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Training studies for local church elders

The Elder’s Handbook

The work of the local elder — calling, care, worship, and mission

Eighteen study units covering the ground of the Seventh-day Adventist Elder’s Handbook: the biblical office and qualifications, election and ordination, partnership with the pastor, leading worship and preaching, visitation, the church board and business meeting, baptism and the ordinances, weddings and funerals, discipline and restoration, nurture, evangelism, stewardship, and the elder’s own home and devotional life.

Studies
17
Questions
171
Quiz questions
170
The book itselfRead the Elder’s Handbook (2016 revision)All 172 pages of the General Conference Ministerial Association edition, free to read here or download.
A word on sources. These studies follow the eight chapters of the Seventh-day Adventist Elder’s Handbook (2016 revision, General Conference Ministerial Association), and the model answers are drawn from the handbook’s own counsel, with short quotations and page numbers so you can check every answer in the book itself. Where the handbook defers to the Seventh-day Adventist Church Manual, the Church Manual takes precedence.

The study units

  1. 01The Early Church Model of LeadershipWhere the office of elder comes from10 questions · 10 quiz · 5 key passages
  2. 02Defining 'Elder' and 'Church'What the words mean before we use them10 questions · 10 quiz · 6 key passages
  3. 03The Need for Structure and Adventist OrganizationWhy order is not the enemy of the Spirit10 questions · 10 quiz · 7 key passages
  4. 04The Importance of the Church ElderOld Testament roots, New Testament office, Adventist history10 questions · 10 quiz · 7 key passages
  5. 05Called by God, Elected by the ChurchTwo things must meet before a person is an elder10 questions · 10 quiz · 6 key passages
  6. 06The Elder's Job DescriptionSmall church, large church, and the first elder10 questions · 10 quiz · 6 key passages
  7. 07Qualifications of the ElderWhat must be true of the person before the office is given10 questions · 10 quiz · 8 key passages
  8. 08Ordination: Purpose, Service, Authority and LimitsWhat ordination gives — and what it does not10 questions · 10 quiz · 6 key passages
  9. 09What Is Worship?The meaning of corporate worship before its mechanics10 questions · 10 quiz · 5 key passages
  10. 10Leading the Sabbath Worship ServicePlanning, prayer, the word, and children in the service10 questions · 10 quiz · 5 key passages
  11. 11The Pastor-Elder TeamPartners in ministry with distinct lines of accountability10 questions · 10 quiz · 5 key passages
  12. 12Church Planning and Spiritual GiftsPlanning biblically and deploying the gifts of every member10 questions · 10 quiz · 5 key passages
  13. 13Departments and Officers of the ChurchThe elders' role in supporting deacons, clerk, treasurer, and departments10 questions · 10 quiz · 5 key passages
  14. 14Evangelism: Steps to Successful EvangelismRevival, Bible study, prayer, witnessing, and equipping for soul-winning10 questions · 10 quiz · 5 key passages
  15. 15Church Nurture: Prayer and CommunityLove, unity, prayer meeting, and nurture beyond the worship hour10 questions · 10 quiz · 5 key passages
  16. 16Baptism and the Communion ServiceThe ordinances the elder may conduct when the pastor is absent11 questions · 10 quiz · 5 key passages
  17. 17Child Dedication, Weddings, Funerals, Anointing, and the ConclusionRemaining special services and the elder's commission to lead10 questions · 10 quiz · 5 key passages