Theostack

Church Leadership & Governance

Theology and practice of pastoral leadership and church polity. Covers elder and deacon qualifications and character, church governance structures and decision-making, staff culture and hiring, conflict resolution and mediation, vision-casting and strategic planning, and organizational health. Contains works by Strauch, Dever, Leeman, Witmer, and others.

Topics:

28 works

Mark Dever\u00b72001

Mark Dever's 'A Display of God's Glory' is a concise yet comprehensive theological work advocating for a biblically faithful approach to local church organizati

EcclesiologyChurch PolityCongregationalismPlurality of EldersDeacon Ministry+11 more

This edited volume, primarily by Mark Dever and Jonathan Leeman, offers a comprehensive defense of Baptist ecclesiology, specifically congregational church gove

EcclesiologyCongregationalismRegenerate Church MembershipChurch DisciplineBeliever's Baptism+11 more
Jamie Dunlop\u00b72019

Jamie Dunlop's 'Budgeting for a Healthy Church' redefines church budgeting not merely as a financial exercise but as a profoundly spiritual act that reveals a c

Church BudgetingFinancial StewardshipEcclesiologyGreat CommissionFaithfulness (Theology of)+10 more
Jonathan Leeman\u00b72012

Jonathan Leeman's 'Church Discipline' argues for the essential, loving, and biblical practice of church discipline as an implication of a robust gospel. Leeman

Church DisciplineEcclesiologyChurch MembershipRepentanceGospel Definition+8 more
Jonathan Leeman\u00b72012

Jonathan Leeman's "Church Discipline: How the Church Protects the Name of Jesus" offers a comprehensive theological framework and practical guide for implementi

EcclesiologyChurch DisciplineChurch MembershipRepentanceSoteriology+10 more
Jeramie Rinne\u00b72014

Jeramie Rinne's 'Church Elders' provides a concise, biblical job description for church elders, aiming to correct common misconceptions about their role. Part o

EcclesiologyPastoral TheologyChristian LeadershipBiblical EldershipPlurality of Elders+11 more
Jeramie Rinne\u00b72014

Jeramie Rinne's 'Church Elders' provides a concise, biblical job description for church elders, challenging the common misconception that elders are merely corp

EcclesiologyEldershipBiblical Qualifications for EldersPlural EldershipComplementarianism+10 more
Mark Dever\u00b72012

Mark Dever's "Church Essentials: What is a Healthy Church?" is a six-session curriculum designed to equip both pastors and church members with a biblical unders

EcclesiologyChurch HealthExpositional PreachingGospelConversion+10 more

“Church in Hard Places” by Mez McConnell and Mike McKinley is a compelling and practical theological work advocating for the central role of the local church in

EcclesiologyEvangelismChurch PlantingUrban MinistryPoverty Alleviation+10 more
Mike McKinley\u00b72010

This book is a personal and practical guide to church planting and revitalization, written from the perspective of Mike McKinley, a pastor who revitalized Guilf

Church PlantingChurch RevitalizationEcclesiologyExpositional PreachingPlural Eldership+10 more
Matt Smethurst\u00b72021

Matt Smethurst's "Deacons: How They Serve and Strengthen the Church," part of the 9Marks: Building Healthy Churches series, provides a comprehensive and practic

EcclesiologyDiaconateChurch OfficesChurch PolityEldership+10 more
J. Mack Stiles\u00b72014

J. Mack Stiles's "Evangelism: How the Whole Church Speaks of Jesus" is a compelling call for local churches to cultivate a pervasive culture of evangelism rathe

EvangelismEcclesiologyGospel ProclamationChurch HealthConversion+10 more

Thabiti Anyabwile's 'Finding Faithful Elders and Deacons' is a practical and exegetical guide for local churches seeking to identify, train, and appoint godly l

EcclesiologyPastoral TheologyEldershipDeaconateChurch Polity+10 more

Healthy Churches: A Beginner’s Guide is an edited collection of essays from 9Marks, a ministry dedicated to equipping church leaders with a biblical vision for

Expositional PreachingGospel DoctrineConversionEvangelismChurch Membership+10 more
Andy Johnson\u00b72017

Andy Johnson's 'Missions: How the Local Church Goes Global' is a practical and biblically-grounded guide for local churches seeking to engage effectively in glo

MissiologyEcclesiologyGreat CommissionLocal Church Centrality in MissionsChurch Planting+10 more
Mark Dever\u00b72013

Mark Dever's "Nine Marks of a Healthy Church" is a foundational work in contemporary evangelical ecclesiology, arguing for a return to biblical principles for c

EcclesiologyChurch HealthExpositional PreachingBiblical TheologyGospel Proclamation+10 more
Mark Dever\u00b72001

Edited by Mark Dever, 'Polity' is a collection of historical Baptist documents and contemporary essays advocating for a recovery of biblical church governance a

EcclesiologyChurch GovernmentChurch DisciplineCongregationalismBeliever's Baptism+11 more
John Onwuchekwa\u00b72018

John Onwuchekwa's "Prayer: How Praying Together Shapes the Church" argues for the vital necessity of corporate prayer for the health and effectiveness of the lo

Corporate PrayerEcclesiologyChurch HealthSpiritual DisciplinesLord's Prayer+10 more
Charles Hodge\u00b71878

Charles Hodge's 'The Church and its Polity' is a foundational work of Reformed ecclesiology, compiled posthumously from his extensive writings and lectures. The

EcclesiologyPresbyterian PolityVisible ChurchInvisible ChurchApostolic Succession+10 more

In "The Compelling Community," Mark Dever and Jamie Dunlop argue for a radical reorientation of how local churches understand and cultivate community. They cont

EcclesiologyLocal ChurchChurch HealthChurch MembershipChurch Discipline+10 more
Bobby Jamieson\u00b72021

Bobby Jamieson's 'The Path to Being a Pastor' offers a comprehensive and biblically grounded guide for men discerning and preparing for vocational pastoral mini

Pastoral TheologyEldership QualificationsChurch PolityCongregationalismExpositional Preaching+10 more
Mark Dever\u00b72008

Mark Dever's 'Twelve Challenges Churches Face' is a pastoral exposition of Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians, addressing perennial issues that threaten the

EcclesiologyChurch HealthChurch DisciplineChristian LibertyMarriage Theology+10 more
Jonathan Leeman\u00b72016

Jonathan Leeman's 'Understanding Church Discipline' is a concise yet comprehensive guide for average church members on their biblical responsibility to particip

EcclesiologyChurch DisciplineChurch MembershipCongregationalismRepentance+10 more
Mark Dever\u00b72016

Mark Dever's 'Understanding Church Leadership' is a foundational text in the 9Marks Church Basics series, advocating for a biblically-grounded model of church g

Church PolityEldershipDeaconateCongregationalismBiblical Offices+14 more
Mark Dever\u00b72016

Mark Dever's *Understanding Church Leadership* is a foundational work in the 9Marks Church Basics series, advocating for a biblically-derived model of church go

EcclesiologyChurch PolityPlural EldershipCongregationalismDiaconate+10 more
Mark Dever\u00b72016

Mark Dever's 'Understanding the Great Commission' reorients the common individualistic understanding of Jesus' final command (Matthew 28:18-20) toward a robust

EcclesiologyMissiologyGreat CommissionChurch PlantingDiscipleship+41 more

Thabiti M. Anyabwile's "What Is a Healthy Church Member?" is a practical theological work that defines and encourages the characteristics of an engaged and bibl

EcclesiologySoteriologyHermeneuticsPneumatologyHamartiology+49 more
Mark Dever\u00b72007

Mark Dever's 'What Is a Healthy Church?' is a concise yet comprehensive guide to understanding and pursuing biblical church health. Drawing extensively from Scr

EcclesiologyChurch HealthExpositional PreachingBiblical TheologyGospel+10 more