Primary Authors & Sources
LEAD-101 builds its reading list from required primary and classical sources in gospel authority and christ-centered character formation. The authors below are read as teachers across the centuries, not as entries in a bibliography. John Owen writes with Puritan depth on Christ, the Spirit, and the life of faith, combining doctrinal precision with devotional warmth, notably in The True Nature of a Gospel Church and Its Government. William Ames contributes Conscience with the Power and Cases Thereof, offering firsthand access to the arguments, methods, and assumptions that shaped this period of study. Richard Sibbes contributes The Soul’s Conflict with Itself, offering firsthand access to the arguments, methods, and assumptions that shaped this period of study. Andrew Murray contributes Abide in Christ, offering firsthand access to the arguments, methods, and assumptions that shaped this period of study. Francis Greenwood Peabody contributes Jesus Christ and the Christian Character, offering firsthand access to the arguments, methods, and assumptions that shaped this period of study. Alexander Balmain Bruce contributes The Training of the Twelve, offering firsthand access to the arguments, methods, and assumptions that shaped this period of study.
Taken together, these readings form a coherent conversation across centuries — students encounter real arguments, not flattened summaries. Charles Henry Brent contributes Leadership, offering firsthand access to the arguments, methods, and assumptions that shaped this period of study. Charles McTyere contributes Jesus the Worker: Studies in the Ethical Leadership of the…, offering firsthand access to the arguments, methods, and assumptions that shaped this period of study. John Raleigh Mott contributes The Future Leadership of the Church, offering firsthand access to the arguments, methods, and assumptions that shaped this period of study. Charles Bridges contributes The Christian Ministry, offering firsthand access to the arguments, methods, and assumptions that shaped this period of study. John Angell James contributes An Earnest Ministry, offering firsthand access to the arguments, methods, and assumptions that shaped this period of study. Charles Edward Jefferson contributes The Character of Jesus, offering firsthand access to the arguments, methods, and assumptions that shaped this period of study. George Knox contributes Leadership, offering firsthand access to the arguments, methods, and assumptions that shaped this period of study.
What You Will Study
Students examine biblical and Reformed principles of ecclesial leadership centered on Christ's headship, elder qualification, servant authority, and character formation for gospel ministry. The course covers pastoral office, plurality of elders, deacon service, church discipline, and the relationship between leadership gifts and congregational life from Scripture and confessional standards. Readings include pastoral epistles, Acts, selections from Baxter, Owen, and modern Reformed works on eldership in both institutional and house church contexts. Students analyze case studies in conflict resolution, counseling boundaries, and spiritual oversight with attention to humility and accountability. The course rejects CEO models of ministry and celebrity pastor culture while affirming God-given authority for feeding, protecting, and guiding Christ's flock.
Course Objectives
Objectives include articulating biblical qualifications for elders and deacons, explaining Reformed polity options including Presbyterian and congregational forms, evaluating leadership failures and successes from Scripture and church history, and developing personal plans for character growth in ministry. Students will write essays on authority, submission, and mutual accountability in the body of Christ. The course cultivates servant leadership marked by prayer, Scripture saturation, and love for souls. Students will compare house church eldership with traditional pastoral office and identify transferable principles. Assessments include reflection papers on calling, humility, and the leader's family life as public testimony.
Ministry & Life Application
Leadership training prepares men to shepherd house churches and congregations with Christlike authority that serves rather than dominates. Elders across the Florida Keys gain biblical frameworks for decision-making, discipline, and discipleship that protect the flock from authoritarian abuse and spineless neglect. Pastoral ministry flourishes when leaders model repentance, teachability, and sacrificial love before their families and congregations. This course supports the practical mission of Bible College of the Florida Keys to raise up qualified overseers for scattered gatherings. The church is strengthened when its leaders resemble the Chief Shepherd who gave his life for the sheep.