How Can Deacons Mobilize Service in the Church? Deacons are essential to a church's health—yet confusion abounds regarding their biblical job description. What's their God-given role in a local congregation and how do they relate to the church's overall mission? In this short book, Matt Smethurst makes the case that deacons are model servants called to meet tangible needs, organize and mobilize acts of service, preserve the unity of the flock, and support the ministry of the elders. Clearing away common misconceptions, Smethurst offers practical guidance for deploying deacons and helping churches to flourish.

Servants in Charge is a training guide for elders and deacons with a study guide included. Servants in Charge define the roles of elders and deacons and offers practical suggestions for selecting these important leaders. And for servants who find themselves in charge, there are guidelines toward effective and fruitful ministry. Have you ever been in an office or a place of business when someone walked in and asked, "Who's in charge here?"' Can it be that the people who enter your church ask the same question but it is important to realize the answer is not a mystery. In a beautiful parable about His second coming, Jesus made it clear that His servants are in charge. These people are known not so much for their position or power, but for their attitude of true servant hood. In Servants in Charge we find that Dr. Bailey deals with the topics of who a deacon and elder are to be to what their qualifications are from a scriptural basis. He also goes on to explain their biblically based ministries and their spiritual gifts as laid out in the New Testament. He completes this short study with a guide for preparation for them and their election and consecration. A great must have for the church today.

This book lays out an application-intensive approach to seeking out and developing qualified church leaders. Thoughtful analysis of key passages in Acts and 1 Timothy are balanced with practical action points in a contemporary context.

Now in its third edition and featuring a new foreword by New York Times best-selling author David Platt, pastor Mark Dever’s classic book is not an instruction manual for church growth. Rather, it is a wise pastor’s recommendation for how to assess the health of a church using nine crucial qualities often neglected by many of today’s congregations. Church leaders and church members alike will resonate with the principles outlined here, breathing new life and health into the church at large. In this newly revised edition, fresh arguments have been added (for example on expositional preaching, about the nature of the gospel, on complementarianism), illustrations have been updated, appendices have been changed, and cover has been improved.

Are you embarrassed by the Bible? The Bible is full of stories that make us uncomfortable: Israelites stoned adulterers, slaves were told to obey masters, Jesus declared that sinners go to hell, and God commanded His people to kill others, both young and the old alike. In response, many of us opt for a feel-good faith by embracing only the socially acceptable verses and passages. In Uncensored, Brian Cosby disrupts this deadly trajectory by explaining why all Scripture is God-breathed, holy, and essential to us as believers. And he invites you to quit hiding behind the fig leaf of half-truth and embrace a healthy, passionate faith.

Elders and Deacons and Saints, Oh My! shares the Bibles teachings on leadership and organization. It offers members of todays churches the insights needed to fulfill the five purposes God gives: to love Him, love others, evangelize, identify new followers, and make them faithful disciples. Author James Kirkland, a pastor and theologian with deep experience as a business owner and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERTM Professional, weaves together organizational wisdom and biblical teaching. Through a study of the Scriptures, Elders and Deacons and Saints, Oh My! defines the roles of the churchs leaders and presents the Bibles model for organizing congregations. It paints a picture of servant leaders, grounds their authority in biblical teaching, and guides them in assembling faithful teams of ministers who practice loving care for others, following the model of Christs love for all people. If you find yourself listening to Gods call to the church, but then growing disappointed at how your congregation answers that call, then Elders and Deacons and Saints, Oh My! can help you become a stronger leader. It combines scripturally inspired teaching about leaders and church administration with practical methods for building and leading teams. You will gain understanding about the strengths of clearly defined roles for elders, deacons, and church members and the power for mission that comes when leaders organize Gods people around those roles. In the end, your disappointment can turn to joy through encouraging members toward Christian maturity and equipping them to share Christs love with others.