Eldership Development: From Application to Affirmation

by Phil Taylor

There have been many great books written on the need for Biblically qualified elders in the church. They do an excellent job unpacking the pertinent scriptures and theology to explain both why we need elders and what they should look like, act like, smell like, etc. once we have them. This is not one of those books. Rather, "Eldership Development-From Application to Affirmation" seeks to show you the actual process that one church uses to develop their elders over a two year period. Think of it like a case-study. You'll see the prerequisites and the application that potential elders fill out, and even the questions asked during the interviews. You'll get an in-depth look at the two year process, all the way to the final moment when you affirm the new elder on stage in a gathering. Along the way, the author stops to explain from experience why he made the decisions he made on everything from book assignments to awkward questions in an application. After you've read the books that tell you why you need church elders and what the Bible teaches, consult this book to build your own Eldership Development program at your local church. This field tested guide is meant to save you time and energy as you train up your church elders so that you can get on with the work of pastoring well. Contents Introduction Step Surfacing Potential Elders Step The Prerequisites to Entering the Eldership Development Process Step The Application and Post Application Meeting Step Year One of the Elder Development Collective Step Year Two of the Elder Development Collective Step The Post Development Process Check-In Form Step The Final Meeting Before the Public Affirmation Step Public Affirmation Conclusion Appendix 1: Our Covenant Partnership Agreement Appendix 2: Our Elders/Pastors Covenant Appendix 3: Our Experiment with the Elder Teams Model Appendix 4: How to Get Everything You See Here in a Word File Bibliography and Resources on Biblical Eldership About the Backstage Pastors The Backstage Pastors series of books have been designed to target specific topics with enough depth to provide meaningful direction but with brevity that facilitates reading or skimming quickly. My hope is to put extremely practical tools into your hands at a reasonable cost that will quickly train you up so that you are quickly freed up to continue with the demands of life and ministry. Other titles from this "Defining The Executive Pastor Role" (available in English and Spanish via ebook and paperback)

130 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 20, 2017

Reviews

[Eric Durso · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good nuts and bolts book.

[Jchrispowers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strong strong process book that reinforces the high calling of eldership, and gives me as a lead pastor a tool for not just using, but truly developing the spiritual significance of those called to be elder's.

[Brandon Morrow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great

Very practical and worth a read for every church who wants to develop leaders despite governance model or denominational polity.

[Jordan Busekrus]

“Time is short and the church needs leaders, so let’s work together.”

This quote from Taylor’s book it is the essence of its entirety. It is a straightforward and exceptionally practical guide to beginning an eldership process in your local church. There is almost no theory or theology of eldership beyond the explanation of Taylor’s church’s position that Elders are “Active Shepherds” rather than a “Board of Directors”. If you want Theology, Taylor himself encourages you to start specifically Alexander Strauch and Robert H. Thune’s books on Eldership. But if your local church is in need of elder leadership and you want go about it in a biblical way, this book paves the road. It’s easily digestible in one sitting which, in my opinion, only adds to its effectiveness as a tool. And yet, despite its practical nature and short length, I feel this book truly honors the spiritual and theological side of Eldership. Reading it would be time well spent for anyone engaged in executive leadership of a local church.