Church Structure and Leadership | Church Leadership Ep. 3

Описание: Church structure and leadership - the constituent elements of a congregation and how they work together as a whole - has great influence on the effective accomplishment of a church's mission. Comprising members, leaders, and ministers, churches have various positions with discrete rights and responsibilities which work together harmoniously in furthering the mission of a local congregation.

The first component - and making up the main of a church - is the church membership. The church membership can be comprised of various levels - such as baptized, confirmed, and voting membership, etc - each with its own qualifications and responsibilities. The membership is the largest group, and supplies the great amount of gifts, support, prayer, and witness of a congregation. The greatest powers of a church therefore reside with the church membership, and it is they who choose their leadership, adopt a mission for the church, and make many of the main decisions of a congregation.

The second component of a church is the church leadership. Elected by the membership (though in some cases appointed by the ministers), the leaders are authorized to make decisions on the church's behalf. Comprising together a board (or consistory, session, council, etc), they meet regularly to review reports of the congregation and make decisions about the governance of the church.

The board elects its officers, comprising at minimum a president, treasurer, and secretary. Other officers, such as vice president, financial secretary, etc. may also be elected to fulfill specific roles within a church. These individuals usually serve as both officers of the board and officers of the congregation at large during the length of their term.

The president - or chair or chairman - presides at the meetings of the church. The president calls special meetings, helps prepare an agenda, and guides the meetings in their deliberations and decisions. The president also typically fulfills many formal functions within a church such as signing official documents, welcoming new membership, and speaking to the public on behalf of the church.

The treasurer oversees the finances of the congregation, prepares a proposed annual budget, makes expenditures on behalf of the church, and communicates financial needs to the congregation as a whole.

The secretary keeps minutes of meetings of the congregation and board, preserving a record of how decisions were made. These minutes are greatly valuable, both for future reference and for clarifying any disputes. The secretary may also assist the president in confirming wording of motions, conducting voting, and communicating with the congregation at large.

In addition to a board, churches typically have committees or teams that are given oversight over various areas of a church's life. Almost all churches have an executive committee (to confer on sensitive matters in a private setting), nominating committee (to nominate members for leadership positions), finance committee (to assist the treasurer in overseeing church finances), and audit committee (to review the financial books of a congregation).

Churches very frequently establish other committees or teams as well to supervise such areas as worship, fellowship, education, evangelism, youth ministry, and so forth. These committees are often a mixture of board members, church members, and ministers.

The ministers comprise the last group making up a congregation. Fulfilling various roles and going by various titles - pastors, priests, deacons, preachers, evangelists, etc - they are all formed through religious training and are called to fulfill specific ministerial roles within a church. Ministers may relate in various ways to the leadership of a congregation - and that relationship should be expressed in a church's governing documents - and these expectations may vary widely even within the same denominational polity.

Fulfilling their various roles the members, leaders, and ministers of a congregation work together to advance their mission in service to God; and a knowledge of these components and how they relate to one another facilitate a happy, productive life together as a congregation.


Chapters
0:00 Congregation Definition
0:47 Three Parts: Ministers, Leaders, Membership
1:25 Members
2:08 Members' Rights and Responsibilities
3:11 Voice and Vote
4:18 Levels of Membership
5:04 Elected Leaders
5:32 Church Board
7:17 Officers
7:48 President
9:04 Vice President
9:28 Treasurer
9:57 Financial Secretary
10:25 Secretary
11:29 Qualifications of Officers
11:47 Committees, Groups, Teams
12:52 Executive Committee
13:25 Nominating Committee
14:01 Finance Committee
14:23 Audit Committee
14:45 Additional Committees: Worship, Education, Evangelism, Etc
15:21 Ministers
16:34 Ministerial Responsibilities
17:03 Leadership Role of Ministers
18:11 Working Together