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Gospel Eldership: Equipping a New Generation of Servant Leaders
One way or another, leaders emerge in the life of every church. Most pastors want to be intentional about developing and shaping those leaders themselves, but they rarely have the time and resources to do it. So leaders spring up, often without deep roots in the gospel, and they struggle to guide the church towards proper Christian ideologies.
The biblical task of leading a church requires more than good management principles or sound theology. If the gospel truly is the power of God for salvation (Romans 1:16) and is constantly bearing fruit and growing within us (Colossians 1:6), then each elder must be strong in the gospel. That's the vision and the goal behind Gospel Eldership.
Gospel Eldership combines theological training with spiritual formation in order to shape future (and current) Christian church leaders at the heart level. It walks future leaders through the biblical concept of servant leadership and the primacy of character before looking at the specific duties of church elders. Gospel Eldership helps develop men who know their own heart idolatry and how the good news of the gospel applies to it and who have a sense of gospel fluency so that they can swiftly, effectively, and clearly apply the gospel to others. Gospel Eldership is designed to intentionally raise up the type of men who can and should lead God's church.
Gospel Eldership treats the role of elder carefully and biblically and is written from a theologically complementarian viewpoint. With practical exercises to help put Christian concepts to work in real-life situations, Gospel Eldership can be used in one-on-one discipleship or in a small group setting and is appropriate for use in any Christian church from the smallest church plant to the largest church-planting church.
The biblical task of leading a church requires more than good management principles or sound theology. If the gospel truly is the power of God for salvation (Romans 1:16) and is constantly bearing fruit and growing within us (Colossians 1:6), then each elder must be strong in the gospel. That's the vision and the goal behind Gospel Eldership.
Gospel Eldership combines theological training with spiritual formation in order to shape future (and current) Christian church leaders at the heart level. It walks future leaders through the biblical concept of servant leadership and the primacy of character before looking at the specific duties of church elders. Gospel Eldership helps develop men who know their own heart idolatry and how the good news of the gospel applies to it and who have a sense of gospel fluency so that they can swiftly, effectively, and clearly apply the gospel to others. Gospel Eldership is designed to intentionally raise up the type of men who can and should lead God's church.
Gospel Eldership treats the role of elder carefully and biblically and is written from a theologically complementarian viewpoint. With practical exercises to help put Christian concepts to work in real-life situations, Gospel Eldership can be used in one-on-one discipleship or in a small group setting and is appropriate for use in any Christian church from the smallest church plant to the largest church-planting church.
158 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 7, 2022
119 people are currently reading
309 people want to read
About the author
Robert H. Thune
21 books9 followersRobert H. Thune, MA (Reformed Theological Seminary), is the lead pastor of Coram Deo, a gospel-centered church he planted in 2005 in Omaha, Nebraska. He is the coauthor of The Gospel-Centered Community, another Christ-centered small group study. Bob and his wife Leigh have four children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
April 27, 2023
A good primer for those interested in church eldership. Great discussion points in the exercises for small group or cohort use.
July 7, 2025
Absolute crowbar to the shins. Greatest reflection/discussion questions in existence - prepare to repent. (Would genuinely recommend I’ll read it again haha)
August 15, 2019
Robert Thune’s Gospel Eldership is a unique and helpful book. And it’s now my go-to book for training and sharpening elders. Thune’s book stands out in at least two ways: 1) Thune’s commitment to shepherding the hearts of shepherds; 2) Thune’s commitment to a biblical model of eldering that is gospel focused and takes the shape of the gospel.
For Thune that begins with an understanding of what servant leadership is, and what the gospel means for us individually and for us as leaders.
As selfish beings, the natural bent of power is to be self-serving. Thune says, “The world’s default model of leadership, practiced over centuries and across cultures, is about being served.”
Thune argues that the three typical models of church leadership are tainted by this impulse. Those are: 1) the anointed leader model; 2) the ecclesiastical hierarchy model; 3) the CEO/Board model. We have to discard these models and take a look at what the Bible has to say about true leadership. And at the center of that model is God-in-flesh, Jesus Christ.
Thune suggests that “The categories of character, competence, and compatibility for a ‘triangle’ of biblical leadership qualifications.”
Thune encourages us to, like the scripture, emphasize the character of elders. He says that “Character is discerned in community.” And that “Character is best evaluated under pressure.” We ought to look at how men are already living in the context of community and ultimately turn to his home. This is the place where character is best displayed. “[I]f a man can’t pastor the little flock God has given him (his family),” Thune asks, “how will he pastor a bigger one (the church)?”
Later, Thune considers the impact of this character in the preaching ministry of the elders: “The best sermons come not just from a preacher, but through a preacher.”
Finally, Thune points out that if we preference character, we are not likely to be sacrificing competence. “Character and wisdom usually go together,” Thune says.
Thune turns to the heart and asks piercing questions: What kind of false righteousness tempt you? Discipline righteousness? Family righteousness? Theological righteousness? Intellectual righteousness? Accessibility righteousness? Mercy righteousness? Legalistic righteousness? Financial righteousness?
At the heart of our fears are idols. Thune quotes Darrin Patrick who identifies four basic source idols “that lie deep in our hearts.” Comfort, Approval, Control, Power. These must be uprooted and continually weeded from an elder’s heart.
Thune offers wise advice: “Therefore, a wise spiritual leader is self-aware. He knows where he’s likely to be tempted. He’s cognizant of his weaknesses and character flaws…He’s committed, as John Owen counseled, to ‘finding out the subtleties, policies, and depths of any indwelling sin… to trace this serpent in all its turnings and windings; be able to say, at its most secret actings, ‘This is your old way and course; I know what you aim at.’” “Mortify sin, resolutely and relentlessly,” Thune concludes. If elders aren’t leading a congregation in the mortification of sin, who will? And if elders are not persistently mortifying sin within them, how far reaching with the impact be?
Thune then deals with the issue of compatibility. “A man doesn’t aspire to the office of eldership in the abstract—he aspires to the office of elder in a particular local church. If he is in alignment with the specific mission, vision, and direction of that church. In other words, he must be compatible.” I’ve found this to be an overlooked category and I appreciate Thune pointing it out. Hopefully your church is blessed with many godly men in it, but godly men may well disagree on the vision for your local church. If you merely assemble the godliest men as your elders without alignment on the church’s vision, there are significant consequences.
Thune then moves to five categories of gospel eldership. He borrows the first four from Strauch’s classic book and adds an important fifth to the list:
“[W]e can summarize an elder’s calling according to four basic categories:
Elders feed God’s flock: by treasuring God’s Word and teaching it to others.
Elders lead God’s flock: by being examples in both character and skill.
Elders protect God’s flock: from false teachers and from spiritual apathy and sin.
Elders care for God’s flock: by encouraging them in the gospel through all kinds of life circumstances. [I love Thune’s extended metaphor of elders as spiritual physicians who need a gentle manner, to be accurate in their method.]
One other category that is implicit in the biblical text but often overlooked in modern scholarship is that elders are missional. They lead God’s mission and train others to live as missionaries in their culture.”
Thune urges elders to create healthy and transparent community. “Create honest community. Leadership is lonely… You need people around you who know you well and whom you can trust with the honest truth about yourself.” We cannot go it alone. We need one another.
The only very minor issue I would point out in Thune’s excellent book is that Thune is coming from a small church context. If your context is small as well, then there won’t be much translation needed, but for leaders in larger contexts, there will be a need for some internal translation of Thune’s solid principals into the practical.
Robert Thune’s Gospel Eldership is a book any pastor or elder should have on his bookshelf and one that any man aspiring to be an elder should read.
See www.thebeehive.live for more reviews.
For Thune that begins with an understanding of what servant leadership is, and what the gospel means for us individually and for us as leaders.
As selfish beings, the natural bent of power is to be self-serving. Thune says, “The world’s default model of leadership, practiced over centuries and across cultures, is about being served.”
Thune argues that the three typical models of church leadership are tainted by this impulse. Those are: 1) the anointed leader model; 2) the ecclesiastical hierarchy model; 3) the CEO/Board model. We have to discard these models and take a look at what the Bible has to say about true leadership. And at the center of that model is God-in-flesh, Jesus Christ.
Thune suggests that “The categories of character, competence, and compatibility for a ‘triangle’ of biblical leadership qualifications.”
Thune encourages us to, like the scripture, emphasize the character of elders. He says that “Character is discerned in community.” And that “Character is best evaluated under pressure.” We ought to look at how men are already living in the context of community and ultimately turn to his home. This is the place where character is best displayed. “[I]f a man can’t pastor the little flock God has given him (his family),” Thune asks, “how will he pastor a bigger one (the church)?”
Later, Thune considers the impact of this character in the preaching ministry of the elders: “The best sermons come not just from a preacher, but through a preacher.”
Finally, Thune points out that if we preference character, we are not likely to be sacrificing competence. “Character and wisdom usually go together,” Thune says.
Thune turns to the heart and asks piercing questions: What kind of false righteousness tempt you? Discipline righteousness? Family righteousness? Theological righteousness? Intellectual righteousness? Accessibility righteousness? Mercy righteousness? Legalistic righteousness? Financial righteousness?
At the heart of our fears are idols. Thune quotes Darrin Patrick who identifies four basic source idols “that lie deep in our hearts.” Comfort, Approval, Control, Power. These must be uprooted and continually weeded from an elder’s heart.
Thune offers wise advice: “Therefore, a wise spiritual leader is self-aware. He knows where he’s likely to be tempted. He’s cognizant of his weaknesses and character flaws…He’s committed, as John Owen counseled, to ‘finding out the subtleties, policies, and depths of any indwelling sin… to trace this serpent in all its turnings and windings; be able to say, at its most secret actings, ‘This is your old way and course; I know what you aim at.’” “Mortify sin, resolutely and relentlessly,” Thune concludes. If elders aren’t leading a congregation in the mortification of sin, who will? And if elders are not persistently mortifying sin within them, how far reaching with the impact be?
Thune then deals with the issue of compatibility. “A man doesn’t aspire to the office of eldership in the abstract—he aspires to the office of elder in a particular local church. If he is in alignment with the specific mission, vision, and direction of that church. In other words, he must be compatible.” I’ve found this to be an overlooked category and I appreciate Thune pointing it out. Hopefully your church is blessed with many godly men in it, but godly men may well disagree on the vision for your local church. If you merely assemble the godliest men as your elders without alignment on the church’s vision, there are significant consequences.
Thune then moves to five categories of gospel eldership. He borrows the first four from Strauch’s classic book and adds an important fifth to the list:
“[W]e can summarize an elder’s calling according to four basic categories:
Elders feed God’s flock: by treasuring God’s Word and teaching it to others.
Elders lead God’s flock: by being examples in both character and skill.
Elders protect God’s flock: from false teachers and from spiritual apathy and sin.
Elders care for God’s flock: by encouraging them in the gospel through all kinds of life circumstances. [I love Thune’s extended metaphor of elders as spiritual physicians who need a gentle manner, to be accurate in their method.]
One other category that is implicit in the biblical text but often overlooked in modern scholarship is that elders are missional. They lead God’s mission and train others to live as missionaries in their culture.”
Thune urges elders to create healthy and transparent community. “Create honest community. Leadership is lonely… You need people around you who know you well and whom you can trust with the honest truth about yourself.” We cannot go it alone. We need one another.
The only very minor issue I would point out in Thune’s excellent book is that Thune is coming from a small church context. If your context is small as well, then there won’t be much translation needed, but for leaders in larger contexts, there will be a need for some internal translation of Thune’s solid principals into the practical.
Robert Thune’s Gospel Eldership is a book any pastor or elder should have on his bookshelf and one that any man aspiring to be an elder should read.
See www.thebeehive.live for more reviews.
October 30, 2021
Used for officer training. Excellent resource.
January 12, 2022
Excellent book. Will go back through at a slower pace and digest it more. Hope to use it in growing elders in their understanding of their work.
April 4, 2016
Bob Thune. Gospel Eldership. Greensboro: New Growth Press, 2016. 144 pp. $14.99
Everything rises or falls with good leadership. The fruitfulness and effectiveness of the local church is dependent upon men who exert strong, humble, and God-centered leadership. Weak men spawn weak churches. But men who living according to God's mandate are a part of churches that thrive and produce spiritual fruit to the glory of God.
“The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer; he desires a noble task.” So says the apostle Paul in his letter to Timothy.
Raising up biblical elders was a challenge in the first-century church. It continues to pose a tremendous challenge in our day as well. There are numerous resources that help equip biblical elders. The most notable resource is Biblical Eldership (https://baldreformer.wordpress.com/wp...) by Alexander Strauch.
However, Robert Thune’s excellent work, Gospel Eldership: Equipping a New Generation of Servant Leaders serves as a suitable companion and will no doubt be greatly used by God in the days to come.
The thesis is clear enough: “And is it not true that for a church to go deep in the gospel, its leaders must be deep in the gospel? That’s the vision and the goal behind Gospel Eldership.”
So the author presents ten lessons that provide a workable platform to train prospective elders and nurture the faith of men who currently serve as elders.
What is an Elder?
Section one discusses biblical eldership at a grassroots level. The author explores the importance of servant leadership, examines the necessity of a plurality of leadership, and walks readers through the various character qualifications the make up an elder.
Duties of Elders
Section two focusses on the important duties of elders. Elders are called upon to feed, lead, protect, and care for the church. In addition, Mr. Thune discusses the necessity of leadership that is missional and also touches on some temptations that emerge in missional leaders.
The first thing readers will notice in this work is the short, readable chapters. Each lesson is packed with biblical wisdom that point readers to the gospel. Discussion questions are included along with exercises that help apply the biblical principles that are presented.
There is much to commend in Thune’s work. But the highlight of this book is found in its repeated emphasis on the gospel. The author sets his sights on the heart of the reader. It is clear from beginning to end that the aim is heart transformation in every elder.
I highly recommend Gospel Eldership and look forward to hearing about how it encourages Christian leaders around the world.
Everything rises or falls with good leadership. The fruitfulness and effectiveness of the local church is dependent upon men who exert strong, humble, and God-centered leadership. Weak men spawn weak churches. But men who living according to God's mandate are a part of churches that thrive and produce spiritual fruit to the glory of God.
“The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer; he desires a noble task.” So says the apostle Paul in his letter to Timothy.
Raising up biblical elders was a challenge in the first-century church. It continues to pose a tremendous challenge in our day as well. There are numerous resources that help equip biblical elders. The most notable resource is Biblical Eldership (https://baldreformer.wordpress.com/wp...) by Alexander Strauch.
However, Robert Thune’s excellent work, Gospel Eldership: Equipping a New Generation of Servant Leaders serves as a suitable companion and will no doubt be greatly used by God in the days to come.
The thesis is clear enough: “And is it not true that for a church to go deep in the gospel, its leaders must be deep in the gospel? That’s the vision and the goal behind Gospel Eldership.”
So the author presents ten lessons that provide a workable platform to train prospective elders and nurture the faith of men who currently serve as elders.
What is an Elder?
Section one discusses biblical eldership at a grassroots level. The author explores the importance of servant leadership, examines the necessity of a plurality of leadership, and walks readers through the various character qualifications the make up an elder.
Duties of Elders
Section two focusses on the important duties of elders. Elders are called upon to feed, lead, protect, and care for the church. In addition, Mr. Thune discusses the necessity of leadership that is missional and also touches on some temptations that emerge in missional leaders.
The first thing readers will notice in this work is the short, readable chapters. Each lesson is packed with biblical wisdom that point readers to the gospel. Discussion questions are included along with exercises that help apply the biblical principles that are presented.
There is much to commend in Thune’s work. But the highlight of this book is found in its repeated emphasis on the gospel. The author sets his sights on the heart of the reader. It is clear from beginning to end that the aim is heart transformation in every elder.
I highly recommend Gospel Eldership and look forward to hearing about how it encourages Christian leaders around the world.
July 4, 2023
As a personal study, it's fairly good. However, Gospel Eldership is intended for group study with potential or current elders, and from that perspective, it's excellent. I am already looking forward to walking through this with others.
June 6, 2024
Elder qualifications are typically measured by performance or skill, but Thune masterfully leads elder-candidates to consider the performance of Christ on their behalf while not marginalizing the qualifications of the calling and office. The discussion questions and exercises necessitate working through this book in community, rather than alone. I would desire all men in our church to work through this book/material regardless of their aspiration to the office. Will be using this book as an elder-development tool.
December 12, 2024
Highly recommend any one aspiring the office of elder, in the office of elder, or has been in the office of elder to read this book. A must read and honest work through that presses on the heart of the reader what an elder is, does, and should be. Read this book and answer the questions honestly. You won’t be disappointed with how it pushes you to Christ.
October 31, 2021
An excellent resource to understanding yourself in the context of the potential of Biblical eldership. Not simply an explaination of the roles/responsibilities/qualifications of eldership but lots of reflection questions and assignments to process your own life.
April 8, 2025
Thune's work here is equal parts biblical and practical. His view of eldership is firmly rooted in the New Testament, and his constant encouragement for reflection and application forces the reader to think about how these biblical principles ought to play out in their particular church. Remarkably concise and helpful!
May 9, 2022
This is the best book for elder training/self reflection I've come across.
April 24, 2024
A few quibbles here and there, but overall a very solid and well rounded introduction to pastor-eldership.
March 26, 2025
Not perfect but it had thought provoking questions. It is a helpful resource for aspiring leaders.
June 25, 2025
Gave some helpful and thought-provoking advice for those who aspire to eldership.
November 26, 2025
One of the most challenging introspective books I’ve ever read… it deserves a second pass.
December 6, 2025
A great tool to examine yourself and to understand what it means to be a biblical elder. On my second read, it was just as insightful, challenging, and inspiring as the first. A book I would continue to return to.
February 21, 2022
This small book on the subject of elders and church leadership development is helpful. The size of it make the books so easily accessible to a wide audience. The content of the book is aimed to be usable in the process of developing elders immediately. The flip side of those two positives are, first, that the book is short and therefore feels less comprehensive than a person might want. Second, the book is very action centered and less theological, making its content usable but may leave the reader less informed than he might want. However, even with those two possible weaknesses in the book, the intent of the author wasn’t to be comprehensive and the final authority on the subject. Robert Thune, I think, found a good balancing spot for him to be practically helpful to a wide audience. I know this book was helpful to me.
March 27, 2020
This book is a fantastic resource for training men for the office of elder in the local church. It's simple, practical, biblical, gospel-centered, and heart-probing. Again and again I found this book confronting my own idols and heart sins. But again and again Thune took me to the healing gospel of Jesus Christ.
May 14, 2023
I first became aware of this book when it was used as a part of a soft skills module, I was helping lead in our NXTGEN Pastors Cohort. We then decided that another elder from our church and I would read the book to see if it might be a resource that would be helpful to use in our church.
The book was written with three primary audiences in mind.
• Current elders
• Elders-in-training
• Christians who are seeking to better understand the Bible’s teaching about local church leadership.
The book consists of ten short lessons, each with an objective, a scripture reading and discussion questions. Each lesson is followed by an exercise, which includes a section for personal reflection and Gospel application.
The author has found that you will get the best results when the book is used as a small-group study. He writes that ideally a current elder or spiritual mentor should lead a group of emerging leaders through the content, which is how I can see it being used in our church. This book not only shares information about what the Bible says about elders, but it really gets at the heart of those who are, or may one day be an elder.
The author writes that God intends for his church to be led by godly leaders known as elders. One office—the office of local church elder—is referred to under three titles: elder, pastor, and overseer/bishop. The office of elder-pastor is to be filled by men. The author tells us that if a church is to be healthy, its elders must be men who are grounded and rooted in the gospel. That is the crucial gap in many churches today, and that is the weakness that the book is designed to address.
The book includes two appendices:
APPENDIX A: Functional & Formative Eldership
APPENDIX B: Supplemental Resources
Gospel Eldership will be a helpful resource for the church in mentoring future or new elders.
Here are 12 helpful quotes from the book:
1. The world’s default model of leadership, practiced over centuries and across cultures, is about being served. Jesus expects his followers to be servant leaders. And he’s come to make them just that. Jesus is our example. He is the ultimate Servant Leader.
2. Gospel leadership is servant leadership;
3. We cannot be the servant leaders Jesus commands us to be without believing the good news of the gospel.
4. Jesus is the head of the church. And Jesus has taught us how he wants his church to be led. Our job is to follow his blueprint.
5. Eldership is much less about competence than about character.
6. If you haven’t built a consistent habitual practice of spiritual disciplines, you shouldn’t expect to grow in godly character.
7. The categories of character, competence, and compatibility form a “triangle” of biblical leadership qualifications.
8. Elders are shepherds of God’s flock.
9. Elders must be men of the Word. They must love, treasure, memorize, and meditate on the Scriptures.
10. A good elder knows that he leads the flock well by leading himself well.
11. Unless a man has proven that he has the skill and ability to lead other leaders, he should not be leading as an elder in God’s church.
12. If elders are living missionary lives, loving and serving non-Christians, the church will be doing so as well. If elders are failing in mission, the church will not be missional.
The book was written with three primary audiences in mind.
• Current elders
• Elders-in-training
• Christians who are seeking to better understand the Bible’s teaching about local church leadership.
The book consists of ten short lessons, each with an objective, a scripture reading and discussion questions. Each lesson is followed by an exercise, which includes a section for personal reflection and Gospel application.
The author has found that you will get the best results when the book is used as a small-group study. He writes that ideally a current elder or spiritual mentor should lead a group of emerging leaders through the content, which is how I can see it being used in our church. This book not only shares information about what the Bible says about elders, but it really gets at the heart of those who are, or may one day be an elder.
The author writes that God intends for his church to be led by godly leaders known as elders. One office—the office of local church elder—is referred to under three titles: elder, pastor, and overseer/bishop. The office of elder-pastor is to be filled by men. The author tells us that if a church is to be healthy, its elders must be men who are grounded and rooted in the gospel. That is the crucial gap in many churches today, and that is the weakness that the book is designed to address.
The book includes two appendices:
APPENDIX A: Functional & Formative Eldership
APPENDIX B: Supplemental Resources
Gospel Eldership will be a helpful resource for the church in mentoring future or new elders.
Here are 12 helpful quotes from the book:
1. The world’s default model of leadership, practiced over centuries and across cultures, is about being served. Jesus expects his followers to be servant leaders. And he’s come to make them just that. Jesus is our example. He is the ultimate Servant Leader.
2. Gospel leadership is servant leadership;
3. We cannot be the servant leaders Jesus commands us to be without believing the good news of the gospel.
4. Jesus is the head of the church. And Jesus has taught us how he wants his church to be led. Our job is to follow his blueprint.
5. Eldership is much less about competence than about character.
6. If you haven’t built a consistent habitual practice of spiritual disciplines, you shouldn’t expect to grow in godly character.
7. The categories of character, competence, and compatibility form a “triangle” of biblical leadership qualifications.
8. Elders are shepherds of God’s flock.
9. Elders must be men of the Word. They must love, treasure, memorize, and meditate on the Scriptures.
10. A good elder knows that he leads the flock well by leading himself well.
11. Unless a man has proven that he has the skill and ability to lead other leaders, he should not be leading as an elder in God’s church.
12. If elders are living missionary lives, loving and serving non-Christians, the church will be doing so as well. If elders are failing in mission, the church will not be missional.
June 9, 2025
This is a good, practical training manual for lay elders to be used in a group setting. In fact, it almost feels like the sort of book one might use in a small group setting. As such, I would not recommend it for: 1) discerning a call to ministry; 2) explaining the nature of the office; 3) developing particularly skills - e.g. making hospital visits or praying publicly. I would recommend it, however, for: 1) examining qualifications for candidates; 2) self-examination; 3) team-building with a group elders; 4) thinking about how the gospel of justification by faith alone shapes and empowers the elder's work.
I just finished going through it with some elder candidates, and we had great conversations over the material. Also, it is not denominational-specific, which could either be a strength or a weakness, depending on the culture of your church. I suspect Baptists and non-denominational churches will like it more than Presbyterians - unless they are hip, or church-planters, or both.
I just finished going through it with some elder candidates, and we had great conversations over the material. Also, it is not denominational-specific, which could either be a strength or a weakness, depending on the culture of your church. I suspect Baptists and non-denominational churches will like it more than Presbyterians - unless they are hip, or church-planters, or both.
November 22, 2017
Excellent book. We worked through this together as a men's breakfast group at church and it was a great book to get us working through leadership in the church in a meaningful way. Not many books are able to do what this one does in terms of giving you good content to think about and then helping you to make it real in your life. The 'assignment' questions in here are challenging and personal and worth spending time on thinking and praying through in detail. Highly recommend this book for anyone thinking about church leadership. Even better than reading it alone, get a group together and work through it. It is an intensely practical book that lends itself very well to group discussion
May 5, 2017
I just checked off "a book about leadership" from my 2017 reading list. I read "Gospel Eldership: Equipping a New Generation of Servant Leaders" by Robert H. Thune. Wow does this book ever pack a punch. Really causes you to go deep into your life (temptations you face, getting your spouse/accountability partner to sign off on certain things etc.) while teaching and preparing you pastoral leadership. It's not a book you can breeze through quickly as you must do a lot of reflection and writing but that was probably what made it most helpful.
July 28, 2018
This is a great book that churches can go through with their leadership team. The book is concise in the points that it sets out to address which include expectations of biblical leaders and their duties. It incorporates both a teaching portion and a personal reflection/application which can be helpful for groups to go through together. Each chapter has a lesson and then an exercise portion to encourage self-examination, and application of the concepts learned. Most importantly, this isn't just any leadership book, but it really emphasizes the importance of the gospel in Christian leadership.
July 16, 2021
A short and excellent primer on the calling and responsibility of being an elder. One of the unique components it adds is a series of self-assessments at each chapter's end. I recommend using this book in elder training courses and to understand how elders can bless a church.
Note: It does spring from a complimentarian conviction, but I think those with egalitarian ones could slightly adjust the applications of those points of disagreement and highly benefit from it. Good book.
Note: It does spring from a complimentarian conviction, but I think those with egalitarian ones could slightly adjust the applications of those points of disagreement and highly benefit from it. Good book.
October 20, 2021
Great look at a biblical view of eldership. Each chapter has a primary thesis and the author doesn't waste words going on and on about a point. Loved that each chapter was distinct and built towards the overall theme that elders are pastors and then talks about their role with an emphasis on who we are as an individual. Great as a read by yourself but so much better to read it together with others in the context of accountability.
February 17, 2021
This book is short but cuts deep into the soul of anyone who is reading it and who aspires to be an elder. I am blown away by how concise and direct the author is towards the reader and the exercises provide another layer of introspection that will make you stop and physically wince at your own shortcomings.
June 6, 2023
Incredible book. Succinct but packs a punch. Many questions to provoke spiritual conversation with yourself. It really cuts to your core. Biblical wisdom. Christ exalting. Informative on pastoring. Anyone who is a pastor or seeking to be needs this book. Really any Christian would wildly benefit from this.
December 22, 2023
Good book but goes into areas that I do not find helpful when discipling people into eldership. Q&A questions are good, and the focus of dialogue at the end of each section is helpful. While sexuality for an elder and their spouse is important, I don't think in this context it is appropriate to discuss. There are ways to address it but I find this approach a bit evasive.
November 17, 2018
It was more like 2.5 stars for me. It’s not bad and has some good practical applications within it. If used as a small group book or an intro to eldership for people completely unfamiliar with the topic it can be useful. I was hoping for a little deeper examination of the topic than this provides.
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