Church Elders - How to Shepherd God's People Like Jesus - Hardback

What Do Church Elders Actually Do?

Every church has leaders. But in many congregations — among both members and the elders themselves — there is genuine confusion about what those leaders are actually supposed to be doing. What is an elder’s job? What does faithful eldership look like in practice? And how do church members support and relate to the spiritual leaders God has placed over them?

In Church Elders, pastor Jeramie Rinne answers these questions with the warmth, clarity, and conversational accessibility of someone who has both served as an elder and helped others understand what that calling involves. Drawing carefully from the Bible’s teaching on church leadership, Rinne sets out a clear, practical, and encouraging job description for elders — one that is grounded in Scripture, realistic about the challenges, and genuinely motivating for those who sense God’s call to this vital office.

This is a book for new elders stepping into their role for the first time. It is a book for experienced elders wanting to examine and renew their vision of what faithful leadership involves. And it is a book for church members who want to understand, appreciate, and support the spiritual leaders God has given them.

What This Book Covers

Jeramie Rinne works through the biblical teaching on eldership and its practical implications for church life:

• What an elder actually is — A clear, biblical definition of the elder’s office and why it is distinct from other leadership roles in the church
• The elder’s job description — A practical, Scripture-grounded account of what elders are called to do: preach and teach, shepherd the flock, lead with wisdom, and model Christlikeness
• Elders and the Word — Why the ministry of the Word is at the heart of faithful eldership and how elders ensure the congregation is nourished by Scripture
• Elders and the flock — What it looks like for elders to shepherd the people entrusted to their care — knowing them, praying for them, and watching over their souls
• Elders and one another — How a plurality of elders works together with unity, mutual accountability, and shared vision
• What church members should expect from elders — A clear, honest account of what faithful eldership looks like — and what members can rightly hope for from their leaders
• How church members can support their elders — Practical guidance for congregations wanting to encourage, pray for, and work alongside their spiritual leaders

What Readers Will Learn

• What the Bible teaches about the elder’s role — its qualifications, its responsibilities, and its relationship to the congregation
• Why the ministry of the Word is foundational to everything an elder does and how to keep it central
• What it means to shepherd a congregation — not just administratively but personally, prayerfully, and pastorally
• How a plurality of elders functions well — with genuine unity, honest accountability, and a shared sense of calling and vision
• What church members can rightly expect from their elders and how they can support and encourage faithful leadership
• How new elders can embrace their calling with grace, wisdom, and clarity — even in the face of the inevitable challenges and uncertainties of church leadership
• Why eldership is not a burden to be managed but a beautiful, God-given calling to be embraced with joy

How to Use This Book

Church Elders is conversational, accessible, and immediately useful:

• Personal reading for new elders — An ideal first book for anyone stepping into the office of elder for the first time
• Elder training — A natural resource for a church wanting to train, orient, and equip its elders with a clear, biblical vision of their calling
• Elder retreats and meetings — Short enough to read together as a team, practical enough to generate rich and honest conversation about what faithful eldership looks like in your specific context
• Church members — A warm, accessible guide for any member wanting to understand what their elders are called to do and how to support them well
• Pastoral gift — A book senior pastors can give to newly appointed elders to help them embrace their calling with confidence and clarity

Who Should Read This Book

This book is for you if you are:

• A new elder wanting a clear, biblically grounded, and practically useful introduction to what your calling actually involves
• An experienced elder wanting to step back, examine your ministry, and renew your vision of what faithful eldership looks like
• A church member who wants to understand what your elders are called to do — and how to pray for, support, and encourage them
• A pastor or senior leader looking for a reliable, accessible resource to give to new or prospective elders in your congregation
• A church planter wanting to establish a biblically ordered eldership from the very beginning of your new congregation
• Anyone who has ever wondered: What exactly are the elders of my church supposed to be doing — and how would I know if they were doing it well?

About the Author

Jeramie Rinne is a pastor and author known for his warm, conversational, and practically grounded approach to church leadership. He has served in pastoral ministry and brings to Church Elders both the biblical conviction of a careful student of Scripture and the hard-won wisdom of someone who has lived out the calling he writes about. His conversational writing style makes this book feel less like a textbook and more like a trusted mentor walking alongside a new elder — helping them understand their calling, embrace its challenges, and pursue it with grace, wisdom, and joy.

About the Building Healthy Churches Series

Church Elders is part of the Building Healthy Churches series published by 9Marks and Crossway — a library of short, focused books designed to help churches recover and embody the marks of a healthy, gospel-centred congregation. Each volume tackles one essential aspect of church health with biblical clarity, pastoral warmth, and practical application.

Other titles in the series include:

• Evangelism by J. Mack Stiles
• Deacons by Matt Smethurst
• Expositional Preaching by David Helm
• The Gospel by Ray Ortlund
• Missions by Andy Johnson
• Biblical Theology by Nick Roark & Robert Cline
• Sound Doctrine by Bobby Jamieson
• Conversion by Mark Dever
• Church Discipline by Jonathan Leeman
• Discipling by Mark Dever
• Prayer by John Onwuchekwa