Every church needs leadership. But leadership should not reside in a single pastor. The biblical model for church leadership is found in teams of elders who together guide the community into God's mission. Church leaders J.R. Briggs and Bob Hyattprovide a comprehensive picture of elders as agents of mission for their communities. Healthy eldership structures a church for mission, as elder teams model the kind of community the local church is intended to be and steward the gospel in a local context. Looking at eldership through a missiological lens, Briggs and Hyatt unpack the role, character and posture of a mission-oriented elder. Elders oversee, shepherd, teach, equip and model for God?s people what life with Jesus looks like in a particular context. Including a study guide that elder teams can work through together, the authors provide practical guidance for how elders are selected, work together, make decisions, protect the congregation and invest in the lives of others.Discover here a clear vision for what it means to be a faithful elder. May it help you and your church thrive in pursuing God's mission in the world.



J.R. Briggs (DMin, Missio Seminary) is the founder of Kairos Partnerships, an organization committed to serving hungry leaders through coaching, consulting, and speaking. He serves on staff with the Ecclesia Network and Fresh Expressions, and as guest instructor for Friends University in the Masters of Spiritual Formation and Leadership program. His books include The Sacred Overlap, Fail, and Eldership and the Mission of God. He and his wife and two children live inthe greater Philadelphia area.







Bob Hyatt is the founding pastor of Evergreen Community in Portland, Oregon. In addition to being a pastor, he also serves as a spiritual director and coaches pastors and church planters towards Jesus-focused success in ministry. He is the coauthor of Eldership and the Mission of God with J.R. Briggs. A graduate of Western Seminary currently completing a doctorate at George Fox Seminary, Bob is the director of church and movement multiplication for the Ecclesia Network and is on staff with Kairos Partnerships. He is married to Amy and together they have three children.



Introduction: Structured for Mission

1. Mission-Oriented Elders

2. Characteristics of Mission Alignment—and What Derails It

3. The Roles of an Elder

4. Biblical Qualifications of an Elder

5. Cultivating an Ethos Rooted inGod?s Mission

6. Selecting Elders

7. Eldership as Spiritual Formation

8. Team Leadership

9. The Role of Elders in Decision Making

10. The Difficult Tasks of Elders

11. What about Women Elders?

12. Practical Questions and Answers

Epilogue: Eldership as Stewardship



Discussion Questions

Acknowledgments

Recommended Resources

About the Authors