Structured For Service
“A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words.”
Several months ago I was trying to grasp how our church is organized. How it is to operate. How it is structured. I had a copy of our by-laws in front of me and started drawing a diagram of how our church maintenance is to be accomplished.
Maintenance is important with any building. If the roof leaks – it needs to be fixed. If the plumbing breaks – it needs to be repaired. These are all important elements of maintenance. But maintenance goes beyond the physical structure. Let me express it this way – there is a great difference between the maintenance of a house and the maintenance of a home. When we talk about the maintenance of a house we are referring to a physical structure. The building, the plumbing, the electrical wiring, the windows, etc. But when we talk about the maintenance of a home – we are referring primarily to the maintenance of the relationships we have with one another.
Communication must be maintained, our social events become important, customs are important, what we hold of value becomes important - what we do and why we do it are all parts of home maintenance. Each and every aspect that goes into healthy growing relationships become an element of home maintenance. This is true of a family and it is also true of a church.
So today we are going to take a look at our church structure. Why would I spend precious sermon time to talk about our church structure? Let me give you two reasons.
1. God wants us to have UNITY in the church.
Look with me at the passage from 1 Corinthians chapter one. Paul is writing to the church at Corinth; let us see what he says:
“Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.” 1 Corinthians 1:10 (NKJV)
God wants His church to be united. He calls for unity. One way to promote unity is to come to understand how things operate.
In any business, profession or organization people are trained and taught how the institution operates. In the military every soldier goes through basic training. Many businesses now – in the basic training process – give the employees an employee manual. It outlines in detail the expectations of the employer and the benefits offered to the employee. It is designed to clear up any areas of misunderstanding. It is designed to help to create unity within the organization.
At BFC we offer CLASS 101. It is a four hour introduction to our church. In those four hours we cover our strategy, our structure, our statements and our salvation. What CLASS 101 does is help create unity. In that four hours you will learn why we are here – that’s our purpose – and you will learn what goals are – that is our vision. CLASS 101 puts us all on the same sheet of music. If you have not taken that CLASS let me encourage you to do so; because God wants unity in His church.
The second reason that we are going to spend time talking about our church structure today is because:
2. God wants us to operate in an ORDERLY manner.
God has always done things in an orderly manner. In Genesis – with the creation of the world God created all things that exist in an orderly manner. In the book of Revelation we find that God will be actively involved with the end of time in an orderly manner. From the beginning to the end time God has been a God of order. God doesn’t panic. Everything He does is with a purpose. If God is a God of order, do we think that He wants His church to be a church of order? Look at 1 Corinthians chapter fourteen with me:
“Let all things be done decently and in order.”
1 Corinthians 14:40 (NKJV)
We are instructed to do all things in an orderly manner. What we find is that God wants us to be orderly, organized and united as we conduct the operation of His church.
If you will pull out the insert in your bulletins – you will see a diagram: The BFC – Church Maintenance Chart. We are going to spend some time today looking this diagram over.
[At this time I will go into how Burlingame Federated Church is to function according to its by-laws. If you use this sermon you will need to adjust it for your church situation.]
At Burlingame Federated Church all of us are to be servants. Every member is a minister. We are to minister to each other. We are to help one another and look out for each other. We are to care for one another. What you see on your chart is the way we are structured to:
Minimize maintenance and maximize MINISTRY.
On the left hand side of the diagram you will see our Board Members. The Board Members are church members who have been elected to the Church Board. Each member is elected for a three year term. We currently have nine board members. At our last annual meeting it was decided that that number will drop down to seven over the next couple years.
What you see directly below the Board Members is their function. They have four major responsibilities.
BOARD RESPONSIBILITIES
1. FINANCES.
They oversee the implementing of the church budget with is voted on at our annual meeting in January. They are to ensure that the church pays its bills. They also have the authority to purchase or contract items or services from vendors above budgeted items as needed. Basically they oversee how the church money is spent.
2. BUILDING
The church board also oversees the maintenance of the building and grounds. They oversee large projects such as the stained glass repair, instillation of the sound system, as well as smaller projects such as painting of classrooms. All of these are examples of taking care of the building.
3. PERSONNEL
The church board has the authority to hire support staff such as the janitor or secretary. They are also involved in the process of the selection of a pastor or associate pastor. In the event that a pastor or associate pastor in needed, the board will form a pastor search committee. In the case of pastoral staff the board with present candidates to the church body for a church wide election. The details of how this process takes place are found in our by-laws.
4. LEGAL MATTERS
Issues that pertain to our tax exempt status, insurance, disposal of personal and real property are also the responsibility of the board.
Those may seem like matters many of us don’t want to be involved in – but they are matters that someone must take care of. Those issues fall under the responsibility of The Board.
What you see on your diagram – underneath the four major items is that our board is supported by committees. Committees are appointed by the board chairman to help the board do its job. We have several committees that operate to help the board. One of the most important jobs of the committees is to act as advisory agents for the board. Committees are designed to give recommendations to board. They are the experts in the area of their responsibility. The committees are to do all the leg work - check out the different vendors - discuss the options - such as color or systems and after looking all the options over - make a recommencation to the board. The Board’s job is to make the final decisions based on the committee’s research.
The Church Board has a vital role to play when it comes to church maintenance. They are responsible for four vital areas that help this church function.
PASTOR RESPONSIBILITIES
If you look on the right side of the diagram you will see the pastor’s responsibilities. According to our by-laws the pastor is “The Spiritual Leader of the church.” He has responsibility over five areas of church functions.
1. WORSHIP
2. FELLOWSHIP
3. DISCIPLESHIP
4. MINISTRY
5. OUTREACH
[NOTE: We have restructured our by-laws to reflect the functions of a “Purpose Driven Church”.]
The pastor’s role is to "Lead, Feed and Oversee" the congragation. Someone needs to make sure that our worship services are honoring God. That our preached and teaching is doctrinally sound. That the ministries and programs that we are involved in give glory to God and that they are of the best quality possible. That we have a heart for the lost and are actively seeking to share the gospel with them. That when there are fellowship issues that they are handled in a Biblical and loving manner. All of these issues fall under the responsibility of the pastor.
The responsibilities are immense. When it comes to issues of worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry or outreach, the final decisions rest with pastor – so what I have done is that I have gathered a group around me to help deal with these issues. This group is called “The Pastor Team”. The Pastor Team is there to help give me their insights, opinions and advise. Look at what Proverbs 15 says:
“Plans fail when there is no counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.” Proverbs 15:22 (HCSB)
All of us need wise counsel. All of us need insight from others. That is the function of the Pastor Team. That is why we have a Pastor Team. They are there to help the pastor make wise decisions.
The Pastor Team has a vital role to play when it comes to church maintenance. The Pastor is responsible for five vital areas that help the church function. The Pastor Team is there to assist him.
All of this structure is in place for one purpose: To Empower the Congregation for Ministry. Another way to put this is that we are: Structured For Service. Jesus said this about service:
“He who is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” Matthew 23:11-12 (NKJV)
Here at BFC we believe that every member is a minister. Every member has a role to play. Every member has a position to fill. We need you. We need you to use your gifts and talents to help build up the body of Christ.
If you have a great ministry idea, bring it me. I and the pastor team will look it over. We will ensure that it fits in with our purpose and vision statements and that it is doctrinally sound. If it needs funding I will take to the board and recommend it. You see both the Pastor Team and the Church Board are there to help you do ministry. We are all to be "Doers of the Word" - helping each other to build up the body of Christ.
The Board and the Pastor Team are here for one purpose: To ensure that our members have the resources they need to minister – we are Structured For Service.
Prayer:
Father as we come this day – we come to offer ourselves as willing servants of yours. May we grow in unity with one another. May we minister in Your name. May we organize ourselves to be the most effective that we can be – for Your glory and for Your honor. Amen.
[If you would like a copy of the Church Maintenance Chart - please contact me.]
