A searchable, downloadable PDF of the original reviews appears below. Peter Bush is the minister of Knox Presbyterian Church in Mitchell, Ontario.

Stewart Matthew and Kenneth Scott. Leading God’s People: A Handbook for Elders and Ministers, New Edition, (Edinburgh: Saint Andrew Press, 1995)

and

Stewart Matthew and Ken Lawson. Caring for God’s People: A Handbook for Elders and Ministers on Pastoral Care, New Edition, (Edinburgh: Saint Andrew Press, 1995).

As I talk to ruling elders in various parts of the country, 1 am impressed by how seriously they view their ordination vows. They want to be good elders. But 1 hear many of these same elders saying they don’t know how to be an elder – they don’t know what to do. They have not been trained to use their Christian leadership gifts, nor have they been given the tools to do pastoral care in their districts and so they feel at sea. Therefore 1 was very glad to see that the Saint Andrew Press has printed new editions of these two books, which are an answer to the plea from those who want to better fulfill their calling as ruling elders.

Leading God’s People is a handbook for the training of elders. There are six chapters focusing on helping elders develop their leadership skills and enhance teamwork within sessions. The opening chapter, “Baseline Thinking,” give a solid theological foundation for what it is that the church is about, and the models of leadership found in the Bible. The second chapter outline the areas of session responsibility, making clear the size of the task a session faces. The third chapter, “Common Problems,” takes a frank look at the kinds of problems that can develop on a session, and what ways those problems might be addressed. Chapters 4 and 5 look at ways of building the session into a team and how to improve communication, decision-making and the implementation of session actions. There are discussion questions for each chapter at the end of the book.

Caring for God’s People is a nine-chapter handbook designed to help elders become pastoral care-givers in their districts. Again the book opens with a solid theological exploration of what the church is to be doing, and what are some biblical models of care. “Getting Started” and “Learning to Care” (chapters 2 and 3) outline the basic tools necessary to build caring relationships with people. Chapter 4 gives very helpful ideas about how and when to use prayer in elders visits. Chapter 5 outlines some of the difficult pastoral situations any elder might face in their district, giving very helpful suggestions. “Taking care of Yourself” and “Caring for Each Other as Elders” are worth the price of the book, as they give elders the tools to do some self-care, and to be open with their fellow elders about what is happening in their personal lives. At the conclusion of each chapter there are discussion questions.

I have used both of these books as guides in the education section of session meetings. By assigning a chapter per meeting, I found we could work through one of the handbooks in a year (8 or 9 meetings) taking about half an hour at a regular session meeting to talk about the assigned chapter. These resources could also be used in a retreat setting with a session. I cannot recommend these books highly enough – by coming from a clearly Presbyterian perspective they have immediate resonance in our congregations, and they meet a desperate need in our church for solid eldership development resources. Whether people have been elders for 25 years or only 25 minutes, they can benefit from these handbooks.