The Elder's Digest is an international journal for local church elders published quarterly by the Ministerial Association of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.
As the church experiences rapid growth around the world, increasingly heavy burdens of leadership rest upon local elders. This is particularly true in multi-church districts. The objective of the Elder's Digest is to help train and support local church elders as they attempt to fulfill the gospel commission by nurturing their members and reaching out to their communities. It will do this by:
1. Addressing the elder's spiritual, mental, physical, and social needs.
2. Reviewing the great Bible themes of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, showing how each one centers in the Lord Jesus.
3. Providing resources that will assist in giving strong administrative leadership in their congregations.
4. Giving assistance that will strengthen their preaching skills. This will include sample sermons in the journal.
5. Providing instruction that will assist in the nurture of believers and new interests.
6. Encouraging leadership and participation in evangelism on the part of the elders.
7. Providing materials that will assist elders in supporting the pastors they serve.
8. Maintaining a simple writing style in the journal (6th grade level of English) similar to the Reader's Digest.
9. Including articles from the Spirit of Prophecy relating to the areas listed above.
The Elder's Digest will be designed to meet the needs of all elders, but especially those serving in churches of 25 to 100 members in multi-church districts.
The Elder's Digest will join Ministry in being a prophetic voice calling the church to be faithful to the biblical principles that constitute Adventist truth, ideals, and values. It will encourage elders continually to grow stronger in Christ that they may model faith as they encourage spiritual development in the flocks they serve as undershepherds.
