About the book
This title may read like an accusation. If you are an elder and your guard just went up, that instinct — to defend the office — is a right one. So hear this first: this book is not an exposé. It names no church and settles no scores. It is a diagnosis of something quieter: the ordinary, unremarkable drift by which good men who love Scripture come to lead in ways Scripture would not recognize. No scandal required, and no villain — the author writes as a lay elder of more than two decades who sat at the table and drifted with the room.
If you sit in a pew and were told the trouble was your own heart, these pages will deal honestly with you — about what you saw, and about what to do with it now. If you sit at the table and something in the room has begun to trouble you, they will help you name it — and then hand you the repair. That is the aim of every page: not exposure, but recovery — a leadership brought back near the Shepherd it serves.
An endorsement
Every pastor, church leader, and congregant needs to read this book. You may not agree with everything the author has written, however, I’m confident that you’ll agree that taking the qualifications for eldership seriously is a biblical absolute and mandate. I’m also confident you’ll agree that the author’s convictions are written with sensitivity, humility, and teachability. In fact, Randy has written—“If something doesn’t sit right with you, trust that instinct, go to Scripture, and seek Him.”
Where to buy
Buy on Amazon (opens in a new tab)
Available in paperback, hardcover, and Kindle editions.
On Goodreads: add it to your shelf or leave a review (opens in a new tab) .
Reading it with your board or congregation? Bulk pricing is available for ten copies or more.
Reading it together
Eight sessions each, built for groups reading the book together.
- unBiblical Eldership — A Study Guide for Church Members (opens in a new tab) For a class or a small group
- unBiblical Eldership — A Discussion Guide for Elder Boards (opens in a new tab) For a board or a leadership team
Book details
- Title
- unBiblical Eldership
- Subtitle
- Recognizing the quiet failure of church leadership — and recovering from it
- Author
- Randy Sedláček
- Publisher
- Wounded Shepherd
- Publication date
- Paperback
- 180 pages · ISBN 978-0-9701901-2-3
- Hardcover
- 180 pages · ISBN 978-0-9701901-3-0
- Ebook
- ISBN 978-0-9701901-4-7
- Language
- English
About the author
Randy Sedláček served as a lay elder off and on across some two decades, including a season as board chairman. He writes not as a scholar or a professional minister, but as a layman who sat at the table where such things are decided.