Leadership

How to Separate Deacon Work from Elder Work

By Matt Schmucker | 9Marks Journal: Deacons | 04.28.2010

Whether between the pastors and the congregation or within the church’s leadership, division causes Christ’s church to suffer.

The Committee-Free, Task-Specific Deacon

By Matt Schmucker | 9Marks Journal: Deacons | 04.28.2010

Let me put this starkly: committees don’t work!

Leadership Interview with Mark Dever

Evangelical Christians and Modern America

By M. Dever, O. Guinness | 04.08.2010

Os Guinness explores doubt, evil, modernity, the new atheism, evangelical obsession with the present, and more.

“I Learned the Hard Way”: Mentoring at South Woods Baptist

By Phil Newton | 9Marks Journal: Raising Up the Next Generation of Pastors | 04.02.2010

One of the most important things that I can do for staff is to help them understand the diversity in the body of Christ and how to work patiently with all sorts of people.

How to Become a Liberal Without Attending Harvard Divinity School

By Michael Lawrence | 9Marks Journal: A New Evangelical Liberalism | 04.02.2010

I love my sheep. And I love myself. And it’s those two loves, wrongly focused, that tempt me down a gospel-denying path.

Book Review: Liberating Ministry from the Success Syndrome, by Kent and Barbara Hughes

Review by Ken Barbic | 9Marks Journal: Deacons | 04.02.2010

This book attempts to bring refreshment to the soul of anyone that has been laboring in the desert of ministry drought—and it is exceptionally successful.

Book Review: God’s Potters: Pastoral Leadership and the Shaping of Congregations, by Jackson W. Carroll

Review by Jonathan Leeman | 03.31.2010

How then should we measure excellence in ministers and churches? We should measure them entirely according to whether they are faithful to living by and proclaiming God’s Word.

How can a young pastor know when to initiate new structural or institutional changes?

9Marks

A young pastor should consider several matters when considering when to initiate new structural or institutional changes in his church:

A Deacon on a Deacon’s Reward

By John Ingold | 9Marks Journal: Deacons | 03.31.2010

“Blessed to serve” is a phrase that rolls off the tongue readily enough, though often with less consideration than it deserves

Moving from a Deacon-Led to an Elder-Led Church

By Phil Newton | 9Marks Journal: Deacons | 03.31.2010

Rather than a healthy, robust congregationalism, this church practiced congregational micromanagement.

The Biblical Qualifications and Responsibilities of Deacons

By Benjamin Merkle | 9Marks Journal: Deacons | 03.31.2010

The main difference between an elder and a deacon is a difference of gifts and calling, not character.

Deacons: Shock-Absorbers and Servants

By Jamie Dunlop | 9Marks Journal: Deacons | 03.31.2010

Elders lead ministry, deacons facilitate ministry, the congregation does ministry. That, I believe, is the New Testament model.

What are some general guidelines by which pastors can counsel and encourage women in the church?

9Marks | 9Marks Journal: Miscellaneous Articles
As a pastor, your goal should be to set up practical boundaries to protect yourself, the woman, and the church: You want to protect yourself from unjust accusations (1 Tim. 5:19). Moreover, pastors are to be above reproach, so you want to build in boundaries that ensure you will both be above reproach and be seen to be above reproach. You want to protect the woman from any potential wrongdoing on the part of any church leaders.

Who is responsible for training pastors?

9Marks

Most evangelicals believe the answer to that question is obvious: seminaries are responsible. A man who decides he wants to be a pastor should go to seminary, get a degree, and then presto! He’s ready to be a pastor.

What are some practical ways that churches can invest in training pastors?

9Marks

Here are several ways that whole congregations can get involved in training pastors: