Clark, Emerging Elders

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Ron Clark, Emerging Elders: Developing Shepherds in God’s Image. Leafwood Publishers, 2008.

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LifeandLeadership.com Summary

This one-of-a-kind text comes out of Ron Clark’s experience as a minister with the Agape Church of Christ in Portland, Oregon. Clark’s thesis is that congregations ought to continually seek and intentionally train men to be elders. As this training is offered consistently, elder/wife teams naturally “emerge” from among the members.

Clark divides his book into three sections. Section One looks at the why and how churches should develop leaders. Section Two offers a thorough discussion of biblical principles of oversight, with special emphasis on the relational dimension of shepherding, including accountability, visitation, and ministry empowerment. Section Three entertains select issues that face shepherds today such as building unity, dealing with dysfunction, the relationship between elders and ministers, and the real meaning of “sound doctrine” as that which contributes to holy living. This puts a slant on how shepherds are to “guard” the flock. Instead of a paranoid preoccupation with those who teach something different than what “good brethren have always believed and taught,” he rightly places the emphasis on watching out for those who abuse members morally, physically, and doctrinally.

The last part of the book overviews six models for training elders (see a more extensive treatment of this subject in Malphurs and Mancini, Building Leaders).

From the Publisher

This book is a manual for raising up and equipping elders or shepherds. It provides resources for identifying emerging leaders, for training elders and their wives, and for beginning an elder development program in a congregation. A vital resource for a neglected area of church life.

“In the leadership literature the question is asked, ‘Are people born leaders or do we train them to become leaders?’ I suggest a third option. Leaders emerge. When we begin to offer training and development ministries leaders emerge.”

About the Author

Ron Clark holds M.Div. and D.Min. degrees from Harding University Graduate School of Religion, Memphis, Tennessee. He serves as an adjunct instructor for George Fox Evangelical Seminary and Cascade College. He is a leader of a church of Christ in Oregon.

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