Provides practical instruction to help pastors and congregational leaders bring clarity and purpose to the role of elders or deacons, and to help deacons or elders learn and refine their ministry. Each of the nine sessions in Training Ministry Teams reflects on Jesus' method of training leaders and works toward a specific outcome. Topics include: working as a ministry team, decision-making, mediating conflict, visitation, partnering with the pastor, and more. Sessions conclude with group assignments designed to move participants from theory to action. Also included are resources to help in calling, commissioning, and nurturing elders and deacons. 108 Pages.

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.

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.

A collection of biblical and practical essays written by seasoned churchmen drawing upon a wealth of leadership knowledge, experience, and wisdom. Study questions for each essay.