The focus is on the elder’s collective responsibilities as well as practical aspects of putting biblical structures and methods to work. Also explored are implementation techniques: from the small church, to the church plant, to the large church with many members and ministries.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Alternative to the,
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This review is from: Eldership in Action: Through Biblical Governance of the Church (Paperback)
Dick Swartley draws on over thirty years experience as a tentmaker elder of a church, which grew to an attendance of 2000 adult worshipers, to authoritatively deal with governing a church in a Biblical manner. He experienced hierarchical methods of organizational direction in a large business with governmental customers. And he encountered such methods in the local church where they were characterized by manifestations of "ego, power and privilege - as well as men's timidity, passivity, and acquiescence in responsibility."
A primary value of "Eldership in Action" is its practicality. Dick provides practical guidance for efficient conduct of meetings, determining vision, mission, and strategic planning, delegation, reporting and accountability, communication among leadership and with the congregation, confidentiality, emergency decisions, and terminology which reinforces Biblical truths; and the like. In dealing with an elder council as a corporate body, "Eldership in Action" is an excellent complement to "Biblical Eldership" by Alexander Strauch, which focuses on the personal attributes and conduct of individual elders. Both books are of value, not only for present elders, but in the training of elder candidates.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent, Practical Guide for Elder-Led Churches!,
By
This review is from: Eldership in Action: Through Biblical Governance of the Church (Paperback)
Our church (a large one) has been moving from a Sr. Pastor model of church leadership to an Elder-Led model. This book has turned out to be a gold mine of practical information for us! From the biblical basis for multiple leadership, to how elders are to function, to how staff and elders relate--this book covers many of those difficult issues an elder-led church must deal with.
I would highly recommend this book whether you are already functioning under an elder-led model, or whether you are reconsidering your current structure. This book challenges the prevailing thinking regarding church leadership, giving us a more biblical alternative to the common Sr. Pastor model.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent resource,
By
This review is from: Eldership in Action: Through Biblical Governance of the Church (Paperback)
This book is a valuable addition to the study of the pastoral leadership of the church. Where a book such as Strauch's "Biblical Eldership" provides the necessary doctrinal foundation of church leadership, Swartley builds on that foundation and gives us incredibly helpful insights regarding the nuts and bolts of 'eldering.' We benefit from the author's experience and wisdom.
He covers all of the topics that one would expect in this kind of book, such as the processes for selecting and appointing elders, the make up of the elder council, interaction with the rest of the congregation, the necessity of prayer, effective council meetings, church discipline, confidentiality, etc. Along the way, he also discusses some key issues that church elders will appreciate. For instance, he clarifies the relationship between the terms elder and pastor, reminding us that all elders are pastors, but not all pastors are elders. This is helpful because we tend to equate the two. He also---more than once---gives strong warning regarding the danger of distinguishing one elder as 'the pastor,' showing how this undermines a true biblical eldership, and has no scriptural basis. I appreciated Swartley's wisdom on the benefits of team teaching/preaching. This model perfectly fits the concept of the church being pastored by a team of elders, and I'm pleased to see significant attention paid to it. He criticizes the use of Robert's Rules of Order, and shows a much healthier way of elders interacting that fosters consensus rather than politicking. Swartley advocates a middle ground between the rule of the majority and absolute unanimity. He values consensus, but warns against the possibility of decisions being determined, in a sense, by the lone holdout. His thinking has merit, but is challenging to those trained to hold unanimous consensus as almost sacred in elder deliberations. He also cautions regarding potential groupthink, where harmonizing with one's fellow elders can become more important than what is actually right (and wrong). Swartley also has an interesting proposal concerning having a designated leadership team drawn from the elders of a council that has grown too large to efficiently lead as a whole. As with any book that includes practical insights and suggestions, readers may not agree with every idea but will gain from thinking through and responding to them. He also includes a lot of helpful, practical thinking on the need for councils to be proactive rather than simply reactionary, to intentionally provide opportunities for fellowship among elders, how to delegate effectively, the process of making proposals, etc. Leaders of larger churches with paid staffs (or churches who hope to grow to that point) will want to carefully read Swartley's thoughts on the subtle danger of dividing the staff from both the elders and the church's volunteers. The staff can too easily become the actual, active leadership of the church, with the elders serving merely as a type of trustee board. Elders must be actual pastors and leaders, and the author emphasizes this repeatedly. This is an excellent resource, and I think any church seeking to wisely implement a truly biblical eldership will find this both challenging and edifying. Highly recommended.
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