Church Administration Handbook

Bruce P. Powers, Bruce P. Powers

• Publisher: B&H Academic
• Year: 2008
• ISBN:
  9781433668982
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Christian Church

What's new about this third edition of the long respected and often used Church Administration Handbook? In addition to time and technological-sensitive updates to the basic organizational details, editor Bruce Powers writes: "The needs of people and churches have continued to change, with questions now being raised about the quality of congregational life, nature of leadership, and responsibility for ministry among all believers... As we have prepared this edition, we have sought to address five primary needs.1. Leadership skills and administrative tools that can be adapted for use in a variety of contexts from traditional to contemporary, from rural to urban, and from unicultural to multicultural settings;
2. Spiritual formation that relates to all of life (from birth to death);
3. Mission consciousness (in community, regionally, nationally, and globally);
4. Ministry of all believers (particularly calling out and equipping vocational, bivocational, and lay ministers); and
5. Leadership competence (the ability to inspire, motivate, and equip the saints for the work of ministry)."

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Chapter 1

TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP
IN A TECHNOLOGICAL AGE

Bruce P. Powers and James T. Roberson Jr.

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It is surprising, and sometimes puzzling to church leaders, that the New Testament nowhere provides a definitive description of the church. Rather, the Bible speaks profusely on the nature and mission of the church but always in models and illustrations, never in straightforward definitions. The clearest understanding can be gained from three primary images that have informed church leaders over the centuries.

Understanding the Nature and Purpose of the Church^*

The Church as the People of God

The church is sometimes pictured as the people of God. This concept has its roots in the Old Testament. God made a covenant with the people of Israel, and they became God's own people (Gen 12:1–3; 17:1–8). Israel understood God's expectations of them but had trouble abiding by them, just as Christians sometimes have difficulty living faithfully by the teachings of Christ.

Upon the faithfulness of Jesus, early Christians declared, God made a new covenant in fulfillment of that foretold by Jeremiah (Rom 11:27) and Joel (Acts 2:16–21). God had not called a new people but transacted a new covenant with his people. They were to be no longer Israel “after the flesh” but Israel “after the spirit” (Rom 9:6–13). Thus the followers of Jesus Christ, like Israel of the Old Testament, became the people of God—a people charged with the responsibility of sharing the Word that can restore the broken relationship between sinful humanity and a just, loving God.

The Church as the Body of Christ

Another image of the church, frequently employed in Paul's letters, is body of Christ. This image or model of the church portrays Christ as the head and individual believers, grafted into the body through the redemptive love of Christ, as other parts of the body. As members of the body, different persons are given different gifts, abilities, and functions. Together the members accomplish the work of the body under the direction of Christ, the head. Though the body is characterized by diversity of function, it is unified in purpose and mission.

The Church as the New Humanity

Sometimes the image of the church as the body of Christ is combined with the image of the church as the new humanity. Both images are frequently found in the writings of Paul, and new humanity is especially present in Ephesians and Galatians. God has brought the new humanity into being through the redemptive mission of Jesus Christ. The old humanity consisted of persons who were dead in their trespasses and sins (Eph 2:1). But Christ has raised them up and made them alive. “For we are what he made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life” (Eph 2:10 NRSV).

As the new humanity, the church is the evidence of God's continuing creative activity. It consists of people who have been made new and gifted with the ability to do what the old humanity could not accomplish. Whereas the old humanity was self-centered and rooted in law and judgment, new humanity would be God-centered and focused on grace and reconciliation. New humanity is God's new creation, made capable of righteousness and love through Jesus Christ.

These images clearly emerge from the New Testament. But take care not to overinterpret them. For example, the body of Christ (the church) does not always do the will of the divine head, and it would be inaccurate for some to think that whatever the church did was clearly the same action that Christ himself would undertake if he were present in person.

Similarly, the church as the new humanity does not always show love and righteousness, and it would be disastrous to think of some of the acts of church people as God's will. Sometimes the actions of the new humanity are nothing more than sin expressed in its most sinister form—the garb of piety. So each of us must be careful to seek faithfully to follow Christ and to serve one another in love. We must also be quick to recognize our shortcomings with one another and seek forgiveness and reconciliation.

Although the church seldom lives up to everything each image suggests, these models clearly suggest what God intended when the church was brought into being. Once we understand what the church is to be, then we must agree on the purpose of the church and what it is to do.

The Purpose of the Church

Before dealing with the practical issues of congregational leadership, it is important to clarify the purpose of the church. Without clarity in biblical and theological foundations for ministry, techniques and methods can become detached from the very vision that birthed them. A church can drift away from its reason for existence and become a religious country club.

The church is to be a community of persons who are wholeheartedly committed to doing what God wants to be accomplished on earth. This most certainly includes the great commandments, loving God supremely and loving our neighbor as ourselves (Matt 22:37–39). If the church accomplishes its purpose, the result will be more love for God and for humanity. Love of God should result in prayer, devotion, commitment, a sense of piety, and growth in one's spiritual life. Love of neighbor should result in caring, giving, confronting, admonishing, seeking justice, and working for the common good.

Jesus added another commandment at the Last Supper, asking followers to love one another in order to be a positive witness to unbelievers (John 13:34–35). Put together, these commandments suggest that the purpose of the church is to engage in activities consistently described in Scripture that increase the love of God, neighbor, and brothers and sisters in Christ. These activities are often referred to as the functions, or tasks, of the church: worship, proclamation, education, ministry, and fellowship.

The church brings individuals into community where they contribute to the common good and give encouragement, support, and discipline to one another. This is the koinonia, the spiritual fellowship that inspires and enables believers to perform the functions of the church, thereby giving witness to the world. Through and with the help of this community, the church, we share with the world our belief in Jesus Christ, our trust of Scripture, and our best interpretation of how we have experienced and must serve God. It is this message—what we know, believe, and do—that becomes the dominant force as we seek to nurture believers, minister to those in need, and evangelize those who need a Savior.

Each function, or task, of the church is crucial, and none is superior to the others. A church that does mostly worship is no more what God intended than the church that does mostly evangelism. The church that engages in worship and evangelism but does not take seriously the community of fellowship is only doing part of what God intended. All tasks are necessary for the church to fulfill its purpose and claim its identity as the people of God, the new humanity, and the body of Christ.

The Mission of the Church

The mission of the church is to achieve the purpose of the church—to be, do, and tell the gospel. From a biblical viewpoint there generally are two dimensions for evaluating our effectiveness: how individuals respond and how the church responds.

Individual Response

Our effectiveness in relating to individuals must focus on the mandate (1) that belief in Jesus is the only way to God and (2) that believers will keep Christ's commandments. According to John 14:6–17, Jesus described individual responsibility as the essence of faith and practice. One way to evaluate our effectiveness is to look at how those under our influence are responding individually.

This raises two questions: Are persons expressing belief in Jesus? Is their living consistent with Jesus' teachings? The degree to which you and the congregation can respond positively to both these questions illustrates your or my effectiveness in influencing individuals.

Church Response

Individuals who have responded to the call of God in Christ must then focus on an added dimension to the Christian life: that those who profess Jesus as Lord unite themselves in a body—the church—to carry out God's will. The New Testament knows nothing of a Lone Ranger approach to Christianity. Where the gospel is preached and the lost come to Jesus, it is always as a part of the life and ministry of the church.

Individuals usually profess Christ as Savior after hearing the gospel message and becoming acquainted with believers in a local church. It is in this environment that we relate to others and through which they come to know us. We are saved and come to understand church in this relationship with believers, and we become a part of the church so that we might share personally in its life and work.

But what is the life and work of the church? It is the same as God's call to all Christians: to be his people and to continue the earthly ministry of Jesus. The church must be the means through which the eternal purpose of God is declared.

You can evaluate your effectiveness in this area by determining the extent to which those under your influence become involved in the life and work of the church.

What Are the Results?

Our influence, then, cannot be evaluated apart from tangible results— as individuals respond to God and as they involve themselves in a church. Naturally, we would all want to interpret the specific meaning given to the type and quality of tangible results. But the fact remains, as we seek to influence the faith of others, there is a response. And that response must be judged by criteria such as those described above.

The question now comes back: How successful are we in fulfilling the purpose and mission of the church?

Evaluating Your Witness

How do you and the congregation evaluate your influence as Christian witnesses? If your response is typical, there are some ways in which you have been effective, but there also are areas of shortcoming or, perhaps, areas that had not previously been considered.

The important thing is to recognize the discrepancies that exist between the witness we want to share and the witness we are sharing with the world. Ideally, these are the same. If they are not, the points of difference represent areas in which the minister(s) and the congregation need to discuss expectations and clarify hopes and dreams for the church's future.

What are we trying to do to people? The bottom line is that we want people to come to faith, grow in faith, serve in faith, and live in faith—just as Jesus taught. The primary job of ministers and of the congregation is to (1) bring people to Jesus Christ, and (2) help them grow in his likeness. As described in Eph 4:11–13, the task of church leaders is to equip, or prepare, God's people for the work of Christian service. It is the duty of every believer to seek to understand, develop, and use in Christian service the gifts God has provided. It is the job of the church to perform the functions that will enable believers to have a positive witness to the world. Reaching, teaching, and developing are the key words for what we are trying to do. The purpose of the church, ultimately, is to make disciples and lead them to l...