This enthusiasm spilled over to his leadership of the Franklin Square church softball team—appropriately named “The Franklin Square Lions.” Tom was the lead lion! He loved the game, and he expected nothing less than the absolute best performance from each of his players. Sometimes, in his exuberant enthusiasm, he could give in to the remaining, indwelling sin (even model Christians have them!) of impatience and exasperation. But that led the team to victories; and Tom’s love of baseball was a big part of that driving force.

Perhaps above all, Tom was a man of prayer. “They should pray with and for the people” (FG 10.3)—and Elder Warnock did. Diligently! As a man who prizes action (e.g., “Well, what do we do about this?”), I would sometimes chafe when Tom’s response to a challenging issue (and we had many of them in our New York ministry!) was, “Well, we just need to pray about this.” We obviously need both, but Tom’s words were a reminder to me and to others that the battle for the hearts of men, women, boys, and girls is not ultimately ours, but the Lord’s. And how I wish that I had recorded the prayers with which Tom would close a session meeting when it was “his turn” in our session’s schedule. Regardless of how late the meeting was, Tom would sweep us up into the presence of God and thoughtfully bring every matter that we had discussed before the throne of grace. When I came to Franklin Square to begin my pastorate in March of 1981, I asked the Lord to teach me how to pray as a minister. Elder Tom Warnock and his prayers were a great part of God’s answer.

And no memorial to Elder Tom Warnock would be complete without mentioning his faithful helpmeet, Flo. I often think that there is something wrong if we do not instinctively put the name of the wife of a minister or ruling elder (or deacon) together with that officer. Not only is this part of a church officer being a “one wife husband” (see 1 Tim. 3:2), but, however we understand the significance of “their wives” in 1 Timothy 3:11, there is no doubt that behind every useful married man there is an equally useful wife. And that is especially true with church officers. Even as I quite naturally think of “Bill and Margaret,” my fellow church officers and their wives, so I can hardly say “Tom” without also saying “Flo.”

Many of our church visitors, and especially our annual Bible conference speakers, were treated to the hospitality of the Warnock home. Along with Tom’s rich heavenly discussion, guests were treated to banquets at the table prepared by Flo Warnock. You did not just “eat” at the Warnock home; you feasted (always completed with a flourish by Flo’s homemade ice cream.) How often did I hear from guests at the Warnock home that their time with them was a “foretaste of heaven.” Not only Bible conference speakers and other guests were blessed by the extra-special Warnock hospitality, but Ministerial Training Institute (MTIOPC) pastoral theology students over many years received that hospitality as a model of the hospitality that is to be demonstrated by elders (and their wives!, 1 Tim. 3:2, Titus 1:8).

Tom and Flo both took a special interest in men preparing for the Christian ministry. For many years Tom served as our presbytery’s representative on the Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary’s board of directors. Twice a year Tom and Flo would make the trip to South Carolina where Tom would fulfill his duties at the board meeting, and Flo would fellowship with the wives of other board members as well as with the personnel at the seminary. Tom and Flo had a shared heart for young men who were going through the rigors of the “boot camp” that meaningful seminary education is, and they would come home with stories and prayer requests that fueled the Franklin Square church’s zeal to see the Lord raise up a generation of earnest preachers and pastors who were even more zealous for Christ and his Kingdom than is our generation.

These are among my precious memories of years of labor with both Elder Warnock and his faithful and loving wife, Flo. While no Christian servant is perfect—that status is only true of Christ, the Chief Shepherd and Overseer of our souls (1 Pet. 2:25)—God has his ways of causing us to forget the blemishes and to remember only the beauties of lives of forgiven sinners being wonderfully remade into the image of that Chief Shepherd and Overseer. May these reflections on model ruling elder Tom Warnock help all church officers to grow in those gifts and graces that make us true representatives of Christ to those whom we serve and to all around us.

Endnote

[1] The Form of Government (FG), in The Book of Church Order of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church (The Committee on Christian Education of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, 2020), 13.

William Shishko, a minister in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, is the pastor of The Haven at Commack (OPC) in Commack, New York. Ordained Servant Online, April, 2025.