Articles

Biblical Sexuality

By Admin
With the popular redefining of sexual identities that has overtaken the "cultured" world in breathtaking speed, local church elders and leaders need to be clear about what the Bible teaches.…

READ MORE

Pastoral Response to Child Abuse

By Admin
Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment (GRACE) On Guard: Preventing and Responding to Child Abuse at Church, by Deepak Reju (here’s an article/interview about the book) Startling Statistics: Child Sexual…

READ MORE

Pastoral or Elder Burnout

By Admin
Shepherding Your Heart Through Ministry Fatigue, by Paul Shirley, The Expositors Seminary Pastor Burnout Website- An entire website dedicated to pastoral burnout. "Replenish" by Lance Witt, speaks directly to those in…

READ MORE

Grief & Grieving

By Admin
This is an annonymous, general letter from a grieving couple: Please… 1. Know that we need you. We may not ask for help (we may be much too numb), but…

READ MORE

A Friendly Church Is Hard to Find

By Admin
Authors: Gene & Nancy Preston Our family returned to the U.S. last summer after nearly two decades of living abroad, where we were active in several international congregations. We settled into…

READ MORE

I Will Build My Church

By Bob Deffinbaugh
Introduction Ecclesiology is a word most of us can hardly spell, let alone define. Simply put, ecclesiology is the doctrine of the church. Very few people find this doctrine all…

READ MORE

Integrity – Part 4

By Admin
Note: This is the fourth in the series on Integrity, based on Psalm 15. The man of integrity is introduced to us in Psalm 15:1-2 (NASB) and described in the…

READ MORE

Integrity – Part 3

By Admin
Note: This is the third in the series on Integrity, based on Psalm 15. We continue to focus on one of the most important attributes in a leader—integrity, based on…

READ MORE

Integrity – Part 2

By Admin
Note: This is the second in the series on Integrity, based on Psalm 15. As mentioned in the last issue, although integrity is not specifically identified in Scripture as a…

READ MORE

Integrity – Part 1

By Admin
Integrity ranks top of the list of important human endeavors. I use the word “endeavor” because integrity is a lifelong pursuit, it is not something to be gained and then…

READ MORE

Wise Leading

By Admin
Wisdom psalms teach wise living, in contrast to psalms of praise or lament. Psalm 1 instructs us about creating a godly context for spiritual growth. As a wisdom psalm, it…

READ MORE

Why People Resist Change

By Admin
Why People Resist Change “We never did it that way before!” You have sought the Lord’s guidance and are now leading his people in a new direction of ministry. But,…

READ MORE

When Elders Disagree

By Admin
Elders do disagree at times, no surprise there—unless they all put their brains in a jar and seal it until the Lord returns! Normal, thinking people come from different perspectives…

READ MORE

Visionary Eldership

By Admin
"VISION" - that's the catch word of the 90's. It's a good word. One that Webster defines as unusual discernment or foresight. Some people have it, some don't it seems.…

READ MORE

The Heart of a Shepherd

By Admin
The heart of a shepherd beats for the sheep. He is willing to sacrifice greatly for them (see John 10:11). The “what” of shepherding is laid out in Scripture in…

READ MORE

Take a Break

By Admin
The old illustration proved true in everyday life as well as in ministry, so permit me to use my own version of it. The first time I used a chainsaw years…

READ MORE

Spiritual Finger-Tips

By Admin
It was the final game of the 2003 NBA Championship. A San Antonio Spurs player gets fouled and goes to the line for two free throws. He misses the first.…

READ MORE

So What? – Teaching Application

By Admin
So what? That was a question my friend would ask any bible teacher who “waxed eloquent” with doctrine. The question was not irreverent—rather, it was pointed. Essentially, he was asking…

READ MORE

Shepherding The Sick

By Admin
Shepherding The Sick In another article, we looked at basic etiquette and the need to listen when visiting Christians who are sick. Now we are ready to consider how to…

READ MORE

Personal Character

By Admin
Leadership requires qualification. How much more is required for that particular leadership of God’s flock, the shepherding of His people. The importance of qualifications increases proportionately to the importance of…

READ MORE

Paul’s Final Message 2

By Admin
Character is at a premium in today’s society, much less in the church. Elders should lead by example. So Paul reminds the Ephesian elders in his farewell speech (Acts 20:17-38…

READ MORE

Paul’s Final Message 1

By Admin
The work of “eldering” is both taught and caught. By this I mean as elders we need verbal instruction, challenge and accountability relative to our carrying out the essential work…

READ MORE

PREP

By Admin
As an elder, you have probably spent countless hours listening to and studying the Word, in meditation and prayer. Unfortunately, this can render you ineffective in teaching new believers how…

READ MORE

One-Minute Shepherding

By Admin
That’s ridiculous, you may say. How can an elder be an effective shepherd in one minute? Shepherding takes far more time than that! We must first grapple with the reality…

READ MORE

Letting Go Of Criticism

By Admin
Letting go is absolutely required of elders. That is, letting go of offenses against us. This is related to forgiveness (see ESN Volume 7 Numbers 3 & 4—May & July,…

READ MORE

Leading by Faith

By Admin
As elders, we must lead the people of God in walking by faith. Of course, in order for an elder to lead he must be “out in front!” It does…

READ MORE

Leading From The Heart

By Admin
He made it to the top, power and prestige were his. No record exists of his having any problem with women. Spiritually he was chosen and gifted by God as…

READ MORE

Internet Accountability

By Admin
The internet is a great tool for accomplishing a lot in our technologically advanced society. Yet with a single click it can easily bring temptation to the believer. Many people…

READ MORE

Humbleness, An Example

By Admin
Humbleness is a critical, but elusive character for elders. I, who am ill-equipped to speak on this subject, as one who falls continually short, come as an admirer of Christ’s…

READ MORE

How To Leave a Church

By Admin
From time to time, Christians leave one church to go to another, or at least think about it—and often without any guidance or godly counsel. Odd as it may seem,…

READ MORE

How To Choose A Church

By Admin
We want to address helping Christians find a church. For some this is a no-brainer, just find the nearest church of their denomination or movement. For a more thoughtful approach,…

READ MORE

Hospital Visitation

By Admin
As shepherds of God’s flock we take our example from Christ himself: “I am the Good Shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me.”  We need to “know”…

READ MORE

Honoring Widows

By Admin
Hands down, the telltale characteristic of a church that is genuinely following Jesus Christ is found in our Lord’s upper-room comment, “By this all men will know that you are…

READ MORE

Honoring The Other Guys

By Admin
Some verses in Scripture are difficult to preach—like men speaking on the subject of wives’ submission to their husbands in 1 Peter 3:1. There is something perceivably self-serving when a…

READ MORE

Handling Handouts

By Admin
The phone rings, his story tugs at your heart. A young man’s car broke down while traveling cross country to visit his sick mother for Christmas. He has no money…

READ MORE

Guarding Your Heart & Eyes

By Admin
On numerous occasions I have heard the assertion that relatively few Christian leaders finish well. Rather than debate the veracity of that claim, I find myself wanting to ensure that…

READ MORE

Going For The Glory?

By Admin
In his novel, “War and Peace,” author Leo Tolstoy captures a pitfall Paul warns about in appointing a man to be an elder prematurely (1 Tim 5:22)—pride. A young  Russian…

READ MORE

Going Deeper With People

By Admin
We elders are called to rise above our own personal reaction to people’s outward presentation of themselves and go deeper in trying to understand and minister to them. Yet, as…

READ MORE

Encouraging the Sick

By Admin
 Quarantined! Upon returning from a trip to Colombia, South America, I was exhausted and dehydrated—feeling miserable. With alarms of “malaria,” the doctors quarantined me in the local hospital. All I…

READ MORE

Elders and Women

By Admin
Men lead, women follow. Right? However, if we male elders aren’t careful, we can look self-serving and disingenuous if that is all we teach on the subject. A great weight…

READ MORE

Elder, Encourage Thyself

By Admin
Encouragement is a commodity in short supply. While not alone in needing this, a leader of God’s people can readily to David’s experience: David was greatly distressed because the people…

READ MORE

Being Elder or Doing Elder?

By Admin
“Many men want to be president, but very few want to do president,” says Steve Sample, president of the University of Southern California. He continues, “Some of the unhappiest people…

READ MORE

Beating the Joy-Sappers

By Admin
One of the greatest challenges for an elder (and for the church) is to remain positive and joy-filled in the ministry. There are many joy-sappers that suck away spiritual vitality…

READ MORE

Avoiding the Crack Up of Fellowship

By Admin
Some couples remain married with a growing joy in their relationship. Some couples fight, bicker and then divorce, believing their differences are irreconcilable. Still others try to push their tensions…

READ MORE

Accepting Criticism

By Admin
Criticism is one of the sharpest tools God uses in molding us into humble and effective servants of his. How we handle the negative feedback of others can affect our…

READ MORE

A Model to Follow

By Admin
Learning to function as an elder is not the most important thing. More important is the elder’s character. The qualifications in 1 Timothy & Titus are well-known. But a good…

READ MORE

Plug In Both Ends

By Admin
As I was sitting here working on my sermon message for Sunday, my laptop computer was close to running down and needed a recharge. So out came the power cord, I plugged it…

READ MORE

Elder, Encourage Thyself!

By Admin
Elder, Encourage Thyself Encouragement is a commodity in short supply. While not alone in needing this, a leader of God’s people more than others can readily relate to David’s experience:…

READ MORE

Resource for teaching on Marriage

By Admin
A book that should be on the shelf of every elder is God, Marriage, and Family: Rebuilding the Biblical Foundations, 2nd edition, by Andreas Kostenberger. This book is a resource book…

READ MORE

Are You A Marked Elder?

By Admin
Modern business and sports gurus talk about being a marked leader, having the mindset of a forward thinker, being a big picture individual, a visionary, a leader of leaders, and…

READ MORE

Accountability Questions

By Admin
Accountability is a big part of what we need to maintain integrity in ministry. But how do we do it effectively? How can we hold one another accountable as elders…

READ MORE

Christian Sound Bytes?

By Admin
"Christians are often blind ... because of the profusion of Christian words and references in the modern world. Little do they realize that the Christian faith is like the majestic…

READ MORE

Feeding and Leading

By Admin
In his book, "One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich," Alexander Solzhenitzn's insight into leadership conveys a huge truth that is applicable in leading God's people. Speaking of life…

READ MORE

PPT Preaching or Not?

By Admin
Microsoft PowerPoint has been a staple of my preaching and teaching for the past fifteen or so years. Outlines for taking notes to be included in the bulletins have also…

READ MORE

Church Not In Danger

By Admin
Never think of the Church of God as if she were in danger. If you do, you will be like Uzza; you will put forth your hand to steady the…

READ MORE

Be Careful of Spiritual Hype

By Admin
As elders and teachers of the Word of  God, we need to be careful about trying to hype up the Christian life to an unatainable ideal.  Consider Mark Galli's observations…

READ MORE

Roadblocks to New Elders

By Admin
At a recent conference, I took an (admittedly unscientific) survey of what people thought to be the main hindrances to raising up new elders. Here is the list and the…

READ MORE

Lesbian Funeral

By Admin
Homsexuality is becoming increasingly main stream in our society, and the church cannot escape dealing with it. With the recent news of a church that at the last minute cancelled…

READ MORE

Pray for Elders

By Admin
Then I will give you shepherds after My own heart, who will feed you on knowledge and understanding. (Jeremiah 3:15) What was true for Israel is also true for the…

READ MORE

Girls, Gold, and Glory

By Admin
Catchy title for a timely article, especially for Christian leaders. We came across this article at ChristianityWorks.com by an Australian brother, Berni Dymet. These three things have been the downfall…

READ MORE

Avoiding the Emperor Syndrome

By Admin
After the American revolutionary war against Britain was over, there was a ground swell to make General George Washington the emperor of the new united colonies that became the United…

READ MORE

One-Minute Shepherding

By Admin
Today (Sunday) you, as a church leader or elder, will be busy at church. People to touch basis with, questions to answer, decisions to make, etc. But people need shepherding…

READ MORE