The recent deaths of Senators Bird (West Virginia) and Stephens (Alaska) remind us of the undue influence of long-serving politicians. Should we have term limitations?
 
The Presbyterian Church USA does have term limits. Elders (and Deacons) may serve no more than two successive three-year terms. The reason for the term-limit is to add new blood to Sessions and to prevent elders, who previously served like Supreme Court Justices, (it took a death to dislodge an elder) from creating their little empires as committee chairs. But now comes an interesting concern raised by Joseph Small:  
 
The unintended result of mandatory rotation was the loss of an understanding of elders as persons called to one of the ordered ministries of the church. Term limits for the service on the church session produced brief tenure by an ever expanding circle of members. In many congregations, one three-year term became the norm, and the understanding of the eldership was transformed from a called ministry to merely taking one's turn on the board. Short-term, inexperienced elders also increased the influence of pastors by diminishing the "ministry" of called, knowledgeable elders. This imbalance, evident in sessions, became especially pronounced in presbyteries where well-informed pastors were accompanied by revolving elders who knew less and less about matters before the assembly."
 
The moral to the story: being an elder/deacon is a 'calling to ministry'; it is a BIG deal - it is far more than simply taking one's turn on the 'board'.  Please, give prayerful consideration to whether or not God is calling you to serve your church as an elder or deacon.