The Elders Handbook A Practical Guide For Church Leaders

Key biblical and practical issues for the church considering elders

Lester DeKoster is the retired editor of The Banner, weekly news magazine of the Christian Reformed Church. He is the former Director of Libraries for Calvin College and Seminary. He currently writes and publishes books on Christian living from the Reformed Calvinist perspective. Gerard Berghoef is the retired President of Widdicomb Furniture Company and a long time elder in the Christian Reformed Church.

Pastors and church leaders are in need of mature, godly elders to ensure church health, but the training of elders is often entirely missing or badly neglected. What if there were a process to proactively call and train elders? The New Elder's Handbook is designed to equip elders with the knowledge, character, and skills the office calls for. It takes church leaders through the development of a vision for ministry, recruitment of elders to carry out that vision, and specific, biblical training, providing a way to be intentional about developing elders.

Servants in Charge is a training guide for elders and deacons with a study guide included. Servants in Charge define the roles of elders and deacons and offers practical suggestions for selecting these important leaders. And for servants who find themselves in charge, there are guidelines toward effective and fruitful ministry. Have you ever been in an office or a place of business when someone walked in and asked, "Who's in charge here?"' Can it be that the people who enter your church ask the same question but it is important to realize the answer is not a mystery. In a beautiful parable about His second coming, Jesus made it clear that His servants are in charge. These people are known not so much for their position or power, but for their attitude of true servant hood. In Servants in Charge we find that Dr. Bailey deals with the topics of who a deacon and elder are to be to what their qualifications are from a scriptural basis. He also goes on to explain their biblically based ministries and their spiritual gifts as laid out in the New Testament. He completes this short study with a guide for preparation for them and their election and consecration. A great must have for the church today.

Guide for church leaders

A Newly Updated and Rebranded Edition of The Deliberate Church If churches are the dwelling place of God's Spirit, why are so many built around the strategies of man? Eager for church growth, leaders can be lured by entertaining new schemes, forgetting to keep doctrinal truth as their driving force. Churches must find a way out of the maze of programs and methods and humbly lean on the sufficiency of God's Word. How to Build a Healthy Church, a revised and expanded edition of The Deliberate Church, challenges leaders to evaluate their motivations for ministry and provides practical examples of healthy, deliberate leadership. Written as a companion handbook for Nine Marks of a Healthy Church, it covers important topics including membership, worship, responsible evangelism, and church roles. This is more than a step-by-step plan to mimic; it's a biblical blueprint for pastors, elders, and anyone committed to the church's vitality.