Category Archives: reviews

Review: “Pastoral Ministry according to Paul: A Biblical Vision” by James Thompson

Posted on December 12, 2012 by

Many will pick up this volume expecting an entirely different book. Despite the title, there is nothing here regarding church elders, the appointment of leaders, church planting strategies, the role of the congregation in making decisions, etc. Any discussion of … Continue reading →

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Review: “Elders in Congregational Life: Rediscovering the Biblical Model for Church Leadership” by Phil Newton

Posted on June 20, 2012 by

This book on church eldership is fairly brief (154 pages), but contains quite a few helpful insights. It will be particularly beneficial to anyone from a Baptist church tradition. The author effectively demonstrates that not only is church leadership by a … Continue reading →

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Review: “Eldership in Action: Through Biblical Governance of the Church” by Richard Swartley

Posted on January 31, 2012 by

This book is an extremely valuable addition to the study of pastoral leadership of the church. Where a book such as Strauch’s Biblical Eldership provides the necessary doctrinal foundation of church leadership, Swartley builds on that foundation and gives us … Continue reading →

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Review: “Who Runs the Church?: Four Views on Church Government” edited by Steven Cowan

Posted on January 20, 2012 by

This is a key book for anyone seeking to understand the different views regarding church government. Following the classic Counterpoints style, advocates for each of the four positions state their case, and then the other three critique each presentation. This … Continue reading →

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Review: “Perspectives on Church Government: Five Views of Church Polity” edited by Chad Owen Brand and R. Stanton Norman

Posted on January 7, 2012 by

If you want to have a deeper understanding of the different views on church leadership, this book will be very useful. Each chapter is written by an author who holds a distinctive view, and then his presentation is critiqued by … Continue reading →

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Review: “Who Rules the Church?: Examining Congregational Leadership and Church Government” by Gerald Cowen

Posted on December 23, 2011 by

The foreword of this book, written by well-known Southern Baptist pastor Jerry Vines, builds our anticipation of a “thorough study of the whole pastor-elder issue,” one that is “thoroughly researched and well done” and that utilizes “extensive knowledge of and … Continue reading →

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Review: “Elders and Leaders: God’s Plan for Leading the Church” by Gene Getz

Posted on December 16, 2011 by

I have great respect for Gene Getz. He’s been a faithful pastor, church-planter and educator, and has written other books of value to the body of Christ. But one cannot allow respect for an author to prevent a frank and … Continue reading →

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