Elders and Leaders [Paperback]

Gene A. Getz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2003

Strong leadership in the church is exactly what God had in mind. However, very few people, Getz believes, understand the biblical pattern for church leadership. He has written Elders and Leaders to unravel the mystery and alleviate the confusion surrounding this critical topic. In the first part of the book, Getz lays the historical and biblical groundwork for the position of elder. In the second part, he shares how he has applied or has seen these principles applied over the years.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

GENE A. GETZ, (B.A., Rocky Mountain College; M.A., Wheaton College; Ph.D., New York University), a host and teacher of Renewal Radio, served as a professor at Moody Bible Institute and Dallas Theological Seminary. He has authored more than 60 books, including The Measure of a Healthy Church, Elders and Leaders, and the Men of Character series. He has been a church planting pastor in the Dallas metroplex since 1972 and now serves as President of the Center for Church Renewal and Pastor Emeritus of Fellowship Bible Church North in Plano, Texas.

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Moody Publishers (August 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 080241057X
• ISBN-13: 978-0802410573
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #310,804 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

54 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Update on Strauch, July 14, 2004

By 

Brad Smith (Dallas, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Elders and Leaders (Paperback)

I've noticed several previous reviewers compare 'Elders and Leaders' by Gene Getz to another book on church eldership called 'Biblical Eldership' by Alexander Strauch. After growing up in a small Plymouth Brethren church (Alexander Strauch's background as well) I've understood for years why Biblical Eldership was written and used as the key book for elders to study their biblical role. However, Strauch doesn't just present the biblical texts, but presents many personal conclusions as if they were the logical biblical conclusions. The problem is that Strauch doesn't identify or separate out his own cultural biases in reading the biblical texts on elders. His conclusions work perfectly in small PB churches, but create much confusion in larger churches and those with different elder structures. As a result, I've asked many elder boards over the years to read Strauch to study the biblical texts, but work hard to draw the line where he jumped in to his own cultural conclusions. It has been a hard task and often elder boards finish the book frustrated by the obvious bias placed on biblical texts. The key area of problem is that Strauch has made the Bible say things about leadership structures, the role of staff, and involvement of elders in various micro-tasks that are just not present in the biblical texts.

As with Strauch, Getz also presents the biblical texts very well. He also includes writings of the early church fathers up to the 3rd century. What Getz does differently than Strauss is that he keeps the 'pure text' work to the front of the book so elders of all size and type churches can read this as 'pure' biblical exegesis. In the later section of the book, Getz draws his own conclusions which come from pastoring large, elder-led churches for over 3 decades. They are very different conclusions than Strauch but they are very consistent with larger and non-PB elders experiences. This book can be read by an elder board both as a biblical study alone (skip the last chapters) or as a biblical study plus application if your church is similar to Getz's.

People with small Plymouth Brethren style church biases should continue to read Strauch. These churches often have strong opinions about elder leadership and this book is not meant for them. Larger and non PB elder-led churches will be very well served by Getz's work. Churches with presbytry, council or bishop systems will find this as a helpful 'first' book to read, but will need to read additional books that provide the background to their specific denominational system since Getz's book does not cover aspects of later church history where these systems were created.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best teaching on Biblical Eldership, March 19, 2006

By 

Barry K. Voorhies (Nashville, Tn.) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Elders and Leaders (Paperback)

Getz' teaching on Biblical Eldership includes all the scriptures and materials that other authors use and he does an excellent job just as others have done. What separates this book from others is an adequate explanation of leadership within the plurality of eldership. He explores and explains the teaching pastor as a servant leader within the plurality of elders (pastors) in a church. I have read almost everything available on church government and Getz's book most clearly lays out government like the New Testament Church. Others I have read fall short, in some respect, of covering the whole story. Also, after doing a little research on the qualifications of Mr. Getz, he has a vast history of helping the church toward good fruit. Do a google on Gene A. Getz, you'll be surprised at the life's work and fruit. I heartily recommend the book. It was just what I needed at just the right time.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Assumptions and conjecture lead to erroneous conclusions, May 20, 2010

By 

Curtis Parton (Rincon, PR United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Elders and Leaders (Paperback)

I have great respect for Gene Getz. He has been a faithful pastor, church-planter, and educator, and has written other books of value to the body of Christ. But one cannot allow respect for an author to prevent a frank and honest evaluation of his work, and I'm sure Gene Getz would agree.

As with similar books that include practical observations, readers will agree with some applications and question others. The author provides some solid insights and principles of biblical church leadership. If not for serious flaws, this book would have been a beneficial addition to the existing books on pastoral leadership. Unfortunately, as other reviewers have noted, one begins to notice far too many biblical interpretations based on conjecture rather than clear exegesis. For example:

-- There were no elders of the church in Antioch in Acts 13. [This may be true; it may not. Scripture doesn't say. This is simply an assumption.]

-- Barnabas "voluntarily became second in command" to Paul. [Where are we told this? Where is the relationship between the two so expressed? If this is so, why did Barnabas later counter Paul regarding Mark? Was he defying Paul's primary leadership?]

-- In Luke 22:32, Jesus not only instructs Peter to strengthen his brothers, but to shepherd them and to lead them---and this in a manner unique from the shepherding and leading of the other apostles, serving as a primary leader. [Of course, Scripture doesn't actually tell us this.]

-- Peter wasn't just prominent in proclaiming the Gospel in Acts 2, he was exercising primary leadership of the other apostles, which they obediently followed.

-- At the conference reported in Acts 15, Peter represented the apostles, and James represented the elders.

-- John served as Peter's "assistant."

These examples may be plausible, and we may even be sympathetic to some. But they go beyond the clear teaching of Scripture. (And, alarmingly, they occur in the exegetical section of the book.) This is reading into the text one's own conclusions.

Of course, the elephant in the room for many readers of this book will be Getz's idea of the necessity of a primary leader being distinguished from the other elders. In Part Three of the book, his Observation 11 states: "The New Testament definitely teaches and illustrates that when there is a plurality of leadership, someone needs to function as the primary leader of the team." He insists that God didn't plan for the church to have coleaders. He then surprisingly (and somewhat self-contradictorily) admits that "the biblical story of local church leadership offers little data to make the specific observation that someone must function as the primary leader." In his opinion, the overall context of Scripture and the roles of Peter and James are enough to establish this primary leadership function.

But Getz doesn't adequately cover (or usually even discuss) examples from Scripture that would tend to differ from his interpretation. What of Barnabas and Saul together teaching the congregation in Antioch? Why does Paul refer to three pillars of the Jerusalem church in Galatians 2, rather than to one primary leader? If James was an apostle of Christ, as many scholars believe, wouldn't that provide a different rationale for distinguishing him from the elders?

Getz refers to the apostles sending Peter and John to Samaria as a demonstration that Peter "did not act unilaterally without seeking advice and counsel and affirmation." But there is not one hint in this passage of Peter providing primary leadership in this venture while seeking advice, counsel, or affirmation from the other apostles. Instead what we see are the apostles leading as a team and directing Peter and John. Getz reads into the passage his own assumptions, and arrives at an interpretation not born out by the actual text. Actually, this passage is very supportive of the viewpoint that Getz dismisses.

If the primary leader shepherds the shepherds and leads the leaders, who shepherds and leads the primary leader? The Bible gives us many accounts of plural elders/overseers, qualifications for elders, and instructions given to the church elders. But we don't have one clear reference to even the existence of a designated primary leader for a NT church (not even of Peter or James), not to mention the lack of any qualifications for such a primary leader, the appointment of any primary leader, or any instructions given to some primary leader. Where does the NT "definitely teach" this? We're not told. All we have are the examples of Peter and James, which are questionable in their support of Getz's conclusions, and which do not establish the normative role that he describes. Even if everything he claims about them is true, all this would show is that one of the elders may tend to exercise a prominent leadership. Of course, no one denies this. But anything beyond that is pure conjecture. And prominence in leadership doesn't equate a formally distinct role, no matter how much one may assume so. The only place where the Bible refers to one who provides ongoing primary leadership to the elders/shepherds is the "archipoimen" (Chief Shepherd or Senior Pastor) in 1 Peter 5:4. The body has only one Head; the kingdom has only one King. Each team of church elders do require a primary leader, but that primary leader should be Jesus Christ, their Chief Shepherd/Senior Pastor.

I am one elder/pastor who, regrettably, cannot recommend this book. I would suggest instead Alexander Strauch's book "Biblical Eldership." Strauch is sound in his exegesis, careful in his conclusions, and presents a balanced approach that has proven to be instrumental for a broad range of evangelical churches, from small house-churches to congregations with large staffs and attendances in the thousands. Gene Getz tells (p. 302) of a time earlier in his ministry when he became more pragmatic than biblical. With no disrespect or animosity intended, I would gently suggest that this is true of this work [Elders and Leaders] as well.