This Elder Development Program (EDP) is a robust one- or two-year program for developing godly, spiritually qualified pastor-elders for the local church. It includes the Biblical Eldership study but involves much more. This is a complete program that fully readies a man for leadership in the church.
Though the program specifically addresses elders, you can easily modify it for other leadership roles, as the Bible’s teaching on eldership applies to all Christians: “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable…” (2 Tim. 3:16). All who want to grow in maturity are intended to apply that teaching to their own individual lives.
So who can benefit from this material and how can they use it?
- The church: to train and prepare men for spiritual leadership as elders in the local church.
- An existing elder: to grow as a disciple by improving his understanding of eldership and effectiveness in leading and shepherding.
- A potential elder: to prepare himself for the “fine work” of eldership.
- Young men: to help build a pathway toward eventually becoming an elder.
- Men and women in general: to provide selected training for their respective leadership roles in the church.
- Christians in business or community: to foster Christian character in their workplaces and extend their leadership to spiritually caring for the people they lead.
Modular Approach
This training material presents a comprehensive modular training program. You can select modules based on the trainee’s starting point and desired leadership goal.
For churches wanting the best preparation for new elders, we recommend the full program. However, we recognize that needs, time constraints, and levels of acceptance will vary from church to church—this program can be modified to suit the need.
To learn more about this program, download the Elder Development Program document.
In addition, here is an article to address the ongoing need of elder evaluation.