Leadership
Book Review: Church Revitalization from the Inside Out, by Robert Stuart
Review by Josh Vincent | 05.16.2016This book was written by a shepherd who seeks to shepherd shepherds, calling them to reevaluate how they care for Christ’s sheep.
Book Review: Gospel Eldership, by Robert Thune
Review by Phil Newton | 05.06.2016Thune has put together a series of essays, exercises, and questions for aspiring elders to consider before embracing the office of elder.
Mailbag #36: When Nominating Elders May Cause Disunity; Your 9 Marks Aren’t Enough; A Difficult Pastoral Situation
By Jonathan Leeman | 05.02.2016— Should I move forward with installing a plurality of elders, even if the decision causes disunity in the church? — I agree with your nine marks—but seriously, where are the marks of love and prayer and missions? — The grandmother of an unwed and pregnant teenager wants to have her granddaughter’s baby shower at the church. How should I think through this?
Mailbag #35: Excommunicating a Non-Christian; Elders for Church Plants; Membership Interview
By Jonathan Leeman | 04.22.2016— A church member denies the faith; is the proper response excommunication? — In a church plant, how long you should wait to install the first elders? — What questions should you ask during a membership interview? And what should you do if something like a past divorce comes up?
Not Satisfied with our Shepherding, Yet—But Making Some Progress
By Bob Johnson | 04.18.2016We are still not satisfied with our shepherding, but we are grateful for the progress that we are making.
Reverse Mailbag: What Counsel Would You Give?
By Jonathan Leeman | 04.01.2016Will you help us help this pastor?
5 Questions on Church Incorporation
By David Gibbs | 9Marks Journal: Confessions, Covenants, and Constitutions: How to Organize Your Church | 03.29.2016Many pastors are forced to think through this potentially confusing topic. David Gibbs from the Christian Law Association provides some help.
7 Tips for Writing (Or Revising) Your Church Constitution
By A. Nichols, M. Schmucker | 9Marks Journal: Confessions, Covenants, and Constitutions: How to Organize Your Church | 03.29.2016Writing (or revising) your constitution is not really lawyer’s work, and it need not be drudgery. In fact, it can and should be invigorating.
Not Them! Who You Don’t Want to Revise Your Documents
By Mike McKinley | 9Marks Journal: Confessions, Covenants, and Constitutions: How to Organize Your Church | 03.29.2016Here are the five kinds of people that you might be tempted to put on your document revision committee, but should avoid if at all possible.
27 Ways to Use Your Confession and Covenant
By Garrett Kell | 9Marks Journal: Confessions, Covenants, and Constitutions: How to Organize Your Church | 03.29.2016The ways we can use Statements of Faith and Church Covenants in our churches are many, but what matters most is that if we have them, we use them to help each other follow Jesus.
Two Pastors Who Chose To Renovate not Rewrite Their Constitutions
By C. Hill, M. Vroegop | 9Marks Journal: Confessions, Covenants, and Constitutions: How to Organize Your Church | 03.29.2016Don’t give up on that old constitution just yet. Consider renovating it first.
20 Quotes from Jonathan Leeman’s New Book on Elder-Led Congregationalism
By Matt Smethurst | 03.28.2016Here are 20 quotes from Jonathan Leeman’s new book, Understanding the Congregation’s Authority.
Mailbag #34: How to Respond When a Pastor’s Wife Leaves; Pastoring Regular Attenders Who Refuse to Join; Help with Cleaning Up Our Church’s Past Mistakes
By Jonathan Leeman | 03.25.2016—When a pastor’s wife leaves him, can he continue in that position? —How do you pastor a couple who enjoys regularly attending, but refuses to join? —How can I minister to a member of our church, who was hurt by our church 10 years ago and hasn’t been back?
Confessions: Old or New?
By Bobby Jamieson | 9Marks Journal: Confessions, Covenants, and Constitutions: How to Organize Your Church | 03.17.2016Should you look for a historic confession that your church will align with, or adopt something written recently—or even write your own?
On the Thorny Matter of Signatures and Assent
By Brad Wheeler | 9Marks Journal: Confessions, Covenants, and Constitutions: How to Organize Your Church | 03.14.2016Should we risk agitating people by asking them to formally sign something? And what if someone wants to join, but is unsure of a doctrinal matter? Is submission enough, or is agreement necessary?
