With a Shepherd's Heart: Reclaiming the Pastoral Office of Elder

by John R. Sittema

A practical guide for the office of elder, giving elders a fresh and thoroughly Biblical perspective on their work as shepherds in the church.

278 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1996

Reviews

[Jordan Carl]

An excellent resource for both prospective and current elders of the church.

This volume is broken down into three primary sections: 1) The qualifications and biblical basis for elders, 2) the duties of elders, and 3) Practical tips for elders as they pastor the flock.

As a layperson, I found this a fascinating read as I was informed and introduced to the myriad of ways elders should be shepherding the flock.

Two particular points I think would be vital in helping undershepherds shepherd well:
1) pastoral visitation in the home where pointed and penetrating questions are asked of families to assess their sanctification.
2) more pastoral prayer from elders, both public and private.

[Leandro Dutra]

Very, very good — I would even ſay eßential, ſpecially if paired wiþ Paul David Tripp’s _Dangerous calling_. Even better if uſed corporativelly in a local church. If I could take only half a star, it would be because typography and orthography are subpar: it uses the hyphen-minus instead of the n- or m-dash, and messes ‘principle’ with ‘principal’. But these are quite common errors in ðe US ðat do not ſubtract from ðe ſubſtance of ðe book.

[Andy Gainor]

We read this for officer training. Solid with great examples, practical advice, etc.

[Ray Miller]

Great resource to read in conjunction with Shepherding God's Flock by Jay Adams.

[Aaron]

I was torn between giving this book three or four stars. So I'll simply list great things about this book, and some drawbacks.

Sittema makes a strong case for the the fact that elders are pastors/shepherds in the church. Elders are to shepherd the flock of God. By drawing together much Biblical data on the office of elder, the author makes a strong case for this.

Sittema offers many helpful, practical examples that challenge the status quo of how church life is often run. For example he gives detailed instructions for running a home visit or carrying out church discipline.

Drawbacks:

The author frequently frames issues negatively. He likes to suggest that the majority of churches are doing things wrong before he gives advice, rather than more positively encouraging church leaders to reflect on a better way of doing things.

The book is also dated. Many examples that he gives are out of date (frequent mention of TV watching, no discussion of things such as the internet; I realize that this book was revised a decade ago, but he seems outdated even for that time).

All in all, a good and helpful book. I recently used it for elder training and it was well received and led to good discussion.