Eldership

Enough with the Four-Hour Elders Meetings!

The Key Elements to Making Your Time Together More Effective By David Roadcup Effective elders’ meetings are an important part of a healthy leadership culture. Our meetings should be organized times of fellowship, powerful prayer, communication, and decision-making. The focus of elders’ meetings should be on the shepherding of staff and the business matters of the congregation. Elders’ meetings can be extremely fruitful and enjoyable, or they can be hours of torment and wandering in the wilderness. It all depends on planning and on the leader of the meeting (the elder chairman) and lead minister working together for the best

July 22, 2019

Jared Johnson

Develop the Art and Skill of Listening

By Jared Johnson The “headquarters” of e2: effective elders is in Indianapolis, a metropolitan area of nearly 1.5 million people. Whether in the bustling downtown or in suburban neighborhoods, one never fails to see someone running around—literally and figuratively—wearing those all-too-familiar earbuds. Music, podcasts, audiobooks, and more flood the auditory canals of our fellow Hoosiers. Of course, ubiquitous earbuds also communicate this strong nonverbal message: “Don’t talk to me; I’m occupied with something more important than conversing with you.” People who wear earbuds aren’t listening to us, but they are listeningto someone. Could that change? What would it take for

June 22, 2019

Jim Estep

Educating Elders

By Jim Estep Most elders didn’t go to Bible college or seminary. I know of no degree in “eldering.” Congregations must provide for the education of elders. Scripture teaches that “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another” (Proverbs 27:17, English Standard Version). The church is not an organization that “produces” elders. Instead, the church is an organism, a living body—the body of Christ—and elders are “grown” in the soil of church relationships. What kind of relationships can educate, prepare, and equip someone for service? Study An elder needs more than head knowledge, but becoming an effective elder begins with

December 19, 2018

Johnson, e2 Headed to India to Lead Elder Training

By Jim Nieman Gary Johnson of e2: effective elders is excited to offer a three-day Elders’ Conference early next year in India, at Ajai Lall’s suggestion, for church leaders from six Asian countries. “This is e2’s first venture into a cross-cultural elder setting,” Johnson said. “The men will leave with both biblical and practical ways to recruit, train, and release elders to lead courageously for God’s glory.” The groundwork for this training venture was laid earlier this year when Lall, founder and director of Central India Christian Mission, suggested it during Johnson’s visit there. “There has never been a meeting like this,” Lall told

November 2, 2018

Elders Cast Vision

E2: Effective Elders Blog Editor’s Note: Each Friday we publish a new blog post from our partners in ministry, E2: Effective Elders. We publish it here simultaneous to E2’s posting on their site. The leaders of E2 write an article for our print and online magazine every month as well. Those articles are full of wisdom and practical help for elders. Please check them out! _____ By David Roadcup The ability to craft and utilize a useful, compelling vision is one of the cornerstones in the life of an effective church. What is vision? It is developing the ability to see what is not

October 26, 2018

Elders Chart the Path Forward

E2: Effective Elders Blog Editor’s Note: Each Friday we publish a new blog post from our partners in ministry, E2: Effective Elders. We publish it here simultaneous to E2’s posting on their site. The leaders of E2 write an article for our print and online magazine every month as well. Those articles are full of wisdom and practical help for elders. Please check them out! _____ By Rick Grover Over the past six years, our congregation has gone through more than its fair share of change, disappointment, loss, and now renewal. And through it all, our elders have remained united. We

October 12, 2018

God’s Grace to Make Decisions

E2: Effective Elders Blog Editor’s Note: Each Friday we publish a new blog post from our partners in ministry, E2: Effective Elders. We publish it here simultaneous to E2’s posting on their site. The leaders of E2 write an article for our print and online magazine every month as well. Those articles are full of wisdom and practical help for elders. Please check them out! _____ By Dick Wamsley I was beginning my eighth year as dean of students and professor of pastoral care at Nebraska Christian College. The college was in the first phase of a leadership transition. The president

October 5, 2018

Decisions, Decisions

E2: Effective Elders Blog Editor’s Note: Each Friday we publish a new blog post from our partners in ministry, E2: Effective Elders. We publish it here simultaneous to E2’s posting on their site. The leaders of E2 write an article for our print and online magazine every month as well. Those articles are full of wisdom and practical help for elders. Please check them out! _____ By Rod Nielsen Decision-making in a church can be a blessing or a curse. Often, the decision itself is not as problematic as the process of coming to a decision. Major decisions—such as entering into

September 28, 2018

Richard Baxter: Timeless Advice

E2: Effective Elders Blog Editor’s Note: Each Friday we publish a new blog post from our partners in ministry, E2: Effective Elders. We publish it here simultaneous to E2’s posting on their site. The leaders of E2 write an article for our print and online magazine every month as well. Those articles are full of wisdom and practical help for elders. Please check them out! _____ By Larry Carter Richard Baxter, a preacher who lived in the 1600s, wrote a book to help church leaders understand the nature and task of ministry. Among his many wise instructions and observations in The

September 21, 2018

Jim Estep

Change

E2: Effective Elders Blog Editor’s Note: Each Friday we publish a new blog post from our partners in ministry, E2: Effective Elders. We publish it here simultaneous to E2’s posting on their site. The leaders of E2 write an article for our print and online magazine every month as well. Those articles are full of wisdom and practical help for elders. Please check them out! _____ By Jim Estep Putting it simply: Change is hard. We try to change our diet, exercise more, adapt to new technology, change our routines . . . but it’s hard to take the risk of

September 15, 2018

Kansas Church Heads in New Direction

LEBANON, KAN.—Compass, a Christian church in Lebanon, Kansas, has changed its name to The Second Independent Christian Church of Lebanon. (“First Christian Church” was already being used.) The name change came after lengthy consideration by a “new” group of elders who rotated back onto the board after 15 years. “The novelty just wore off,” explained elder Gerald Girrard. “And anyway, many of our members got tired of trying to explain the name to our non-Christian friends.” “I was wearing my Compass T-shirt one day in Walmart,” said Girrard, “and a guy I’d never met before asked me where the Compass

August 27, 2018

Gary L. Johnson

Three ‘Plays’ for Elders in Urban Churches

By Gary L. Johnson The very first church was in the heart of a world capital. Thousands of people were part of “First Christian Church—Jerusalem.” In every sense of the word, FCC—Jerusalem was an urban church. Members worked and lived in close quarters, on streets teeming with thousands of people who were not fellow believers in Jesus Christ. These first-century believers were strong salt and bright light to their family members, neighbors, coworkers, and friends who had rejected Jesus. Some things never change. Many of us live in cities teeming with people who are far from God. The churches we

August 24, 2018

Faith vs. Sight

E2: Effective Elders Blog Editor’s Note: Each Friday we will publish a new blog post from our partners in ministry, E2: Effective Elders. This is our second installment. We are publishing it here simultaneous to E2’s posting on their site. The leaders of E2 write an article for our print and online magazine every month as well. Those articles are full of wisdom and practical help for elders. Please check them out! _____ By Larry Carter I often tell people that Great Lakes Christian College is “a faith-based organization.” We believe that we exist because of God’s faith in us and

June 20, 2018

Five Best Practices for Restoration Movement Elders and Leaders

By Jeff Faull “Look to the rock from which you were hewn and to the quarry from which you were dug” (Isaiah 51:1, New American Standard Bible). The Old Testament prophet Isaiah was not writing about church leadership or the Restoration Movement, but his words could easily be appropriated for Restoration church leaders. It is both refreshing and profitable for us to “look to our quarry” and gratefully consider the noble and admirable beginnings, underpinnings, and the future of our Restoration heritage. But could we start with an admission? Some inherent pitfalls come with our simple plea and its accompanying

June 9, 2018

Elders Leading through Prayer

By David Roadcup An elder’s job description includes numerous responsibilities. Teaching, managing, leading a small group, attending meetings, listening, and making decisions fill an elder’s time. Two of the most important responsibilities an elder can fulfill are in modeling a life of prayer and leading his church in a powerful, impacting, and continuing prayer experience. Prayer is the greatest untapped source of power in the life of the church today. God calls his leaders to prayer. It is important that the church leadership team—paid staff and elders—be in constant contact with our Father. In warfare, every military battlefield commander knows

February 28, 2018

Jim Estep

Leading Through Conflict

By Jim Estep Elders are no strangers to church fires, and by that I mean the conflicts that occur far too often in our congregations. Whether the conflicts involve leaders, staff, individuals, or groups, we often find ourselves ill-prepared to understand them and ill-equipped to respond to them. As elders, we need to understand the fires of conflict so we can ease confusion and help extinguish them when they flare up. Understanding Conflict in the Church Here are some facts about church conflict. Fires are inevitable. No church is immune to conflict, so be aware of it and alert

January 27, 2018

Young Ministry Staff and Elders—Connecting Together

By David Roadcup The summer of 1966 was a watershed time for me. I was 19 years old and going into my sophomore year at Lincoln (Illinois) Christian College. I had accepted my first summer youth ministry in a rural church in central Illinois. I remember my first day. I knew I had been called to this, my life’s work, but that first day was daunting. Where do I start? How is this going to go? Who are these people in my new church family? Will I be liked? Will they work with me? It was a challenging and impactful

November 10, 2017

Elders Champion MissionsÂ

By David RoadcupÂ Â An effective elder-shepherd team connects to the missions initiative of the congregation. Elders should be the greatest proponents for mission service in the body of Christ. By following Jesus” marching orders, we can facilitate and support the missions outreach of our churches in the most effective way possible. Good elder teams are involved in missions!Â Â In Acts 20:17-38, Paul, who is on his way to Jerusalem, arrives by ship at Miletus and calls for the Ephesian church elders to join him there. (Paul had planted and nurtured the Ephesian church.) When the elders arrive, Paul involves them

October 10, 2017

Reorientations for Rural Elders

By Jim Estep As a freshman in college, my first preaching ministry was with Elm Fork Christian Church in Nicholasville, Kentucky. When I arrived, 8 people attended the church. Not 18, not 80 . . . 8. Moreover, the church did not have electricity or indoor plumbing. There was literally a two-seater outhouse out back with a sign that read, “Pastor”s Study.” Fortunately for me, I never used that “Pastor”s Study”! The only source of heat in the winter was a makeshift wood-burning stove. Even the hymnals dated back to the early 1900s. Since my tenure at Elm Fork in

June 5, 2016