Primary Authors & Sources
From ancient pastoral rule through Puritan churchmanship to the training of Christ’s apostles, students read how gospel authority and character are formed for leading the church. Gregory the Great’s Book of Pastoral Rule is the Western classic on the shepherd’s life and care of souls. John Chrysostom’s On the Priesthood (in Schaff’s NPNF) presses the weight of the ministry with rhetorical and pastoral force. Richard Baxter’s Reformed Pastor shows Puritan oversight in the congregation—preaching, visitation, and discipline as one work. John Owen’s True Nature of a Gospel Church and Its Government states congregational churchmanship under Christ’s headship. A. B. Bruce’s Training of the Twelve studies how Jesus formed leaders, the pattern beneath every later manual. Together they serve elders and teachers who lead by Word and example.
What You Will Study
Students examine biblical and Reformed principles of ecclesial leadership centered on Christ's headship, elder qualification, servant authority, and character formation for gospel ministry. The course covers pastoral office, plurality of elders, deacon service, church discipline, and the relationship between leadership gifts and congregational life from Scripture and confessional standards. Readings include pastoral epistles, Acts, selections from Baxter, Owen, and modern Reformed works on eldership in both institutional and house church contexts. Students analyze case studies in conflict resolution, counseling boundaries, and spiritual oversight with attention to humility and accountability. The course rejects CEO models of ministry and celebrity pastor culture while affirming God-given authority for feeding, protecting, and guiding Christ's flock.
Course Objectives
Objectives include articulating biblical qualifications for elders and deacons, explaining Reformed polity options including Presbyterian and congregational forms, evaluating leadership failures and successes from Scripture and church history, and developing personal plans for character growth in ministry. Students will write essays on authority, submission, and mutual accountability in the body of Christ. The course cultivates servant leadership marked by prayer, Scripture saturation, and love for souls. Students will compare house church eldership with traditional pastoral office and identify transferable principles. Assessments include reflection papers on calling, humility, and the leader's family life as public testimony.
Ministry & Life Application
Leadership training prepares men to shepherd house churches and congregations with Christlike authority that serves rather than dominates. Elders across the Florida Keys gain biblical frameworks for decision-making, discipline, and discipleship that protect the flock from authoritarian abuse and spineless neglect. Pastoral ministry flourishes when leaders model repentance, teachability, and sacrificial love before their families and congregations. This course supports the practical mission of Bible College of the Florida Keys to raise up qualified overseers for scattered gatherings. The church is strengthened when its leaders resemble the Chief Shepherd who gave his life for the sheep.