Glenn Colley is a preacher, author, and elder. For several years, he has hosted a class for elders at Polishing the Pulpit. The class is a highly practical training session for elders to help them know how to handle tough issues that come into every congregation.
Awake at Night promises to be useful
• for
private study by a man who aspires to one day serve as an elder.
• to
church members to give them insights into the kinds of difficult struggles good elders will
endure, thus creating a compassionate understanding for these valuable men in our
congregations.
• by
current elders as they groom and prepare those who will be their replacements. It
isn't so different from a commercial airplane pilot-in-training who spends many hours in a
flight simulator before piloting the real jet and taking passengers' lives into his
hands. The current elders could have a small class with the potential new elders and work
through these cases each week until they have addressed each one. How much stronger and
closer the new eldership could be from the first day!
• for
Bible class teachers. Consider discussing two cases each week and assigning two more
to be discussed the following week.
• as a
source for blogs or bulletin articles or other written teaching materials.
• as a gift for your elders or for other men in your life who may one day want to be elders.
