As an elder in a local church I am always on the look out for books that will help me and my team better serve our congregation. At the same time, I have been looking for a book that would serve church members by encapsulating what to expect from their elders. In this concise and lucid book, Church Elders, Jeramie Rinne has done both. Written to the new elder who asks the question after installation, “Now what?” it serves to outline basics of pastoral ministry.
I mentioned Rinne’s writing style. It is clear and memorable. For example, to make his point that the elders need to know the sheep he has a chapter titled, “Smell like Sheep.” His point is clear: the elders are not to be separated from but intimately involved in the lives of the sheep, even like Jesus, our Great Shepherd (Jn. 21:15-16).
He also helpfully discusses the relationship between the elders bearing the overall responsibility for the church’s organizational infrastructure. He writes,
“But here’s the key: the organization must always serve the organism. Programs and processes at best provide tools for accomplishing the mission of maturing one another in Christ.
My experience is that the elders easily gravitate toward the machine rather than the members, the trellis rather than the vine, giving more conversation and effort to fine-tuning logistics rather than laboring over the development of people. I’m not completely sure why this is. Maybe it’s because programs and policies are manageable things that can be planned and accomplished, whereas the work of helping people grow in Christ is messy, non-linear, and slow. In fact, shepherding people is a task that we never fully accomplish in this life and cannot control.” (p. 42)
This is a good word. It reminds us of our calling and refines our expectations.
I also appreciated how he emphasize the priority of prayer in the ministry. We are such pragmatic, results-driven people. We can often forget to pray. Rinne reminds us of the priority of pastoral prayer–whether in private or in public.
I love the book and highly recommend it. I also know Jeremie and have seen first hand his work at South Shore Baptist Church near Boston. This book is written out of the lab of ministry. In our context we are using this book in our new elder appointment process. We are also planning to have multiple copies available in our church bookstore. You can’t go wrong with it.
Pick up a discounted copy here.