Goverened for Growth
There seems to be a great deal of discussion these days regarding church government. Small committees, large committees, lots of committees, no committees; the dialog goes on and on.
Can a church function in a “no committee” environment? If the lead pastor makes critical church decisions, is the church headed for chaotic closure? Is a church destined for doom if it never holds an annual meeting so members can vote on church business? Before you answer, consider the following real-life example.
A rapidly growing church in a growing community recently went through a shake up over their church government. From the beginning, they were organized as a Pastor-led church. There are no committees and no annual meetings. In fact, they don’t have formal membership. Rather, they ask people to become partners in the ministry of the church.
Over time, a small but vocal group became upset that they didn’t get to vote on church decisions. They eventually ended up leaving the church; taking a somewhat significant number of people with them. While this course of action is sadly disappointing, it was not nearly as devastating as you might think.
Because of their church government structure, instead of going through a long, highly visible and painful process; the church recovered rapidly without much incident. In fact, many of the people still attending the church are not even aware of what went on.
6 months after the incident you could hardly tell anything happened. 9 months after the incident, weekend attendance was higher than it had been prior to the group of people leaving. Today the church is still growing and making disciples.
It may be surprising to discover that many of the common forms of church government don’t work well in the 21st century. In fact, church government is one of the most significant challenges facing many churches today. However, broaching this subject can be tricky. In fact, if not handled correctly, discussions about changes in church government can destroy a congregation.
Church Doctor Consultants understand the transitional dynamics involved with changes in church Government. They welcome the opportunity to work with your congregation through a Church Government Consultation.
What is the structure of your church? Are you positioned for growth or for maintenance? Is the decision-making process pleasurable or painful? Whatever your answer, how your church is structured is more significant than you think.
February 23, 2008 @ 12:36 pm
When our Congregation was facing a membership loss and no gains primarily because of a preponderance of Worship sites in the area, 123 different choices, Catholic, Lutheran, LCMS. WELS, ELCA, 14 various Lutheran entities with K4-8 grade schools. The leaders decided to change from the traditional Monthly Voter’s Assembly with elected officers to a Mission and Ministry Council, a group of hand-picked like minded individuals, mostly Professors from the local Lutheran College. In addition this group espoused “School Choice”, getting State money to educate poor minority children. Annually this amounts to over a million dollars, $6315.00 for each student. In a ten year period Membership went from 1400 to 400, Sunday attendance went from two services with 400 total to one service with an average of 150. “Choice” money can only by law be used for Salaries and Supplies. Where we once had a Pastor, Secretary and Custodian and 104 Lutheran kids in the school we now have 184 kids in the school only 10 non-minority and 9 teachers, a school secretary a computer teacher and a school social worker and a full time fund raiser. This does not bode well for continued growth we still have 16 Lutheran churches in a 5 mile radius. We are on the edge of the Inner City. Their are no easy answers, but the first impression that comes to mind is, “Why not consolidate the various parishes? Answer: who would consent to be absorbed for the common good.