July 14, 2026
Team Integrity
Church leadership requires more than strong opinions. Elders and staff must lead with humility, integrity, accountability, trustworthiness, transparency, and a willingness to work as a team.
Eldership
Eldership offers biblically grounded resources for elders and churches seeking faithful, healthy spiritual oversight. Explore articles on the qualifications and responsibilities of elders, shepherding and pastoral care, governance and decision-making, accountability, and leading with humility and courage. You’ll also find guidance for elder selection and training, teamwork among elders and staff, handling conflict, and caring for the congregation through change. Whether you serve as an elder, are preparing to become one, or want to strengthen your church’s leadership structure, these resources aim to support wise, Christ-centered shepherding.
March 13, 2026
Why Can’t We Be Friends?
David Wright urges church elders to move beyond agendas into genuine friendship. He names common barriers, calls for humility and grace, and offers practical ways to build trust, unity, and a stronger leadership witness.
January 12, 2026
Fresh Bread and Core Values
David Faust urges churches to live their mission statements and core values—not just display them. Grounded in faith, hope, and love (1 Corinthians 13:13) and Israel’s daily manna, he calls for fresh, daily obedience.
January 1, 2026
Leading Through the Hand-Off: Lessons in Pastoral Transition
With careful planning, clear communication, financial foresight, and sensitivity to personalities, churches can not only survive transitions, they can thrive through them.
November 6, 2025
The Crux of Evangelism
It comes down to this: Do you care? Do you value lost people? Do you have the same compassion for them that Christ had for you (John 3:16; Romans 5:8)?
September 4, 2025
Rest and Renewal for the Shepherd: Guidelines for Elders in the Local Church
In studying Genesis 1-2, we tend to focus on God creating the light, sun, moon, stars, plant and animal kingdoms, and, of course, humanity. We seldom think about him creating rest.
Elders Leading on a Mission
Every local church is on a mission, but when mission drift occurs, the church’s elders must make a course correction.
December 31, 2024
Churches Stepping Up: How Local Churches Are Developing Elders
It’s time to hand the keys of leadership to the next generation of elders and watch them accomplish more for our King’s kingdom than we ever thought possible.
Future-Thinking Elders
Are we content with mediocrity and satisfied with the status quo? Do we ache to be more effective in our leadership efforts? . . .
The State of Elder Teams in Independent Restoration Churches
An honest assessment of where we are as a movement when it comes to elders and their leadership. . . .
December 5, 2022
The Preaching Elder
e2:effective elders has created a four-part resource designed to empower elders to preach. "The Preaching Elder: Refilling the Preaching Pipeline" was created especially with elders in mind—to offer training through a book and other resources to help with a need that has developed because of a diminishing preaching pipeline.
e2: effective elders Celebrates 10-Year Anniversary (Plus News Briefs)
e2: effective elders is marking 10 years as a nonprofit parachurch ministry. During that time, e2 has trained more than 9,600 elders and church leaders. Also briefs about the Church of Christ on Lewis Street (in Little Rock), Tony Darling, Jack Cottrell, and more.
September 16, 2021
THROWBACK THURSDAY: The Fellowship of Elders
A committee devoted to strengthening the elderships of our churches formed in 1942 and sponsored a series of columns in Christian Standard throughout 1943. As part of their introductory article, they shared an “Elder’s Achievement Chart” that most elders should find interesting.
September 1, 2021
Look After My Sheep . . . and You’re a Sheep Too!
Before I went to theological college to train for the ministry, I worked in a Christian bookstore. My official role was to manage the music department. It was a fun job that allowed me to play the latest Christian music over the store’s sound system. This usually led to a tug-of-war between me and Hazel, the bookstore’s manager. Hazel liked the music soft; I liked the music loud. In fairness to Hazel, she liked to be able to converse with customers without having to yell. I thought turning the bookstore into a dance floor would stimulate more music sales. Of
September 1, 2021
Elders Who Disciple: One Key to an Effective Church
In his book Disciple, Juan Carlos Ortiz says the greatest problem facing the church today is “the perpetual childhood of the believer.” The fact that most of our churches are made up of spiritually immature believers is a major issue to the church fulfilling her mission. This extreme lack of spiritual development continually cripples the dynamic advancement of our churches. We will never take our cities for Christ if the vast number of our people remain at a “kindergarten” level of spiritual growth and maturity. This deep and widespread problem can be attributed, more than anything else, to the lack
The Elder’s Role in Leading Through Conflict
A primary responsibility among leaders should be to successfully handle conflict and the disunity it can so easily create.
New Book for Wives of Elders (Plus News Briefs)
Briefs from e2:effective elders, churches in Ohio and North Carolina, Ozark Christian College, Kentucky Christian University, and Milligan University. Also, a new student edition of the Core 52 book.
February 1, 2021
COVID-19, Elders, and Forgiveness
The challenges of COVID-19 have made it more important for elders and church staff members to manage relationships with great care and discernment. This has not been easy for leaders. Satan has attacked relationships between brothers and sisters in the body with full force. Breaking and shattering relationships has always been one of his greatest weapons. Here is the heart of the problem: COVID-19 and its ramifications have presented our church leaders with stormy seas that are dangerous and difficult to successfully navigate in our relationships in the body of Christ. In meeting with leaders in churches of all sizes
January 20, 2021
Longtime Sheriff in Ohio to Focus on Ministry During Retirement
By Chris Moon It is not every day someone retires from 50 years as a law enforcement officer, including 20 as the local sheriff . . . and decides to devote his retirement to lay ministry in the church. But that’s exactly what Dave Phalen has planned. “Wherever the Lord leads me. He kind of can surprise us sometime,” said Phalen, who just retired as sheriff in Fairfield County, Ohio, and serves as an elder with Fairfield Christian Church in the city of Lancaster. Phalen set aside his badge after 50 years in law enforcement and he did so with
November 22, 2020
Personal Obedience in the Life of an Elder
Among the many notable things about the Great Pyramid in Giza, Egypt, are the massive foundational stones that were carefully crafted and precisely positioned. The foundation for the Great Pyramid had to be formidable to support the weight that was to come. Foundations are key to the success or failure of a structure. As elders and church staff, it is critical we understand that the foundation for our leadership is our personal, growing relationship with Jesus. Our personal spiritual development forms the foundation for our service. This foundation is made up of several key “stones.” Paul mentions many of them
