Just wrapped up a meeting with our Executive Leadership Team. Just thought I’d share some thoughts on church government. I’m guessing you won’t agree with all of these. And these are random thoughts. But here are some guiding principles.
1) Don’t create two steps where there needs to be one! Bylaws need to be as streamlined as possible. Don’t create bureaucracy where there doesn’t need to be any! And don’t meet for the sake of meeting. Make sure there is a rhyme and reason for everything.
2) Policies can actually be your friend. They keep you from making the same decision over and over again.
3) Don’t discriminate against staff. I have no idea why you wouldn’t let someone who is called to full-time ministry and trained for full-time ministry serve in the highest decision making capacity in your church. I definitely believe in staff-led churches versus board-led churches. I’m not saying there aren’t alot of great board-led or laity-led churches. There are. But I think the staff-led model is a closer approximation to the New Testament model.
4) Form follows function. I believe that structure ought to facilitate ministry and it doesn’t always do that! Our mission is “the horse.” Church government is “the cart.” Don’t let the cart pull the horse. Your ministry ought to define your bylaws–not the other way around.
5) Surveying is better than voting. We have tried to create a survey culture at NCC. We want all the input we can get, but surveying is a different psychology than voting. Just for the record: voting is not biblical. I’m not saying it’s unbiblical. And there can be a time and place to vote. But it isn’t modeled in the New Testament.
6) Serving on a committee doesn’t make you a leader. Choose leaders who would rather be doing ministry than sitting in a meeting! Leaders don’t serve on committees. Leaders serve.
7) Your organizational structure is like a skeletal structure. It is extremely important. It supports your body. But it ought to be an invisible and unnoticeable as possible. It simply supports your mission. It’s all about the mission!
