Meetings That Work: A Guide to Effective Elders' Meetings

This isn't the must read that the author's "Biblical Eldership" is, but it's helpful in its own right. The concise nature of this book will be welcome to many busy elders. The reader may not find much that is brand new revelation regarding the elders' ministry, but he will benefit from the wise insights that Strauch shares. This is much more than a sanctified version of Robert's Rules of Orders. The author discusses the necessity of elders being spiritually qualified, why active participation of each elder is crucial, the right---and wrong---ways to interact with one another, confidentiality, how to make meetings effective and efficient, how to make sure you stay on track and end on time, the setting and frequency of meetings, how to prioritize and handle surprise issues, how to incorporate and train new elders in your meetings, etc. He provides a sample meeting agenda and prayer guide that can be used as templates. As with other books dealing with practical issues related to eldership, you may not agree with each principle or insight, but you can use this little book to trigger your own thinking and to help you fine-tune your elders' meetings. Recommended.