Questionnaire for a Prospective Elder

By 9Marks | 01.19.2023

How do you determine if a man is not only qualified to be an elder, but also compatible to elder at your church?

Reflections From a New Pastor For New Church Planters

By Joshua Roulhac | 01.17.2023

Here are 10 reflections/encouragements from a pastor who planted Congress Heights Community Church in SE Washington, DC last year.

Book Review: The Flourishing Pastor, by Tom Nelson

Review by Vergil Brown | 01.16.2023

Tom Nelson’s book ‘The Flourishing Pastor’ is a helpful diagnostic tool for church leaders. It’s like a thorough examination at a doctor’s office; it’s good for you, but it may also make you uncomfortable at times and reveal some trouble spots.

Planting Sticks: The Beauty of Pastoral Tenure in Rural Churches

By Cody Hale | 01.10.2023

The healthiest churches are often the result of pastoral ministries shaped by a long-term perspective of the kingdom.

Book Review: Celebrities for Jesus, by Katelyn Beaty

Review by Samuel D. James | 01.05.2023

Books like ‘Celebrities for Jesus’ are needed wake-up calls to the deceitfulness of riches and the surpassing worth of knowing Jesus over any earthly gain.

Why an Elder Should Oversee the Bookstall

By Josh Manley | 9Marks Journal: The Church's Ministries | 12.15.2022

When your church’s bookstall overseer isn’t feeding the sheep healthy food, they’re working against the digestion of the church’s entire teaching ministry.

5 Steps for Preventing Abuse in Children’s Ministry

By Chad Holmgren | 9Marks Journal: The Church's Ministries | 12.15.2022

Given the prevalence of child abuse in our society, a church should never assume abuse could not happen in its children’s ministry.

Catering to Ministry Consumers

By Josh Hayward | 9Marks Journal: The Church's Ministries | 12.15.2022

What you feed people with is what they’ll continue to hunger for.

Why Pastors Should Oversee Women’s Ministry

By Camryn Zamora | 9Marks Journal: The Church's Ministries | 12.15.2022

When our pastors oversee women’s ministry, it doesn’t indicate distrust, but rather that when the wolves attack, the shepherds will bear the brunt, not the sheep.

Shepherding in the Age of Self

By Jonathan Dodson | 11.15.2022

How should church leaders respond to those embroiled in the age of self?

Book Review: Fight for Your Pastor, by Peter Orr

Review by Walter Price | 11.14.2022

Orr has written a short, easily readable, wonderfully biblical, and deeply challenging word for church members of all times in a humble and engaging way.

Why Missionaries Should Value Professionalism

By Matt Rhodes | 10.27.2022

Many of us fondly remember John Piper’s “Brothers, We Are Not Professionals”. But there’s another type of professionalism that is manifestly not what Piper intended to criticize. It is the day-to-day pursuit of excellence in ministry.

How to Examine Qualifications in Elder Candidates

By Joel Kurz | 10.11.2022

Find the men in your church who are already eldering. Get to know them and, as you do, keep 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 in mind. Once you’re reasonably confident this man ought to be an elder, I recommend a process of formal evaluation.

Pastors Govern Sober-Mindedly

By David Mathis | 10.07.2022

Pastor-teachers do more than teach. They are called to lead—leadership that requires they be, both individually and collectively, sober-minded.

Assessment Questions for New Elder Candidates

By Jeramie Rinne | 10.04.2022

What kinds of questions do you ask to assess the readiness of a prospective elder?