“Many pastors begin their ministry in churches that need reform. Unfortunately, many can also tell the tale of having proceeded with change without understanding where the church has been and how it got into the state it is now in.” - 9 Marks
“But what about my aspiration to pastor? Was that something I’d have to give up on? No, far from it! In fact, in God’s kindness, the fits and starts of my journey made my pastoral aspirations even more clear. My aspiration was to be a lay elder.” - 9 Marks
“Phil Howell offers a biblical framework for interpreting and responding to disagreements within the church, with a particular focus on elders.” - 9 Marks
“This question assumes at least two things: 1. That elders, in fact, have authority to direct church members. 2. That their authority has limits. The Bible teaches both truths.” - 9 Marks
“I want to make a case from Scripture for why we should understand that these three terms refer to the same office. My argument moves along three steps.” - 9 Marks
“I asked several friends of The Gospel Coalition who currently serve, or have served, as lead pastors, What’s the best piece of advice or word of exhortation you’d give to a new elder?” - TGC
“The real challenge is helping the elders change their focus from a board-of-trustees mentality to a shepherding mentality. In this article I will share our journey of making that change” - 9 Marks
“There are surprisingly few men who exist at that point where willingness meets qualification. There are almost always some who are willing but not qualified and some who are qualified but not willing. What the church needs so badly is men who are both.” - Challies
Leadership development is one of those things that churches love to talk about but rarely seem to do. Pastors and churches need to prayerfully consider how they might assess and train men for ministry for the furtherance of the gospel. Over the past three years, our church has made significant strides by God’s grace in proactively identifying, developing, and deploying men for various ministries within our church. This year, we’ve endeavored to be more intentional about specifically training men for pastoral ministry through a monthly elder cohort.
“When instincts differ among elders on the same team, what can we do? How can we preserve plurality, honor divergent views, and shepherd in harmony with fellow elders?” - Desiring God
