Elders in Congregational Life - rediscovering the biblical model for church leadership

A definitive and biblical answer to the current debate in many churches over the use of biblical offices in autonomous congregations. Many evangelical churches place high value on their autonomy as local congregations with the freedom to govern themselves. Ideally this means each member participates in decisionmaking, but in reality pure congregationalism is unwieldy, subject to conflicts on the one hand and inertia on the other. Pastors often solve the problem by absorbing more and more authority for themselves. Neither approach is biblical. A biblically functioning church requires much more than skillful organization and clever techniques. It calls for intentional devotion to the New Testament model of the church, and church leadership stands at the heart of the model. In this practical book, experienced pastor Phil Newton explains the necessity of elder plurality and how it functions in a congregational setting. He then calls for churches to raise the standards of church leadership. Newton demonstrates the history of elder plurality in Baptist life, expounds three biblical texts to shed light on the New Testament model for spiritual leaders, and provides answers to commonly asked questions.

Publisher: Kregal
Type: Paperback
ISBN: 9780825433313

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Phil A. Newton (D.Min., Fuller Theological Seminary) is a senior pastor at South Woods Baptist Church in Memphis, Tenn., where he has been since 1987. In ministry for more than thirty years, he also has served as an adjunct professor at several schools, and is regularly involved in leading international mission teams. Phil and his wife, Karen, live in Germantown, Tenn.

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“You can tell by the wealth of information in these chapters that Phil has lived through the process, and he’s willing to share his own experiences—good and bad—in order to help us have even better experiences in our churches.”Mark Dever