Elder’s Personal Life

Pastoral or Elder Burnout

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…

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Integrity – Part 4

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…

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Integrity – Part 3

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…

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Integrity – Part 2

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…

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Integrity – Part 1

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…

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Take a Break

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…

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Personal Character

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…

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Internet Accountability

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…

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Humbleness, An Example

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…

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Guarding Your Heart & Eyes

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…

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Going For The Glory?

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…

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Elders and Women

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…

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Elder, Encourage Thyself

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…

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Being Elder or Doing Elder?

“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…

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Beating the Joy-Sappers

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…

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A Model to Follow

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…

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Plug In Both Ends

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…

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Elder, Encourage Thyself!

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:…

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Are You A Marked Elder?

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…

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Accountability Questions

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…

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Church Not In Danger

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…

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Girls, Gold, and Glory

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…

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Avoiding the Emperor Syndrome

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…

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