Elders in Congregational Life
Rediscovering the Biblical Model for Church Leadership

Phil A. Newton with foreword by Mark Dever

Self-government and autonomy are long-standing cherished traditions of most evangelical churches. Ideally this means each member participates in decision making, but in reality pure congregationalism is unwieldy and unworkable. Pastors try to solve the problem by assuming more and more authority themselves. Neither approach is biblical.

A biblically functioning church requires intentional devotion to the New Testament model of church leadership. In this practical book, experienced pastor Phil Newton examines this biblical model of leadership by explaining the necessity of elder plurality and how it functions in a congregational setting. Newton presents the history of elder plurality in Baptist life from personal experience, expounds three biblical texts to shed light on the New Testament model for spiritual leaders, and provides answers to commonly asked questions.