[Part 3 of 10 in answering some FAQ's about The City Church]We're carefully studying scripture on elders, deacons, and other leaders within the church, and will begin the slow process of building out a five-tier leadership structure once the church officially begins in January.
Jesus: It often goes without saying, but should be said anyway - the single, sole, and only head of the church is Jesus (Col 1:18; Eph 5:23); Jesus is the rightfully-titled "senior pastor" of his body, the church.
Pastor-elders: The title/office of "pastor" and "elder" are the same Greek word in the Bible, so it seems that the scripturally-defined human leadership of the local church is a plurality of co-equal men, eventually staff and non-staff, who are qualified and proven for the office, whose role is less of a business leader and more of a loving father, leading the church family well by protecting it from heresy and false teaching, overseeing the vision and direction, and shepherding its members well.
Deacons: In the Bible, deacons are persons who have been delegated specific tasks or ministries within the life of the church. Deacons in The City Church will be qualified and proven men and women, eventually staff and non-staff, who carry out and lead ministries under the oversight of the elders. Specific roles for deacons will be developed prayerfully as "City life" develops.
Leaders: In The City Church's decentralized structure, any Village Leader, Kid City Leader, band leader, student leader, or other leader will go through a several-week training before being commissioned as a leader, and will work closely alongside the pastor-elders and deacons to facilitate discussion, growth, care, shepherding, and other elements of church life for a small number of "City folk."
Everyone! Scripture calls the entire body to partner together, using our time, gifts, talents, and passions for the good of God’s church. Too much ministry is taken out of the hands of the church body and is replaced with a "less-than-biblical" distinction of "professional ministers." Thus, we're going to be extremely slow to “hire out” needs - only when a ministry becomes too much for a small team of leaders to handle will we consider seeking a staff position. If The City Church will be all it can be, everyone must live out your unique design and get involved!
There's the eventual leadership structure of The City Church. In our early days, and until we get the ball rolling on some of this, we are governed by a three-man Board of Directors. Matthew Hudson, Dennis Connelly, and Ben Connelly serve in this interim role, the tenure of which will end upon the installation of The City Church's first elders (at that point, the elders will become the Board of Directors, a legal entity required for non-profits in Texas). Additionally, a small group of other, experienced and qualified Acts 29 Network pastors are serving as an "advisory board" in this early phrase, and will officially approve our first elders. Questions? Comments? Post below or email Ben!
Next FAQ: When and Where Will Gatherings Start?
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