hardworking fishing boat crew, if their large and strong nets have gaping holes, they will lose some of the catch. It's not time to get rid of the crew and the nets. Rather, torn nets, when mended, can accomplish much. Similarly, a good church with faithful members and devoted pastors has potential for much kingdom-usefulness, but when the leadership structure has gaping holes, ministry diminishes. The answer to the problem is not to remove the members or pastoral team, but to mend the nets in their leadership structure.

Mending the Nets: Rethinking Church Leadership seeks to take a biblical look at church leadership structures, while identifying ways to mend the holes for more effective ministry.

By walking through the New Testament's explanation of healthy church polity, experienced pastors, authors and professors Phil A. Newton and Rich C. Shadden make complex concepts accessible. Years of shepherding congregations have enabled them to see things from pastoral and ecclesiological angles that help churches toward effective leadership. They tell some of the pastoral story they've lived in to put life into the applications they recommend.

Writing from Southern Baptist (SBC) pastoral roots, Newton and Shadden explain the Baptist heritage in church leadership, how it slipped from regular practice, and how to restore it to more effectiveness in ministry. They're realistic about traditions, timing, and challenges of moving toward healthy polity, offering strategies for teaching, training, and equipping local congregations to mirror New Testament leadership patterns.

Pastors, pastoral staff, lay leaders, and ministers-in-training will profit from reading Mending the Nets: Rethinking Church Leadership. The book gives congregational leaders a roadmap for developing effective, biblical structures that lead toward strengthening church health.