Gospel Eldership: Equipping a New Generation of Servant Leaders
Digital Verbum Edition
Overview
One way or another, leaders emerge in the life of every church. Most pastors want to be intentional about developing and shaping those leaders themselves, but they rarely have the time and resources to do it. So leaders spring up, often without deep roots in the gospel, and they struggle to guide the church towards proper Christian ideologies.
The biblical task of leading a church requires more than good management principles or sound theology. If the gospel truly is the power of God for salvation (Romans 1:16) and is constantly bearing fruit and growing within us (Colossians 1:6), then each elder must be strong in the gospel. That’s the vision and the goal behind Gospel Eldership.
Gospel Eldership combines theological training with spiritual formation in order to shape future (and current) Christian church leaders at the heart level. It walks future leaders through the biblical concept of servant leadership and the primacy of character before looking at the specific duties of church elders. Gospel Eldership helps develop men who know their own heart idolatry and how the good news of the gospel applies to it and who have a sense of gospel fluency so that they can swiftly, effectively, and clearly apply the gospel to others. Gospel Eldership is designed to intentionally raise up the type of men who can and should lead God’s church.
Gospel Eldership treats the role of elder carefully and biblically and is written from a theologically complementarian viewpoint. With practical exercises to help put Christian concepts to work in real-life situations, Gospel Eldership can be used in one-on-one discipleship or in a small group setting and is appropriate for use in any Christian church from the smallest church plant to the largest church-planting church.
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- Combines theological training with spiritual formation to shape leaders at the heart level
- Walks future leaders through servant leadership and the primacy of character
- Helps develop men who know their own heart idolatry and how the gospel applies to it
- Introduction: What Is an Elder?
- Lesson 1– Servant Leadership
- Lesson 2– A Biblical Approach to Church Leadership
- Lesson 3– The Primacy of Character
- Lesson 4– The Leadership Triangle
- Interlude: The Duties of Elders
- Lesson 5– Elders Feed the Church
- Lesson 6– Elders Lead the Church
- Lesson 7– Elders Protect the Church
- Lesson 8– Elders Care for the Church
- Lesson 9– Missional Eldership
- Lesson 10–The Temptations of Leadership
- Conclusion
- Appendix A: Functional & Formative Eldership
- Appendix B: Supplemental Resources
- Acknowledgments
- Endnotes
Absolutely nothing is more important in a church family than the DNA of the leadership culture. The healthiest churches I know are those that are led by pastors and elders who are captured by the gospel, smitten with Jesus, and transformed by God’s grace. Bob Thune’s new book, Gospel Eldership, presents a vision and roadmap for cultivating this kind of leadership culture.
—Scotty Ward Smith, Teacher in Residence, West End Community Church, Nashville, TN
I’ve lost count of the number of times that pastors, church planters, and seminary students have asked me for a practical, hands-on, gospel-centered, and challenging resource for elders-in-training and current elders in churches. The book you have in your hands is that resource—finally! Gospel Eldership provides much-needed and long-awaited formation for servant leadership in our churches!
—Gregg R. Allison, Professor, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary; pastor, Sojourn Community Church, Louisville, KY; Secretary, Evangelical Theological Society; author of Historical Theology, Sojourners and Strangers, and Roman Catholic Theology and Practice
This material shaped me as a leader when I was new to pastoral ministry, and his is what we use to train our elders. Bob is& a gifted pastor, and this is what he does best: holistic development of church leaders. In this book, you will find sound theology, gospel-centrality, and wise insight from the heart of a leader. The personal and practical application is what makes this resource a game-changer.
—Will Walker, Pastor, Providence Church, Austin, TX; coauthor of The Gospel-Centered Life