This past weekend Pastor John Piper gave a five-hour seminar on Biblical Eldership. Afterwards, a friend of mine who is involved at another church asked me about resources discussing how to transition from a deacon-led ecclesiology to one that gives proper emphasis to elders and deacons working together, each in different spheres. That got me thinking about resources regarding elders and deacons.
The first that came to mind is the classic Biblical Eldership by Alex Strauch (assigned reading for Piper’s seminar). Strauch has also dealt with the subject of deacons in his The New Testament Deacon: The Church’s Minister of Mercy. Strauch takes the view that the office of deacon is only open to men. Other conservatives find female deacons acceptable.
Strauch takes a Brethren position regarding a plurality of elders. For a friendly review (and occasional critique) of Strauch, see this assessment by Paul Alexander. Alexander has co-written The Deliberate Church (a very good book) with Mark Dever (the Executive Director of Nine Marks Ministries). Regarding elders, Dever has written a very helpful pamphlet entitled By Whose Authority: Elders in Baptist Life. He takes the view that local church congregations benefit by having both a senior or lead pastor, and a plurality of elders, all in the context of congregationalism (the view that the final authority for a local church lies in the congregation).
Related: Alex Strauch – Leading with Love