Arranged in a Q & A format, this volume tackles the major questions that pastors, church leaders, and students ask about congregational church government, a topic of much interest in the church today. It provides readers with a clear analysis of key biblical passages, succinct answers (4-8 pages each), and discussion questions. The unique format of the book allows the reader to pick and choose what issues are most pertinent to their interests and...
This book features short treatments addressing a broad range of questions relative to the role and function of elders and deacons. While the author favors a church structure with a plurality of elders, he does a good job explaining the variety of different structures that churches have and how those structures came about.
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I [...] found this book to be MOST excellent! So many churches - pastors and members - fail to STUDY the Word of God to see what He has told His children about these two offices in His church. When Christians rely on human wisdom we go astray. This book helps anyone who has an interest understand the issues that every church grapples with and see that Lord has provided His instructions for His children. This is one of...
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A few weeks into my first semester of M.Div. work at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary I met Ben Merkle in class. It wasn't a seminary class though. Our wives were both expecting their first baby, and we all happened to be in the same birth-instruction class together. We shared a few meals, went to church together a couple of times, and our wives helped each other out after the birth of the children. Ben was involved...
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When our church was in the middle of a major constitution revision, the committee recommending changes had access to a pre-publication version of Merkle's book. The easy-to-use format along with the Bible-saturated clear and concise answers to the very questions we were asking proved invaluable to our work. I am convinced that "40 Questions About Elders and Deacons" will become a standard tool used by pastors, elders, deacons,...
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