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Biblical
Principles Of God’s Call to Manage His Flock
The goal of this
page
is to lay forth to you suggestions from God’s Word and from my own
experience on how to effectively run a church. A general overview will
be given, followed by a step-by-step plan on how to effectively organize
for His glory. Although church growth is the goal, this Primer is not
based on traditional church growth jargon, even though some of
the principles are applied. After years of traditional church growth
methodologies, the Word brought me to my senses and face-to-face with
what is revealed there. The Scriptural precepts, what works, and how to
best manage your church according to His Word will be the basis of this
Primer, not the following of the latest trends!
A
very brief overview: What the Healthy Church Looks Like
The following are Twelve
Characteristics of a Healthy Church.
Each of these distinctions is extremely important. However, they have
been placed in a hierarchal arrangement, that is, the first one is more
important than the second, etc. In addition, the first one begets the
second, which begets the third, and so forth. Therefore, each one, when
practiced, is dependent on the characteristic that preceded it so it can
birth the one that follows. However, if any one of them is omitted, your
church will not function as God intended it to.
· First,
is the clear uncompromising teaching of God’s Word. Psalm 119:9-12
· Second,
is impacting worship. Psalm 138:1-4
· Third,
is passion for the Lord. Phil. 3:7-11
· Fourth
is heartfelt prayer. John 15:4-5
· Fifth
is Making Disciples. Matthew
28:18-20
· Sixth
is penetrating love and care. Mark 12:28-31
· Seventh
is leadership development. Ephesians 4:11-13
· Eighth
is outreach and missions. Psalm
90:1-2
· Ninth
is powered vision. Hebrews 11:1-2
· Tenth
is effective stewardship. Proverbs
3:9-10
· Eleventh
is appropriate programming.
Philippians 3:12-14
· Twelfth
is replication. Acts 1:8
These twelve
characteristics converge synergistically to form the church as our Lord
called it, to lead His people to Him in worship, and to glorify Christ!
Each one of these builds upon the other, each fueling the other, all
working together to be the church. This is where our real needs are met
and where our gifts are used, because the teaching, worship, and prayer
all empower people, through the work of the Holy Spirit and to His
glory, to worship Him. The church is allowed to become what it was meant
to be from the beginning, forbidding both prejudice and fears to get in
the way. This will be a powerful force for His kingdom.
The church does not exist
in and for itself. It is the vehicle to lead and manage the people of
God through discipleship, evangelism, missions, spiritual growth, and
programs all centered to His glory and worship. The quintessential
reason for the church to exist is to worship God, not only in the
worship service, but also as a lifestyle. The church is to provide
the means to grow people in His direction for that worship. Thus, all we
do, all we are, must point to the goal of moving people toward worship.
However, more often than not, we are so caught up in our programs we
forget why the programs are there. If you are the preacher, the elder,
or the youth minister, you must ask yourself, “Where am l, and where is
the ministry? Is it toward worship, or is it to function in and of
itself?
Here are some passages to
consider and pray over before you venture into church management:
Matthew 28:16-20; Acts 1:4-5; Romans 12; 1 Corinthians 10: 31- 11:1; 12;
Galatians 6:1-10; Mark 1:35 – 2:12; James 5:13-16;
1 Peter 3:15
If you still take
seriously the classic church growth principles, the bottom line question
you must ask yourself is this, Is the Christian movement’s expansion
a result of the work of the Holy Spirit in new converts, or is it
just taking sheep from others? And what of your church?
Are its beliefs and actions based on the Word or just on research
and presumptions? Be honest! This is between you and God!
Basic Action Plans to Lead and Manage your Church
Essential Principles and
Skills for Effective Leadership and Management In Your Church
Scriptural Precepts:
Matthew 28:16-20; Acts 1:4-5;
Romans 12; 1 Corinthians
10: 31- 11:1; 12; Galatians 6:1-10; Mark 1:35 – 2:12; James
5:13-16;
I Peter 3:15
Once you gain solid
Biblical precepts your personal study in God’s Word, then you will have
the primary precepts to grow a mature church to glorify our Lord. Once
you have these precepts at your core mindset, you can acquire further
suggestions on how to go about the daily affairs of the church.
The Big Picture and Overview: A Basic Church Management Model
The preacher / church
leader wears four hats.
Each one of these is essential. If even one is omitted, your church will
not grow in maturity, and the people will be left out of their essential
needs and call. One person may fulfill all four of these or they can be
broken up into teams and/or associate preacher roles. In any case, at
some point any leader or preacher will engage all four.
The
training, discipling,
recognition, and
encouraging of the church are all critical roles for the preacher.
If
the senior preacher feels he does not have the gifts and abilities to
equip and train others to do ministry, then he needs to build a team
around him that does! If not, the church will fail! Some preachers are
great teachers, but cannot do anything else.
A
preacher cannot be expected to do everything.
He is
not
the sole member of the body of Christ. A preacher must operate in his
gifted area, equip others to compensate in the areas where he is weak,
and do his best to still give support to the rest of the church and to
the wearers of the four hats! (Romans 7:4-6; 1 Corinthians 10:14-16; 12;
Ephesians 4:9-16)
1. Preacher/ teacher:
Proclaiming the Word From the Pulpit and/or Class.
Preachers have differing gifts and abilities. However, whatever his
gifts are, his primary duty is to Biblical teaching. A lot of energy and
effort has been put into training preachers in business and counseling,
sometimes to the extent of forgetting the main thing! In recent years,
there has been a shift in preaching style from Biblical exegesis to
feel good topics. What is popular is not necessarily what is best!
Never compromise the Word or water it down. It needs to be easy to
understand, but not compromised! Many churches grow because of the
effective and sometimes charismatic personality of the preacher. Make
sure growth is a result of the quality of the teaching and not just the
charisma of the preacher. Otherwise, the church will be based on a “cult
personality” and not on His purpose.
2. Shepherd / counselor:
The care of the people in the church, from counseling to the building
of relationships.
This function has grown
in popularity and emphasis over the last twenty years with courses in
Preacher Psychology and Counseling as the focus in most seminaries. This
is good. However, it is a secondary duty. If one does not have the
gifts, abilities, or time for this function, he should delegate the
responsibility to someone who does. This is still a vital role for the
church leaders! Many churches lose people because the preacher has poor
relational skills. If the preacher is a good teacher but poor in
relational skills, then he must find someone else who is gifted in
building relations with the congregation.
3. Leader/ Manager:
Leading the people where they need to go; solving problems
from personal and relational to care of the building and grounds.
To manage a church
effectively we must seriously take our lead from Scriptural principles
and not from popular trends. This has been a primary emphasis
over the past twenty years. In fact, it has been over emphasized as the
quintessential aspect of being a preacher. This is not so! Necessary?
Yes, but not by strong willed personalities or personal agendas over and
against the Word. This role perhaps takes most of the preacher’s time,
for which many are poorly trained and equipped. Leadership is not
dependent on a particular personality trait, but on skills that can be
learned, even when that spiritual gift or personality is lacking. This
aspect can be delegated. Many preachers get their pride hurt and refuse
to let go, but no one can do it all. As your church grows, so must the
people grow in leadership, so no one person is running the entire show.
4. Discipler / trainer:
the shepherding aspect of the preacher, involving instructions
on what a Christian is, how to grow in the faith and how to lead
a Christian life in society.
This is the least focused
aspect of the preacher and leader in the church. Yet, this is a most
important role! The primary role of the preacher is to train their flock
in the basics of the faith and continuing through the deeper waters of
the Christian faith. Many preachers do not do this. Perhaps they cannot
because either they lack spiritual maturity or they do not think it is
their role. In either case, they need to read the Bible. This aspect is
not focused on in traditional church growth teaching because it does not
bring in the numbers. However, we are called and even commanded to do it
(Matt. 28:18-20)!
A preacher needs to
evaluate his own gifts and his abilities as well as the remaining
leadership in the church and their abilities. This should be based on
the needs of his church according to each of these four roles, even if
he is not the one doing it. It is okay to let go of leadership passions
and positions to other godly and capable people. One must be aware of
his gifts and abilities, and work mostly within them, lest he fail (see
How to Determine your Spiritual Gifts)! Then build the
church by allowing each person to function in the gift that he was
called and designed for.
Equipping people for ministry
(Ephesians
4:11-16)
The growth potential of the people in the church will be low
when the preacher is the only one who is doing all or most of the
ministry. He cannot do ministry to, or on behalf of, the congregation
alone. Ministry must be shared through training and encouraging primary
leaders, who, in turn, train and encourage secondary leaders, and so
forth.
The following is a basic sample of how the church leadership can
function best. This model can be molded to fit the needs and size of the
church. The primary leader trains the associate leaders who then train
small groups and/or classes in the congregation. The congregation then
shares its knowledge and faith throughout the community. The senior
leadership and/or preacher(s) are accountable to the Elders or the men
of the congregation if the congregation has no elders. The church is
never to be run by a dictator, no matter how good and skilled that
person may be! Accountability is essential! Training and discipleship
are essential! If leaders are just being elected and thrown into the job
without knowledge and training, how can they be expected to function?
The Leadership Hats:
1. Focus on
developing the existing members in your church before you go out and
make new members. The spiritual strength and maturity of the church must
be developed first. If not, there will not be the ability or maturity to
reach out. At the same time, make sure people are not being turned away
or ignored!
2. Leadership
trains and disciples people. One cannot lead where one has not been, nor
can we do the work of God until we are the people of God. Clarify your
purpose from Scriptural principles. Determine spiritual gifts and roles.
Be ready to interpret changes in your church and society. Equip them for
it.
3. Management:
The church is a living organism, made up with different personality
types all incorporating into a group mentality. The church must be
adaptive to achieve its purpose within a stated environment. Leaders
need to know the culture and the people. Then, they must train and
encourage them accordingly.
4. Decision-Making
Process: Make sure you make healthy decisions based on the Word and
character of our Lord and not on personal agendas and political power
trips. This is necessary if you are to effectively establish unifying
goals, to anticipate and adapt to change, to encourage leadership
initiatives, and to ensure that budget allocations are in accord with
ministry priorities.
5. Communication:
Miscommunication is a sad fact of the church. It is part of our nature
both not to listen and to place our needs over those of others.
Effective means of communication need to be established in order to
connect the church’s purpose with the leader’s intentions. There must be
specific channels and means to bring information and encouragement to
the flock!
6. Facility: One
of the good things to come out of the church growth movement is the
sensitivity to the felt needs of people. However, felt needs are
never to supplant genuine spiritual needs, as they so often do! I
am sorry to say this, but most people, including Christians, are not
mature. That is why the Bible calls us sheep. Sheep are dumb. They will
starve between two bales of hay if not led to feed. They will scratch
themselves to death and wander off into oblivion. We are the same, so to
speak. (Just ask my wife. I, too, cannot take care of myself!) Thus, we
need to create an environment as comfortable as possible. If it is too
cold or too hot, people will not come. Even when they do come, they will
not listen. So, we need to do the best we can with what God gives us to
arrange activities and create an atmosphere in which people feel
comfortable. Having convenient parking is an example.
A Preacher needs to sit
down with his leadership and go over the above principles, keeping the
other articles and Biblical precepts in mind. How can this work and
become a reality? The answer to that question is to do it through
prayer, through seeking the Word, and through brainstorming options and
ideas. Afterwards, ideas can be implemented and necessary changes made.
Monitor those changes and be willing to listen to feedback. Make changes
and never compromise the integrity of Scripture or the character of our
Lord!
Remember, as the capacity of the preacher to lead others to do
the ministry is increased rather than his doing it all alone, the
potential for spiritual and numerical growth will also increase.
Now that you have a general overview, get ready to lead your
church to be her best for His glory!
Getting Started: “Seven Keys for Effective Leadership.”
During brainstorming sessions, go over each of these keys.
Let others show you how the church is doing, motivational patterns, and
where the weak and strong points are. Then, use those as a template to
think through and strategize an effective way to manage the church.
Ask: How can I…
1. Set Goals.
Go over the Scriptural precepts and strategize the goals that God has
for the church. Keep in mind the principles previously laid out. Go over
each one, one by one. Make sure as much time as possible is spent in
prayer. Try to have your meetings 1/3 to ½ of the time in prayer! This
will allow less time for arguments and circular reasoning, and the
meetings might even be shorter!
2. Be Focused
on God’s precepts, not just on research and trendy ideas. Those ideas
change and conflict with each other every few years, while God’s
principles remain steadfast and keep working! At the same time, use the
resources and ideas as a catalyst for other ideas. Filter out anything
that goes against what Jesus would have done! Keep in mind to manage
time and resources to maximize results.
3.
Have a Vision. Once you see the goal through prayer, Scripture, and
the needs of the church, map out the direction in which God is leading.
Keep it simple, and keep it focused on Scripture. Then, strategize on
how to communicate it to the people. This is called “casting.” Remember,
the primary goal is to cultivate faith and envision where the people
need to be in the future with their faith, both personally, in the
community, and in the world. How do you bring the church deeper into
the heart of God to worship and glorify Him?
4.
Create ownership of the ministry, so that the people in charge as
well as in the church can feel a part of the process. They need to be
reassured that it is their church too! Be affirming to them,
communicating important values, but prepared for some people to resist
change. It may take time. Congregational prayer is essential to grow
people in new directions!
5.
Mobilize the people in the church. Mobilize them by recruiting and
evaluating their spiritual gifts. Mentor and equip them.
6.
Coach them with training and encouragement. The goal is
team-building and supervising, not doing it all alone!
7. Make sure
your Decision Making is centered on His Word. Have a plan to
evaluate and solve problems. If conflict develops, check the articles on
conflict resolution
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