Best Books on Leaders & Elders
This category covers the Reformed and Presbyterian understanding of church government by a plurality of elders, sometimes called shared pastoral leadership. It examines the biblical qualifications, duties, and practice of the pastors and elders called to shepherd a local congregation.
Start Here
basic
Church Elders: How to Shepherd God's People Like Jesus
Top pickJeramie Rinne · 2014
Short, conversational job description for elders, ideal for new leaders.
Am I Called? The Summons to Pastoral Ministry
Dave Harvey · 2012
Helps men considering pastoral eldership discern whether they are truly called.
Nine Marks of a Healthy Church
Mark Dever · 2021
Broad, readable vision of church health that includes plural elder leadership.
Elders and Leaders: God's Plan for Leading the Church
Gene A. Getz · 2003
Biblical and historical case for shared eldership, applied to real church life.
Go Deeper
intermediate
Biblical Eldership: Restoring the Eldership to Its Rightful Place in the Local Church
Top pickAlexander Strauch · 2024
The standard modern textbook on New Testament eldership, used worldwide.
The Shepherd Leader: Achieving Effective Shepherding in Your Church
Timothy Z. Witmer · 2010
A practical framework for how elders actually know, feed, and lead a flock.
The Deliberate Church: Building Your Ministry on the Gospel
Mark Dever and Paul Alexander · 2005
Works through how gospel conviction should shape church structure and leadership.
The Trellis and the Vine
Colin Marshall and Tony Payne · 2009
Reframes church leadership around growing people, not just running programs.
For Study
advanced
The Church of Christ
Top pickJames Bannerman · 1869
Exhaustive nineteenth-century Presbyterian treatise on church power and government.
The Reformed Pastor
Richard Baxter · 1656
Puritan classic on the personal, catechizing work of a faithful pastor.
The Christian Ministry
Charles Bridges · 1958
Nineteenth-century classic examining the causes of ministerial ineffectiveness.
Concerning the True Care of Souls
Martin Bucer · 2009
Reformation-era how-to manual for pastors and elders on discipline and care.
Grace Online Library is an Amazon Associate. Purchases made through these links help support the library at no extra cost to you.
A tiered reading guide of the best books on Leaders & Elders.