Elders in the Life of the Church: Rediscovering the Biblical Model for Church Leadership

by Phil A. Newton, Matt Schmucker

Newton and Schmucker convincingly demonstrate that a return to the New Testament pattern of elder plurality best serves the shepherding needs of the local church. The authors suggest a workable process for improving a local church’s leadership structure and making the transition to elder plurality. Stories of church leaders provide a narrative of how faithful elder leadership has strengthened their ministries in a variety of settings. Every local church can benefit from this useful resource for building a healthy leadership structure.

Genres: Church, Christian, Leadership, Ecclesiology, Theology, Christianity

256 pages, Paperback

Published March 21, 2014

About the author

Phil A. Newton (PhD, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary; DMin, Fuller Theological Seminary) is senior pastor at South Woods Baptist Church in Memphis. In pastoral ministry for over thirty-five years, he also serves as an adjunct professor at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary’s Equip Center.

Reviews

[Brady Boatwright · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book in the history of elders in Baptist churches and a biblical approach to the implementation of eldership

[Bennett Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably one of the more comprehensive works I’ve read *so far* on elders. Gives a little bit of everything from history to Scripture to personal experience. Was a joy to learn from them.

[Michael Abraham · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Elders in the Life of the Church, Phil Newton and Matt Schmucker walk through history and Scripture and examine the topic of elders. In the first part of the book, they uncover the practice of elders in Baptist churches throughout the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. In part two they exposit four biblical texts (Acts 20:17-31; 1 Tim 3:1-7; Heb 13:17-19; 1 Pet 5:1-5) on elder leadership in the church. Lastly, in part three, they go from theory to practice and discuss the process of transitioning to a plurality of elders in church leadership. Throughout the book, Matt Schmucker shares the story of how Capitol Hill Baptist Church transitioned to a plurality of elders and the benefit that has been to the church.

[Daniel Calle · Rating 4 out of 5]

El libro "Elders in the life of the Church", escrito por el pastor Phil Newton, está dirigido a pastores. Su propósito es argumentar a favor de un gobierno de ancianos en la vida de la iglesia, dentro de un contexto congregacional. El liderazgo de ancianos se analiza histórica (parte 1), bíblica (parte 2) y prácticamente (parte 3). Este modelo se presenta como el ideal que deben seguir todas las iglesias, aunque el autor es claro en decir que la congregación con sus líderes deben estudiar juntos el asunto y llegar a sus propias conclusiones. Es un libro bastante útil y práctico, y fácil de entender. Presenta experiencias de pastores que han hecho la transición a un gobierno de ancianos en sus propias iglesias y un capítulo al final acerca de cómo implementar este modelo en contextos misioneros pioneros y lugares difíciles. Lo interesante es que no descarta el modelo de un solo pastor como antíbiblico, sino como menos prudente. Acepta que haya un solo pastor en situaciones en las que no haya otro hombre maduro en la iglesia, poniendo como meta añadir otros ancianos tan pronto se pueda.

En general, es un libro recomendado para los que están convencidos que el modelo de pluralidad de ancianos es lo mejor. El libro pone el acento sobre el carácter piadoso de los ancianos, el reconocimiento de la iglesia de esos ancianos y el cuidado y la paciencia con que debe llevarse este proceso en la iglesia local.

[Samuel Story · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book to exhort church leaders to model their church on the pattern set by the NT Scriptures. Many practical concerns are laid out and addressed. This reader found the biblical exegesis of pertinent passages very impressive, thorough and compelling.

Why I rated 4/5 is based on the redundancy of particular sections. With 2 authors sharing their own thoughts and experiences, there is almost certainly going to be overlap. However, the book could have been more concise and less exasperating to read if whole chapters were removed that added no new information. I also would have appreciated a little more direct information concerning the differences between elder rule/elder led congregations.

This should be a helpful resource for anyone interested in discovering what the NT models in terms of church polity. May the church of Jesus strive to glorify Him by submitting to His direction revealed in His Word.

[Michael Boling · Rating 5 out of 5]

What are elders and why are they a necessary element of the local body of believers within the framework of a local church? Should elders be given the responsibility of leadership or is that the role of the senior pastor? Why do some denominations utilize elders in their church government while others do not? These are issues that often face churches as they discuss the topic of elders. Phil Newton and Matt Schmucker, in their helpful book in the 9Marks series called Elders in the Life of the Church: Rediscovering the Biblical Model for Church Leadership, examine elder leadership, noting along the way the example set in the early church as well as what the New Testament authors say on this issue.

I attend a church that uses the elder leadership model; however, I have also attended churches that used other leadership frameworks. As noted by Newton and Schmucker, “The drive to increase growth and expand ministry has complicated the structure of churches.” As a result, how to establish a leadership framework that addresses the needs of the flock while allowing the pastors the ability to focus on their role within the church, namely that of instruction and feeding the local body can be tricky at times. This is nothing new within the history of the church as noted by the authors. Paul recognized this issue as he planted churches and ensured that godly elders were appointed in those churches to provide the necessary level of leadership for that body. In fact, Newton and Schmucker rightly note “The balance of the book of Acts demonstrates that elders were part of the early churches’ leadership structure.”

After establishing the New Testament’s approach to the need for elders, Newton and Schmucker then outline why elders are need in churches today with a great deal of focus on the qualifications provided in Scripture for elders. Since elders bear a great responsibility for leading the local body, they must meet a variety of specific qualifications provided in I Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9. Newton and Schmucker do an excellent job of addressing these character qualifications driving home not just the need for elders to have these specific qualifications, but also perhaps more importantly, for the elders to be able to work together in unity as “The elders’ character, or lack thereof, will surface during times of testing and adversity. Nothing is any sweeter than seeing Christian brothers walk through such times in unity.” When hard decisions need to be made, godly character in the life of the elder will indeed shine through.

Part two of this excellent book examines four important biblical texts regarding elders. These passages are exegeted in great detail by Newton and Schmucker for the important purpose of taking a look at issues the early church faced and how elders were vital in tackling those issues. Even though the modern church is 2,000 years removed from the early church, we still face similar issues. Having a biblical framework to review, specifically in terms of why elders are vital to the operation of a local body of believers and how certain situations that arise within that local body should be handled is of extreme importance. Elders are to be under shepherds, men who “exercise their duties in dependence on the same Spirit who set them apart, recognizing that their hands cannot do all that needs to be done in the lives of God’s people. They must trust the Holy Spirit to work in the secret places of people’s minds and hearts to accomplish the divine task before them.” Elders who are in it for popularity or prestige or power are not the men for the job.

Newton and Schmucker also take time to address how the elder leadership model can be implemented in churches where such a model is not currently in place. This is the practical aspect of this book and it is the portion where the authors provided some very salient advice for those churches desiring to make this important transition. This transition should not be done hastily or without much prayer and conversation within the local body. Seeking out men of godly character who have been called by God for that role in the church will take time. Newton and Schmucker provide a three phased process to include the Evaluation Phase, Presentation Phase, and Implementation Phase. Each phase is discussed practically and purposefully, enabling a church considering this transition the ability to have a way forward in that process that is cogent, thorough, and focused on the needs of that local body.

I highly recommend this book for pastors and church leaders, especially those in congregations considering a move towards the elder leadership model or even for those churches who currently operate in such a framework that may need to make some necessary changes. Newton and Schmucker provide salient biblically rooted advice on the subject of elders, ensuring that the biblical model is the example that must be considered at all times. This will be a helpful guide for many years to come on the subject of elders in the local body, why they are vital, and what comprises sound godly elders who are focused on being that needed level of under shepherd in the local body of Christ.

I received this book for free from Kregel Ministry for this review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

[Nate Mason · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is now my go-to book on why eldership is biblical and how to institute eldership in a church. It has chapters that examine the Scriptures as well as chapters that retell personal experiences of the authors in instituting eldership. The final chapter deals specifically with eldership issues on the mission field.

[Tim Hazelbaker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Filled with helpful instructions for how elders practically function. How long are elder meetings? What topics? What about disagreements among elders? How to identify, evaluate, and install potential elders/pastors, both locally and abroad.

Incredibly helpful book.

[Chad Wilham · Rating 5 out of 5]

I took my time reading this book because we're using it as a guide for our church as we transition to elders. I found it helpful on all fronts. Theologically rich, practically applicable at every turn. I'm happy to have finally taken this book off my shelf.

[Patrick Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extensive research on both the biblical and historical foundations for Elders in the church. A chapter on Elders in Majority World countries was intriguing and informative.

[Alex Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Greatly helpful!

[Talon Brandon · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is really two books in one. I give a 3 stars because of the difficulty from switching from Newtons exegetical work and Schmuckers story.

[Doug Hibbard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elders in the Life of the Church is a book that scares me with its subtitle of “Rediscovering the Biblical Model of Church Leadership.” I know that, in the past two millennia, we have had times of drift from Biblical truth. However, when someone claims in 2014 that we finally have something right that’s been wrong for a long, long time, that sets me on edge. Our predecessors were not always right (see: slavery, segregation, religious warfare), but to claim that you are “Biblical” where no one else is, that’s no small claim.

Because of this, I come to Phil A. Newton and Matt Schmucker’s work with some bias against it. I’m not reading this as a big fan, nor as someone who wants to muck about with the outline of church governance handed down by many years of Baptist congregational practice. I do not want to keep the traditions if they are unbiblical, but you’ve got to show me how they are wrong.

Elders in the Life of the Church, though, does a good job demonstrating Newton and Schmucker’s point. I have not read the previous edition, Elders in Congregational Life, but this is billed as a comprehensive update. That says to me that having read the first one would not matter.

What does this book do? It explains, in an alternating chapter format, the case for guiding a church through a plurality of elders. The authors alternate chapters, starting with Newton. While both authors have been pastors, the experiences noted for both them involve super-sized local congregations, so it’s a different world than I live in.

The structure of the book works from ideas to implementation. The first six chapters address why a church needs a plurality of elders. Further, it builds on the idea from a Baptist perspective, rather than an import from Presbyterian perspective. I do find the chapter “Not a New Idea” unfortunately short here, as it could have been used to develop the history of plural eldership in Baptist churches for centuries, but focused only on Capitol Hill Baptist Church.

The next set of chapters addresses the Biblical case for plural eldership. I like that this segment uses Scripture to make an affirmative case for elders more than trying to refute the various other positions. Second, the case that is made allows for the combination of congregational accountability along with elder leadership.

The final set of chapters work through the implementation process. Overall, this section was well-written but not as practical for my context, as I don’t really have very many people looking for learning to be an elder.

Overall, the case made here is a good one. I can see how elder leadership works with congregational responsibility, and also how preachers, teachers, and pastors benefit from the shared leadership of elders. As a guide to implementation, it’s not perfect, but it’s a helpful lead-in to the idea.

The chapter focused on special cases like missions and new church starts was helpful as well. Each chapter contained discussion questions.

I can readily recommend this for study groups or for discussion as a church considers its operational polity. I’m not whole-heartedly convinced, but do find the case persuasive and well-stated, enough to hold its own among traditional viewpoints.

Free book received from Kregel Academic and Professional in exchange for the review.

[Kevin Sorensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I see a book, journal article, blog post or just about anything that's written by someone from 9Marks, I read it. I've been aware of 9Marks since before they were 9Marks. I've read Mark Dever's '9 Marks of a Healthy Church' several times. I've taken our elders and deacons through it twice, along with Dever's equally helpful, 'The Deliberate Church.' So, when Kregel released a newer version of 'Elders in the Life of the Church,' I wanted to read it. I was not disappointed.

Newton & Schmucker both present a solid case for having elders lead the local church. While operating out of a Southern Baptist mind set, and while seeming to be presenting that argument to Southern Baptist churches which do not have elders leading the church, I did not find that overly distracting. I've spent my entire life within the confines of the Evangelical Free Church of America. While not paying much attention as a youngster or a teen, I'm almost certain the Madrid EFC (Madrid, Iowa) had the traditional EFCA model of deacons/trustees governing the church body. Then, when my parents began attending First EFC, Boone, IA, my father served as a deacon, alongside the trustees of that church. The first church I served in, Bethel EFC, Fargo, ND, had deacons, trustees, deaconesses and a general board (consisting of all other leaders who weren't one of the aforementioned officers). Midlands EFC also had deacons/trustees. I'm quite familiar with the 'anti-elder' set-up and sentiment. Once in ministry, almost 98% of the reasons for these churches not having elders were unbiblical reasons.

Newton & Schmucker recognize this and seek to present a historical case for those within the Southern Baptist denomination. Alongside this historical perspective, they then lay out the biblical basis for elders – not elder-rule, but elder–led. Then, the authors present a practical out-working of what they've been teaching as the third section of the book: From Theory to Practice. This is the most helpful section, not simply because it's practical, but because I've witnesses a few churches split over the implementation, not over the concept. In my first church as a 'solo pastor' (Midlands EFC, Council Bluffs, IA), we attempted to add an 'elder of visitation' to the officers without success. The other two churches I've pastored since then have had elders/deacons as officers, so the transition wasn't necessary. But the training was.

If this describes your church: no elders, refusal to have elders, deacons who fight for their right to lead, power-mongers in the congregation who undermine church leadership because there aren't qualified, godly men in the positions of elders, then this book is definitely for you. If your church already has elders, leading and serving the congregation, you'll find this book helpful as further training for them or for equipping future elders.

I highly commend this book to you.

[Michael Vincent · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent overall look at the biblical model of the plurality of elders for church leadership. He not only shares the theology behind it, but shares stories of how transitions to place in several churches. A good companion to Strauch's book on the subject.