Church Leadership

If you have ever done a woodworking project you know that getting it square is vitally important. You can have all the measurements right (theology), but if you do not make them square and level they will not fit together perfectly and be as functional as they should be (lifestyle). A Christian/biblical worldview is foundational to building a lifestyle that is a glory to God, and stewardship is what you build upon that foundation, whether it is gold, silver, precious stones, or wood, hay, and straw. Each one’s work will be manifest by fire in that Day (II Cor.3:10ff.).

It is interesting that some of Jesus’ last teachings before going to the cross concerned His second coming and the judgment to follow. He also taught in this context about what was expected of those who were servants and stewards in the Kingdom of God. “As were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the son of Man…Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Mt.24:37,44).

There is one special story Jesus told about a servant whom the Master set over his household and asked the question as to whether the servant was wise or wicked. Here we find some lessons about stewardship that will help our lifestyle fit with our theology. First, it teaches us that stewardship is about identity, namely that we must see ourselves as stewards/servants who belong to the Master. If we get this wrong then our whole lifestyle of stewardship will not be perfectly square. The Creator/owner of all creation is the Sovereign Lord. This is seen in such familiar texts as Psalms 24:1; 50: All mankind is a servant/steward in the Kingdom of God with a creation mandate as image bearers to rule and oversee all that the Lord has put in our care (Psa.8:4-9).

Since we live in a prosperous and materialistic culture, the question Jesus poses is very pertinent for Christians today. “Who is a faithful and wise servant whom his Master made ruler over his household?” The vain philosophies of this world blur the lines of distinction between ownership and stewardship. How often do Christians fall into thinking they are owners of all they possess and manage in their lives? Are they more concerned about being image-bearers or image-makers? The more possessions one is able to gain and control, the more important that person begins to feel, and the greater he sees his self-image as being successful. Thoughts of ownership tend to creep into one’s thinking the more a person accumulates.

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The danger of this misperception of identity leads to a materialistic and hedonistic lifestyle. The Lord teaches about these dangers in other parables such as the rich farmer who had such a bumper crop that he sought to build bigger and better barns, and eat, drink, and be merry. Are you more interested in building the servant-image of Christ in yourself, or making an image of worldly success? The late missionary Jim Elliot said, “He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep in order to gain what he cannot lose.”

A second aspect of stewardship is about character and its impact on the servant’s involvement in carrying out his duties. The traits that the Master is looking for in his servants are faithfulness and wisdom.

The Lord sees these as two essential characteristics of a servant. When a person understands and accepts his role as a servant of the Lord then he will understand how important these two traits are. Stewardship is about responsibility and accountability.

What responsibilities does a servant manage? There are several that come to mind. One is time, another is things.

The servant in the parable in Mt.24:45-51 has an assignment for that interval of time when the Master is away. As Christians today that means we are to be managing the time between the Lord’s ascension and his coming again. Time is an un-renewable resource available to us; it is important to manage it well by setting priorities for what we are called to do. The parable specified that the servant over the household of the Master was to give to the other members of the household their food at the proper time. He was to faithfully carry out this duty on a daily basis. As stewards in the Kingdom of God, Paul admonishes us to redeem the time in these evil days. Time and watchfulness are the essence of stewardship effectiveness.

The steward needed to be wise in the manner in which he carried out this task. (You will find that in Acts 6 those who were the prototype of deacons were to be men full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom.) You might think a diaconal task seemed to be rather mundane, and not requiring much wisdom, but it is little things that the wise do not leave unattended, and the Lord says that if this servant is found to be faithful in even a small task that he would be rewarded with greater responsibility upon the Master’s return. A wise steward builds on the foundation of his faith, gold, silver, and precious stones.

The servant was using the resources the Master had given him for the good of those in the household, and so should it be in the household of faith. Stewardship is about managing resources, and giving to the needs of other members in the body of Christ. It is also about sharing the treasure of the gospel with those who have not yet heard the good news, as Paul says in I Cor.4:1-2,”This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy.”

The problem today with so many Christians is they have cut their theological planks straight, but they have not been faithful and wise in the discharge of their duties as assigned by the Master. Some look like the wicked servant in Mt. 24:48. What are some of the common excuses Christians give? They are too busy with their own households to be able to give time to ministry in the church. Others are prone to laziness, not interested in going to the fields to reap the harvest. Procrastination grips the minds of others because there is not a sense of urgency to carry out the mission given by the Lord. It is the syndrome of the wicked servant who thinks that the Master has delayed his coming, and therefore he will quench his own desires first. Leaders particularly need to watch themselves against making such excuses, and thus failing in their stewardship.

When you look at a faithful and wise servant you will see he manages well because he knows there will come a time when he will be held accountable. He is looking and watching for that day. “Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes” (Mt. 24:46). Remember the words of Jesus, “Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect,” followed by “the master of the servant (wicked) will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know.” Christians today need to take heed to the warnings by the Lord to evaluate their stewardship responsibilities. The character of a steward is to be diligent, watchful, trustworthy, and responsible.

Stewardship is also about investing.This is not about the “name it, claim it” prosperity gospel that is being preached in some circles. The kind of investing that Jesus is teaching is investing in heaven, which involves giving here on earth to provide for Kingdom work and meeting the needs of others. A good example is seen in the early church in Acts 2 and 4.The generosity of the believers was a testimony of the power of the gospel. Their theology and lifestyle were in square. They preached and they gave, and the Lord added to the church those who were being saved.

James the brother of Jesus writes a warning to those whose interests are purely selfish, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions… Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God?” (James 4:3, 4).

Then he follows in chapter 5:1-3:”Come now, you rich weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days.”

James goes on to tell about their failure (in stewardship) to care for the needs of those who were their responsibility. What a lesson this ought to be for Christians today. Jesus’ words about laying up treasure in heaven rather than upon this earth need to be proclaimed with great urgency.

Pay attention to the following missionary’s story about a businessman traveling in Korea. The businessman saw a young man pulling a plow with an elderly man following. “May I take a picture of them?” he asks the missionary.

“Yes,” was the quiet reply, “those two men happen to be Christians. When their church was being built they wanted to give something, they had no money so they sold their one ox. This spring they are pulling the plow themselves.”

The businessman said, “That must have been a real sacrifice.”

“They did not call it that, they thought of themselves fortunate they had an ox to sell,” said the missionary.

When the businessman returned home he showed the picture to his pastor. Then he said, “I want to double my giving to the church and do some plow work.”

According to most surveys of Christians today, if they were to double their giving it still would not amount to ten percent. As a steward, are you building a lifestyle that squares with your theology?

Editor’s note: Instead of our usual “In Case You’re Asked” page where we respond to some of your questions, we have decided to use this page to pass on to you an action taken by the 2007 General Assembly regarding a theological issue that the church was asked to study and respond to. The entire report will be in the Minutes of this year’s Assembly, but because of the importance of the issue, we wanted our readers to have a copy of the declaration portion of the report. The following is a list of recommendations passed by the Assembly and the declaration portion of that report.

Recommendations

That the General Assembly commend to Ruling and Teaching Elders and their congregations this report of the Ad Interim Committee on New Perspectives on Paul and Federal Vision for careful consideration and study.

That the General Assembly remind the Church, its officers and congregations of the provisions of BCO 29-1 and 39-3 which assert that the Confession of Faith and the Larger and Shorter Catechisms of the Westminster Assembly, while “subordinate to the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, the inerrant Word of God, “have been adopted by the PCA “as standard expositions of the teachings of Scripture in relation to both faith and practice.”

That the General Assembly recommend the declarations in this report as a faithful exposition of the Westminster Standards, and further reminds those ruling and teaching elders whose views are out of accord with our Standards of their obligation to make known to their courts any differences in their views.

That the General Assembly remind the Sessions and Presbyteries of the PCA that it is their duty “to exercise care over those subject to their authority” and “to condemn erroneous opinions which injure the purity or peace of the Church” (BCO 31-2; 13-9f).

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Declarations

In light of the controversy surrounding the NPP and FV, and after many months of careful study, the committee unanimously makes the following declarations:

The Presbyterian Church in America, by its very name, is committed to Reformed doctrine and its Presbyterian polity. It is a connectional church in contrast to independent or congregational structures. To be a church in the PCA, each body has to be organized by and/or received by a particular presbytery comprised of a few churches of the 1400 in the PCA, usually in the same geographic region. Presently the PCA has 75 presbyteries across North America including Canada.

Each church and presbytery is required to subscribe to the system of doctrine contained in the Westminster Confession of Faith and its Larger and Shorter Catechisms. It is further required to subscribe to the PCA Book of Church Order (BOCO). The word most used to describe the PCA is “connectional,” which means as a member of the PCA we are accountable to the appropriate body, called the General Assembly. The General Assembly is made up of all the presbyteries and member churches.

One of the issues addressed by the PCA Strategic Planning Committee and its report to the 34th General Assembly was stewardship. When the PCA formed its committees and agencies it stated in its organizing principles found in chapter 14-1 of the BOCO,(4) “It is the responsibility of every member and every member congregation to support the whole work of the denomination as they be led in their conscience held captive by the Word of God.” This means that the work of the denomination is dependent on each congregation and its members to support the work of the committees and agencies.

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Various formulas have been used to determine how to effectively request and distribute funds to the various committees and agencies. In 1979 the concept of “askings” was developed. “Askings” evolved from the “head tax,” a formula used by the Southern Presbyterian Church, and was essentially an amount needed per member to function and expected to be given. “Askings” are still based on what each member would need to contribute to the committees and agencies to support the work of the PCA in accordance with the BOCO statements above, but with less demand and more faith that the churches will voluntarily give what is needed.

The PCA Strategic Planning Committee has raised concern that only half of the member congregations are supporting the work of the committees and agencies. The committees and agencies are dependent on that support to carry out their assigned ministries.

In CEP’s educational role in the PCA, particularly as it relates to stewardship education, we are attempting to keep this topic before the PCA. In keeping with the two previous Equip to Disciple issues of 2007,we are featuring two churches, one large and one small that represent churches committed to supporting the whole work of the church. Obviously, there are other churches following their example. We highlight these two for their commitment, practice, and example in this kind of stewardship giving.

The large church category is Trinity Presbyterian Church in Montgomery, AL, with senior pastor Claude E. McRoberts, III. McRoberts assumed that role in 1999, following John Oliver, who followed Cortez Cooper, who followed Robert Ostenson. Trinity was part of the PCA’s original congregations and has shown a consistent and commendable commitment to supporting the PCA since the very beginning. Pastor Claude McRoberts states: “It has been humbling for me since my arrival at Trinity Church in 1999 to see the level of commitment this church has placed on denominational support. I am privileged to labor among a congregation with a vision that far exceeds the city limits of Montgomery, AL. And the fact that this vision has simply been ‘a given’ for decades is a joy I know I don’t deserve as a Senior Minister.” Steve Fox, former moderator of the General Assembly, a ruling elder at Trinity, and presently serving on the assembly’s Christian Education and Publications Committee says in response to Trinity’s generous support of the committees and agencies, “Since we were there in the beginning, in the formation of the PCA, it is our duty and responsibility to support the PCA. Our support is not only in service and our people involved with the assembly, but also monetary support to enable the committees and agencies to carry out their ministries with the needed funding. That is one way that Trinity participates in the spreading of the gospel of the Kingdom.”

According to the 2006 statistics, Trinity has 1,200 members, including 41 new members received in 2006.There are 18 ruling elders and 27 deacons. The church shows more than 500 are enrolled in their Sunday school program. With annual contributions of four million dollars, Trinity has a total benevolent giving disbursement of two million dollars. The 2007 Yearbook released from the Stated Clerk’s office reports a $6,325 per capita giving.

Trinity is a church that has and does give over and above the “askings” of the committees and agencies. Trinity, along with some other churches, has shown a consistent commitment to the PCA by doing more than their fair share in order to compensate for those churches that do not or cannot give accordingly.

One of Trinity’s former pastors, Cortez Cooper, two of its ruling elders, William Joseph and Steve Fox, and one assistant pastor, Paul Settle, have been moderators of the PCA General Assembly. Over the years Trinity’s faithfulness in giving has not only enabled the PCA committees and agencies to be supported by them, but also a host of individual missionaries, church planters, and other individual ministries.

Trinity Presbyterian Church was actually organized in 1891 and has been known over the years for its strong preaching and teaching of the Word and its commitment to its denomination. Along with its other accomplishments, Trinity started the Trinity Presbyterian School in 1970. The school offers preschool through twelfth grade with more than 950 students. The name Trinity was chosen to represent its commitment to the Triune God.

In the small church category of giving to the whole work of the PCA, we have selected Cornerstone Presbyterian Church in Brevard, NC, pastored by H. Andrew Silman. Cornerstone was organized in 1996. Since their beginning in Brevard, Cornerstone has grown to 125 members, built a new church facility, and continues to grow. There were 13 new members added in 2006. Cornerstone’s present budget is nearly $300,000 and $56,000 of that amount was given to the PCA committees and agencies in 2006. That amount translates to $2,301 per capita.

Cornerstone, in attempting to offer a full-service ministry, believes that supporting the PCA’s ministry is not only an obligation as a member congregation, but in doing so has the privilege to expand its witness across North America and beyond. Grady Love became Cornerstone’s first pastor in 1997.He encouraged and led the congregation to practice that pattern of giving as well as to build its present facility. Since Love’s retirement, Andrew Silman, his successor, follows in that same leadership commitment. The officers of Cornerstone, numbering five ruling elders and four deacons, started the church with a strong commitment to the PCA and its ministries. The church has also been a part of assisting near by Ridge Haven PCA Conference Center as it has grown and expanded its ministries to the PCA. The church belongs to the Western Carolina Presbytery.