There are four important principles that should be used in developing or revising any of your church guiding documents. When we talk about guiding documents for the church, we are referring to such documents as articles of incorporation, by-laws, policies, job descriptions, etc. Follow the principles below and you will improve your ministry effectiveness and relevance, plus you may reduce the number of organizational headaches that go with leading a church. Read on to discover what these four principles are.
The first principle can be summarized in one important word – BIBLICAL. For evangelical churches and Christian organizations, the Scriptures should determine the culture, direction, and way of life of any church or ministry. This is because guidance comes first from Christ and the Word of God. Everything is to be judged by the commands, principles, precepts, examples, and values found in the Word of God. Alignment and agreement with Christ and the Bible are mandatory. They are the final judge of what is written and practiced not only in life, but also in the church. Judge what you have written in your guiding documents by what God has written.
The second principle is SIMPLE. If you haven't already read Simple Church by Thom Rainer and Eric Geiger, read it. It's a great help in developing church or ministry organizational structures and guiding documents. When developing guiding documents, keep them simple. Rainer and Geiger define a simple church this way: "A simple church is a congregation designed around a straight-forward and strategic process that moves people through the stages of spiritual growth" (p. 60). If you want your church to help accomplish the Great Commission (Matt. 28:18-20) and the Great Commandment (Matt. 22:34-40), keep your guiding documents simple.
The third principle is FLEXIBLE. Churches may grow, plateau, or decline in attendance over time and circumstance. Pastors come and go, while a few may stay for many years. Methods of ministry and multiplication may change. Congregational demographics will change over time. Church neighborhoods and communities may also change abruptly or over time. More instances of planned or unintentional change may happen either inside or outside the church, and when they do, flexible churches can survive and even thrive. Smart churches design their churches to be flexible and adaptable.
The fourth principle is FUNCTIONAL. A functional church has organizational structures that are functional, that is, they intentionally develop their ministry structures to accomplish their purpose. They then measure and evaluate on a regular basis how their ministries are doing. They measure what they value. Effective churches need to first ask the question, "What is our function?" Then they can design and implement processes and procedures that will be found in their guiding documents.
What other principles will you use in evaluating or creating elements in your guiding documents?
[Photo by Alex Grodkiewicz on Unsplash]