I was very excited to receive a couple of author’s copies of my forthcoming book Independent Eldership in the post on Saturday. The formal launch is less than two weeks away now. I can’t remember when I first put pen to paper (or, button pushes to pixels or whatever the Word-document equivalent is!) It feels like it has taken an absolute age to get to this point. That is no shade on the publisher or printer, it is just in the nature of writing a book. But it is so exciting to finally have a physical copy in hand.

To give you a flavour of what is included, here is a rundown of the contents of the book:

Introduction to the series ‘A People on Purpose’………………………………………………..9
Introduction to Independent Eldership………………………………………………………………. 13
Chapter 1:
The Development of Independent Churches…………………………………………………… 18
Chapter 2:
The Biblical Grounds for Independency…………………………………………………………… 24
Chapter 3:
Independency and Interdependence………………………………………………………………… 36
Chapter 4:
The Ultimate Rule of Christ Through Scripture……………………………………………….. 42
Chapter 5:
The Subordinate Rule of the Members…………………………………………………………….. 50
Chapter 6:
The Position of the Elders…………………………………………………………………………………. 62
Chapter 7:
Eldership as a Gift of Grace………………………………………………………………………………. 68
Chapter 8:
Putting a Number on Gifts of Grace…………………………………………………………………. 75
Chapter 9:
Plural Eldership and Parity………………………………………………………………………………… 83
Chapter 10:
The Functions and Responsibilities of Elders…………………………………………………… 92
Chapter 11:
Eldership & Calling…………………………………………………………………………………………..105
Chapter 12:
Eldership Authority in Operation…………………………………………………………………….114
Chapter 13:
The Qualifications for Eldership………………………………………………………………………128
Chapter 14:
The Process of Appointing Elders……………………………………………………………………140
Chapter 15:
The Relationship of Elders with Other Elders…………………………………………………151
Chapter 16:
The Relationship of Elders with Deacons……………………………………………………….161
Chapter 17:
The Relationship of Elders with Women…………………………………………………………168
Chapter 18:
The Relationship of Elders with their Wives…………………………………………………..179
Chapter 19:
Personal, Physical and Mental Wellbeing……………………………………………………….197
Chapter 20:
Counselling and Discipline……………………………………………………………………………….205
Chapter 21:
Members’ Meetings…………………………………………………………………………………………215
Chapter 22:
Elders, Teaching and Preaching……………………………………………………………………….225
Chapter 23:
Training and Sending………………………………………………………………………………………..236
Chapter 24:
Prayer……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….244
Chapter 25:
Member Relationships……………………………………………………………………………………..250
Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………………………………..262
Scripture Index…………………………………………………………………………………………………265

It was personally pleasing to be able to include not one but two separate diagrams as well as a particularly nifty flow chart. It pleases me because I don’t think I’ve ever had call to make any of these things before – I have never worked in a field where pictures can legitimately be exchanged for words, like being a children’s colouring book creator or an engineer. Personally, I reckon the flow chart alone is worth the entire price of the book. Of course, you’ll have to pay the entire price of the book to decide for yourself whether that is actually true or not (sorry not sorry).

The books is good for a few different groups of people. If you are not an Baptist like me, it is worth getting yourself a copy so you can understand your Baptist brethren better. The book lays out our biblical understanding of church order and will help you grasp our understanding of eldership and its operation and at least where we find scriptural support for it.

If you are an Independent or a Baptist, the book addresses some of our intramural discussions and lays out a case for one particular view, among the many advanced. I think the book would be useful in helping you to form a clear understanding of your own polity. It may raise some questions which you had not previously considered and may point you to reconsider how you understand church structures.

If you are an elder or being viewed as a prospective elder – regardless of the particular kind of church or polity you are in – the book is helpful to you in laying out some of the practical issues that face eldership teams and offers insights in how to address these things biblically as they arise. If you want to know what your fundamental role as an elder will be or you want to think through your own understanding of eldership, this book could be of real help to you.

Perhaps most importantly, this book – though about elders – is not exclusively for elders. I am convinced the people who stand to benefit the most from it are not elders themselves, nor even prospective elders, but ordinary church members. This book will help you understand not only the role of eldership and encourage you to think carefully about your leaders, it also lays out how this impacts church members themselves. How should members engage with their leaders, what are membership responsibilities in the church, who has ultimate human authority and how is it exercised and other such questions. Not only will this book help you understand your elders better, it will help you understand your role in the church better and will encourage you to grasp hold of both the responsibilities and privileges that come with being a church member.

You can pick up a copy of Independent Eldership here. For the next week and a bit, I understand it remains under a pre-order discount so it is worth getting onto it now while that holds. I hope it prove to bless you and your church as you read it.