Biblical Eldership Resources

Name

Biblical Eldership Resources

Legal name

Biblical Eldership Resources

Website

https://biblicaleldership.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Education and Church Leadership Training

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Sermon, Homiletics & Ministry Resource Publishing (Preaching Aids, Pastoral Resources) (MPAJAHAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Religious Education & Catechetical Publishing (Sunday School, Catechism, Study Guides) (MPAJAHAC), Religious Reference & Study Tools Publishing (Commentaries, Concordances, Lexicons) (MPAJAHAL), Seminaries (Graduate Theology & Ministry) (EDAHAKAA)

Keywords

• Church leadership training
• Biblical eldership resources
• Church elder curriculum
• Online ministry courses
• Pastor development programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Rochester

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Book Sales: BER sells physical and digital copies of books on biblical eldership through their online store, including the flagship 'Biblical Eldership' book ($35), study guides ($25.50), and abridged versions ($6.99).
2. Online Course Sales: The School of the Shepherds offers individual and group course licenses for online training. Some courses are free while others are paid (e.g., $25 per course for individual enrollment).
3. Donations: BER accepts donations through credit card/PayPal, postal mail, phone, and online banking. They offer one-time and recurring monthly donation options, with the ability to direct donations to specific purposes like Spanish translation, Italian translation, or simulcast conferences.
4. Speaking and Consultation Fees: BER provides speakers and consultants for churches, retreats, and conferences. Inviting churches cover travel, accommodation expenses, and provide an honorarium directly to the speaker or consultant.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Biblical Eldership Resources produces and distributes biblically-grounded training materials (books, study guides, online courses, conferences) that equip current and aspiring church elders and local churches to implement, practice, and teach the doctrine of biblical eldership. Its flagship product is Alexander Strauch's book 'Biblical Eldership: Restoring the Eldership to Its Rightful Place in the Local Church,' with 250,000+ copies in print across 20+ languages, complemented by structured programs such as the School of the Shepherds online courses and the Elder Development Program.

Product overview

Biblical Eldership Resources offers a comprehensive suite of biblical training resources for church eldership. The core product portfolio centers on Alexander Strauch's books—primarily 'Biblical Eldership: Restoring the Eldership to Its Rightful Place in the Local Church' (2024 edition), accompanied by the Study Guide and Abridged versions—alongside related titles including 'If You Bite & Devour One Another,' 'Love or Die,' and 'Acts 20: Fierce Wolves are Coming.' The ministry provides structured training programs including the Elder Development Program (a 1-2 year intensive) and the School of the Shepherds (SOTS) Online Courses (courses 101-106). Additional offerings include an Effectiveness Curriculum of video/audio presentations, podcasts, blog content (Passing the Baton), and annual Simulcast Conferences. All materials are designed to equip current and future church leaders to implement, practice, teach, and train others in biblical eldership.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• School of the Shepherds (SOTS): An online training program for developing shepherd elders for the local church, offering courses such as 101: Intro to Shepherding, 102: Elder's Spiritual Life, 103: Spiritual Maturity, 104: Counsel of God, 105: Shepherding by Plurality, and 106: More Shepherding.

Products and services

• Biblical Eldership: Restoring the Eldership to Its Rightful Place in the Local Church (2024 edition) The premier 368-page book explaining biblical teaching on church eldership as shared pastoral leadership by a council of scripturally-qualified, Spirit-placed elders. Over 250,000 copies in print in more than 20 languages; priced at $35 for physical or digital copy, also available as audiobook.
• Biblical Eldership: Study Guide (2024) 168-page companion study guide providing thought-provoking questions for group study with facilitation by an experienced teaching or mentoring elder; priced at $25.50 per copy with 10% discount on orders of 6 or more.
• Biblical Eldership: Abridged (2024 edition) 64-page condensed version of the full text, designed to make the doctrine of biblical eldership accessible to every church member; priced at $6.99.
• If You Bite & Devour One Another 192-page book examining all biblical passages on conflict and outlining key scriptural principles for handling various kinds of conflicts among Christians; priced at $15.29 with audiobook and e-book available via Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
• Love or Die: Christ's Wake-Up Call to the Church 112-page book examining Jesus Christ's rebuke of the Ephesian church in Revelation 2:2-6, addressing how love can grow cold while outward religious performance appears acceptable; priced at $11.89.
• Acts 20: Fierce Wolves are Coming; Guard the Flock 232-page in-depth exposition of Paul's farewell message to the Ephesian elders in Acts 20:17-38, covering warnings about false teachers and pastoral oversight; priced at $16.99.
• Spiritual Maturity: Based on Elder Qualifications 86-page booklet studying the qualifications for elders as outlined in the New Testament; $10 for print, $5 for PDF, $40 for package of 5 copies.
• Elder Development Program (EDP) A robust one- or two-year comprehensive program for developing godly, spiritually qualified pastor-elders for the local church, fully preparing men for church leadership.
• School of the Shepherds (SOTS) Online Courses Online course program including courses 101-106 covering Intro to Shepherding, Elder's Spiritual Life, Spiritual Maturity, Counsel of God, Shepherding by Plurality, and More Shepherding. Course 101 is free; Course 106 is $25 with individual and group licensing options.
• Effectiveness Curriculum Interactive website with short 15-minute or less video/audio/written presentations covering Personal Life, Leading, Teaching, Caring, and Protecting topics for elder development.
• BER Simulcast Conferences Annual and periodic simulcast conferences featuring speakers on topics such as Becoming a Great Commission Church, Preaching from the Heart, Church as Family, and Making Plurality Work. Inviting churches cover travel, accommodation, and honorarium.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 250,000 copies of flagship book in print
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and regional.

• Believers Stewardship Services, Inc. (BSS)coreOthersBER has partnered with Believers Stewardship Services to administer the Charitable Gift Annuity (CGA) program. BSS handles the administrative aspects of CGAs, enabling donors to receive lifetime income streams with the remaining balance going to BER upon their death. This service is currently available in the US.
• MSC CanadaregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCanadian donors can donate to BER through MSC Canada by indicating Biblical Eldership Resources in the 'Recipients Name' window. MSC Canada serves as a donation processor for Canadian supporters.
• Project Timothy (Progetto Timoteo)regionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerAn initiative in Italy to foster development of a new generation of leaders within local churches. BER resources are being translated and promoted in Italian through this ministry based at Timoteo Ac Emmanuele.
• Liderazgo Bíblico (liderazgobiblico.org)regionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpanish-language version of Biblical Eldership Resources, translating and developing effectiveness section materials for the Hispanic world.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• 9Marks: 9Marks is a ministry that builds healthy churches by offering books, articles, and training resources focused on biblical church doctrine and leadership—directly overlapping with BER's elder training and church governance focus. Both target evangelical pastors and church leaders seeking biblically-grounded ministry resources.

Broad incumbents

• Crossway: Crossway is a major Christian publisher producing theological and ministry resources including the ESV Bible translation. It publishes competing church leadership and pastoral ministry books in the same market as BER's publishing arm.
• Ligonier Ministries: Ligonier Ministries is a large, well-established Reformed Christian organization offering teaching, publishing, and online learning content. While broader in scope than BER, it overlaps significantly in publishing pastoral and theological training resources for church leaders.
• Desiring God: Desiring God is a large Christian ministry producing books, articles, podcasts, and conferences for Christian growth and leadership. It shares a similar donor-supported publishing and content model targeting pastors and ministry leaders.
• B&H Publishing Group: B&H Publishing is a major Christian publisher producing ministry, pastoral, and leadership resources. It competes with BER in the pastoral training and church leadership book category.
• Moody Publishers: Moody Publishers is a well-established Christian publishing house affiliated with Moody Bible Institute, producing books on biblical leadership, pastoral ministry, and church training that compete with BER's book offerings.
• The Gospel Coalition: TGC is a broad evangelical organization producing books, articles, conferences, and training content for pastors and church leaders. While its scope extends beyond eldership, it competes for the same church leader audience and donor base as BER.

Emerging players

• The Charles Simeon Trust: The Simeon Trust provides biblical preaching and ministry training workshops and resources for church leaders, with a similar practitioner-led, non-formal training approach that overlaps with BER's elder development and training programs.
• Acts 29: Acts 29 is a church planting network that trains and equips church planters and leaders through conferences, resources, and curriculum, competing for the same evangelical church leader training audience that BER serves.

Others

• Servant Partners: Servant Partners is a Christian ministry organization focused on church planting and leadership development among underserved communities, with thematic overlap with BER's elder training mission in cross-cultural ministry contexts.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/eldership
• Facebookfacebook.com/BiblicalEldershipResources
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/biblical-eldership-resources

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Biblical Eldership Resources