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.

Effective leadership is important. Nowhere is this more true than in the church. Jeramie Rinne offers readers a concise overview of the Bible's teaching on spiritual leadership, setting forth an easy-to-understand "job description" for elders that is focused on enabling pastors and church leaders to effectively shepherd their congregations. Giving practical guidance to new elders and helping church members better understand and support their spiritual leaders, this conversational book emphasizes purposeful ministry rather than project management. It will also bolster leaders' confidence by encouraging them to embrace their pastoral calling with grace, wisdom, and a clarity of vision.

This timely new leadership guide for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is written for church officers who are looking for a deepened relationship with God. Joan Gray challenges elders and deacons to see themselves as spiritual leaders and equips them to lead alongside their pastors. Gray lays out a variety of leadership styles and helps leaders understand when each is appropriate. She also provides resources for dealing with relationships in the church and identifies ways churches can be supportive of the spiritual leadership of elders and deacons.

Identifying and equipping men for the role of church Elder is not an easy task...The role of Elder is perhaps one of the most important roles in the world, since the church is both the body and bride of Jesus. That means church leaders need more than surface opinions about the men who might possibly fit the role of Elder. They need a way to evaluate and train those candidates. This workbook-style handbook is designed to help church leaders do just that, in a wise, careful, and thoroughly Biblical way.Some contexts where this handbookmay be helpful:•When an existing Elder team needs to bring others onto their team•When a Pastor needs to establish an Elder team from scratch•When an Elder team needs a “refresher” about their role, or would like additional training regarding the Biblical mandate for Elders• As a discipleship curriculum for men, where the role of Elder is held up as a “model” for how they can lead their families with the heart of a shepherdThis handbook is not offered as a magic formula or fool-proof method for finding or equipping men for the role of Elder. No such thing exists. Scripture clearly teaches that men are only appointed to the role of Elder by the determination of the Holy Spirit (Acts 20:28). Instead, this handbook is designed to serve as a tool in that Spirit-led process. It is an aid in discerning the will of the Spirit, first through assessment of the man being considered, and secondly through training for those who appear to be called to serve as Elders.With over 260 study questions, a variety of self-assessment tools, scripture memorization, and “quizzes” to test the candidate's understanding and applicationof the concepts included, The Elder Training Handbook is a serious-minded tool for discovering, encouraging, and equipping men to shepherd, protect, and lead the New Testament church.

Money Matters in Church helps leaders to discover a one-stop, comprehensive model for managing finances and fundraising. It guides leaders of any size church or ministry to create a culture of giving that supports savvy, faithful, and legal financing. The authors present a biblical theology of stewardship that supports ways to develop donors and maximize contributions, enact a strategic budget and effective audit process, project income and expenses, work with banks, compensate staff, and address debt. The book's practical step-by-step approach makes finance issues understandable for leaders without a business background.

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.

In this "how-to" book, Paul Winslow and Dorman Followwill offer scripturally sound, hands-on advice for elder-led churches. The reader of Christ in Church Leadership can rest assured knowing this book holds a wealth of helpful information that is rooted in God's Word and based on years of commitment to and experience with an elder-led form of church-governance. Chapters include: Organization, Eldering Not Deaconing, Discipleship, Stewarding the Finances, and much more.