CDM Archive

Discipleship Ministries of the PCA

Church Leadership

A Time to Evaluate

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I’m the Director of Discipleship Ministries at Covenant Church in Fayetteville, Georgia. For over a year we’ve been doing an in-depth evaluation of our Christian education efforts. Evaluation should be a regular part of everything we do.

We’ve looked at our community. Who we are reaching. Who we’re not. A large number of African Americans are moving into what we consider our “parish.” How is it possible for us to become a more racially integrated congregation?

We’ve looked at our purpose against the backdrop of the church’s broader purpose. We want “to introduce people to Jesus and help them grow in their relationship to him and to others.” The short version is “Reach and teach to love and serve.” That’s our summary of discipleship.

We’ve looked at our curriculum. Does it do what we want? Are there ways we need to supplement? We’ve checked attendance records. How are we doing relative to the community and to the church ministries? We interviewed teachers and leaders. What do they think they have achieved?

Then we took a further step, one that the church’s Christian Education committee thought was a natural outgrowth of our analysis. We decided to interview young people who spent a substantial part of their growing up years in the congregation. We invited six young adults to join a round table in which they assessed the impact of the congregation’s efforts on their behalf.

When I mentioned to them what we were doing, the response was basically, “What a gutsy thing to do.” But we didn’t think of it that way. In fact, I would favor such a discussion with some who had dropped out of church somewhere along the way.

It is God who changes hearts. But for whatever reason, he has chosen to use us. I believe he is most pleased when we do the best we’re able to do. To put it another way, a teacher hasn’t taught until the student has learned. With the gospel, learning is used by the Spirit to produce change – in our thinking, our desires, and our activities. So it makes sense to see what the product looks like. It also makes sense to assess the perceived impact our efforts have made.

In this case we were affirmed. Certain teachers and leaders stood out. The overall assessment was that they were grounded in our theology and sensitized to the importance of relationships. Mission trips opened their eyes to God’s will for his people everywhere. They were taught to serve. The biggest weakness discussed was the availability of programming for those recently out of high school.

The next step in our process is to talk with a larger cross section of the congregation to brainstorm where we go from here. Out of that, goals and strategy will emerge.

A Kingdom Perspective on Baptism

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By Robert Palmer. It is the kingdom of God exhibited both within and without the church that does so much to bring the transforming message of God’s covenant to fulfillment. This is why, if covenantal baptism means anything, it means the bringing of the church’s children under the rule of King Jesus. Scripture teaches these children are set apart for kingdom purposes. It’s a message meant to impact not only their spiritual alienation from God but also the totality of their lives.

It all begins with their baptism, because in administering this sacrament covenant children are being identified visibly as belonging to people of God. As such they are becoming part of “a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession.” Unlike other communities on earth, members of this gathering have been called of God to “proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (I Peter 2:9). It is indeed a high and holy calling.

But what happens when this called out community fails to turn their focus away from earthly ambitions and toward their ministry as God’s royal priesthood? What happens is this: Kingdom people bring discredit to their King and disgrace to themselves.

That is precisely what is pictured in Jeremiah 22. God’s prophet describes a sad situation. Jerusalem is in ruins. There is chaos everywhere. Inevitably it leads to people from many nations, passing by the city of Jerusalem, asking one another, ‘Why has the Lord dealt thus with this great city?’ It’s a sad spectacle, and we’re told why it happened. The answer comes in the form of a strong accusation from the prophet. It is “because they forsook the covenant of the Lord their God and worshipped other gods and served them” (Jer. 22:8, 9).

The reason for this sorry scene had nothing to do with such important matters as the offering of appropriate sacrifices. It had nothing to do with the fact that the people of God had been unfaithful in carrying out their many religious observances. What the prophet DOES describe is kingdom responsibilities that had not been carried out! His message is blunt. “Thus saith the Lord: Do justices, and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place” (Jer. 22:3).

The people obviously were not doing these things, and God was angry. Later in the chapter, God’s displeasure is sternly defined: “Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness and his upper rooms by injustice, who makes his neighbor serve him for nothing and does not give him his wages” (Jer. 22:13).

It is a message God’s people don’t expect to hear. It is also something they do not want to hear. God is saying there is a critical contradiction in their lives. The professions they make with their lips are not being matched by the actions of their lives. And that must change! They are a people who have been rescued by God in order to lift up ” . . . good works which God prepared beforehand that (they) should walk in them” (Eph. 2:10). To this very day, this whole issue of “good works” or “kingdom works” is a fundamental principle touching every aspect of the believer’s life, including what is testified to in the sacrament of baptism.

When the church’s children receive the sacramental sign and seal of identification with God’s earthly people, the covenant community is expressing both a longing and a commitment. First, they are saying they eagerly anticipate the day when this covenant child testifies to having experienced the blessing of forgiveness and reconciliation with God. Second, they are anticipating that they will be called upon to do to whatever they can to prepare this child to actively participate in carrying out God’s Kingdom work.

In other words, it’s a longing and a commitment relating to both aspects of the great commandment. First, Jesus said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” And then He added this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself (Matt. 22:37, 39).

In the sacrament of baptism, God’s people are promising to make themselves available to do whatever needs to be done in order to see this child live out the totality of kingdom concerns. They are expressing a commitment to see the child trained to do battle with the power structures of this world that proclaim false gospels and false messiahs. They are the very structures that would encourage God’s creatures to live lives with little meaning, little hope, and little value.

Members of the church community are testifying that they will do everything in their power to equip this newly baptized member of the community to “show forth the praises of Him who has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light.” They will help prepare this child to live as God’s “salt and light” before such a world. They will encourage this child to emulate the merciful model of their Savior. “When He saw the crowds, He had compassion for them because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matt. 9:36).

From the youngest to the oldest, God’s people are promising to give themselves to a lifestyle characterized by self-emptying. Wherever they see people crying out for justice, for mercy, and for demonstrations of incarnational love, they will respond. And they will do this because they recognize this is what kingdom compassion is all about!

It may be costly to serve the least and the lost, but a kingdom lifestyle calls for nothing less. “The greatest among you,” said Jesus, must “become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves” (Luke 22: 26).

All of this has a direct bearing on covenantal baptism. Because it does, the parents of the child about to be baptized will take some family inventory. They will be asking questions such as: “What effect do kingdom mandates make on relationships between persons in our family? What differences do these mandates make in the way we use our time together as a family?”

A kingdom lifestyle most assuredly will demonstrate a disciplined use of time. Why? Because it is not possible to lead chaotic, unstructured, and undisciplined lives and still achieve kingdom goals. For good reasons, Scripture commands, “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil” (Eph. 5:15, 16).

There is the question of how these parents and how this family will use their time. However, they also will be asking: “What difference will kingdom mandates make in the budgeting and spending of our family income? What difference will it make in discerning those family needs that are valid?” They are not easy questions to answer, but covenant families cannot afford to be cavalier or careless when it comes to money matters. There is too much at stake.

The way they spend their family income matters to the poor whose well being may hinge on the generosity of God’s covenant people. And it matters to the corporate body of God’s people whose kingdom objectives either will be thwarted or facilitated by the giving of God’s people. Without a commitment to Biblical stewardship covenant families will not be able to nurture that depth of spiritual maturity and responsibility within the church’s children that is necessary to carry out kingdom concerns.

The church’s children will learn how to handle money from watching adults within the covenant community. They cannot help but be impacted for good as they observe daily demonstrations of adults who “honor the Lord with (their) wealth and with the first fruits of all (their) produce” (Prov. 3:9). They cannot help but be impressed when they observe the stewardship principles of Jesus being lived out in the lives of those they look up to. “Give and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you” (Luke 6:38).

And what about the exercise of kingdom stewardship in the way in which covenant families make use of their homes? When presenting their child for baptism, parents will want to ask: “What is it that we’re doing to carry out kingdom considerations with respect to this place where we live? To what use do we put our homes in ministering to others? Do we welcome strangers to the comfort of our homes?” A kingdom consciousness dictates that covenant families not hold back. It demands that they not withdraw themselves from the world.

So then, a kingdom mindset of serving others can be measured in so many practical ways. No matter how it is measured, it will always reflect that God’s called-out people model what it means to cultivate compassion. Always they will “open (their) mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute.” And always, they will “judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and the needy” (Prov. 31:8, 9). Always they will be like the virtuous woman of Proverbs 31, who “opens her hand to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy” (Prov. 31:20).

Ultimately they will do this because all of Scripture lifts up one consistent message: Kingdom living is so much more than words. It is even more than words addressed to God. It is more than people praying, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” It is people who consistently practice what they profess. It is people who reflect kingdom values in the compassionate care they demonstrate.

And that is why when they present their covenant children for baptism, they will pause to ponder: To what extent will this child witness parents’ hearts that are broken by the things that break the heart of God?

Bottom line, it all comes down to this: It takes the Kingdom of God being exhibited both within and without the church to bring the transforming message of God’s covenant to fulfillment. It all comes down to this: If covenantal baptism means anything, it means the bringing of the church’s children under the rule of King Jesus.

Probe questions:

  1. Why is covenant baptism so extremely important in the life of the church community?
  2. What is really happening during the administration of the sacrament of baptism?
  3. The article explains how the people of God are involved in the sacrament. Explain their involvement.
  4. What is the role of the immediate family in the infant’s covenant baptism?
  5. The article refers to the family using its time, energies, and resources-how does that connect with baptism?
  6. As leaders and teachers, how do the people in your church view or understand infant baptism?

What is the Session’s Role in the Planning Process?

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“Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor especially those who labor in preaching and teaching” (1 Timothy 5:17). This is the key verse for the two orders of elder in the PCA, ruling and teaching. Consider for a moment the title of Ruling Elder. The word “rule” in 1 Timothy 5:17 literally means “to stand before” in the original Greek. It also can be translated “to care for, to give aid, and to lead” (Thayer’s Lexicon). The duty of elders is to be out front leading the flock of God, which is a part of shepherding. Shepherds with a plan can better lead a congregation.

A synonym for “elder” in the New Testament is the word “overseer” which means one who is charged to see that things are done right. It also has a meaning of looking after, and caring for. It is interesting that both root words for rule and oversee include the concept of caring and looking after the affairs of others. The spiritual oversight of the members of the church is the elders’ responsibility. Shepherds who have planned well will know what they are called to oversee.

In thinking about the phrase “rule well” and what that means for the elders serving as a Session, it would seem they need to have a strategic plan that would describe how ruling well would look. As leaders in the church, they need to be integrally involved in planning the course and direction of the church’s ministry. This will involve following the instruction of Paul to the Corinthians regarding worship that “all things should be done decently and in order” (1 Corinthians 14:40).

The question is, “How do they rule well?” One has to turn to 1 Thessalonians 5:12 where Paul instructs the believers, “to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work.” The honor comes as the elders “labor among” the people. They are to be loved “because of their work.” The Session of the church must not act as a board of directors, which simply makes decisions and pronouncements regarding the programs of the church. To do so puts them in danger of ruling in a hierarchical and dictatorial manner. This also leads to power struggles in churches, and sets groups against one another. They can only rule well as they live and labor among people, by getting to know them and their needs, and by getting involved in their lives.

If you look at Chapter 12 of the BOCO you will find a description of the duties of the Session, the first being “to inquire into the knowledge, principles and Christian conduct of the church members under its care.” Session members cannot fulfill this duty unless they have a plan to effectively accomplish this inquiry. Notice that the word “care” is used to describe the relationship of the Session to the members.

As you read the remaining list of duties you will quickly see that the Session will need to plan how they are going to fulfill each of these duties. The Session must plan how to divide among themselves the labors for which they are responsible. They must also delegate and appoint others to assist in the ministry. This helps in the development of the Body by utilizing their spiritual gifts. In order for Session members to make right decisions about the ministry of their church they will need to know the spiritual gifts and graces of their people. Elders can know these things only as they personally interact with the members of the congregation. The Apostle Paul reminded the Ephesian elders how he ministered not only publicly, but also from house to house while he was with them. Such household ministry almost seems a thing of the past in many churches today. One reason may be that Sessions fail to plan for such ministry.

Whenever the Session involves itself in the process of planning, they should model the teaching of James 4:13-15: “Those who say that tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make profit-yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.'” This puts planning in the proper perspective of God’s will and allows Him to dispose of our plans and their results Proverbs 16: 1,9. This doesn’t mean that leaders should not plan, but they should be open to the Lord’s leading them through his Spirit and Word, and through prayer. Read Acts 16:6-10 for another example of being open to the Lord’s leading in the planning process.

The elders must remember that they are members of the congregation and as such they and their family must be actively participating in the various ministries. This is another aspect of “ruling well.” If the programs of the church have no value to the Session and their families, why would you expect it to have value to the other members of the Body? Remember 1 Thessalonians 5:12; it is only as leaders work hard among the people that the people will show honor and respect. When Sessions often think they are delegating they are really dictating, and not willing to show a servant’s heart.

Planning becomes a must for them to be effective and efficient in their ministry of leadership. In planning, the Session must practice and model the process then they must include others in the congregation to join them by exercising their spiritual gifts. If the Session is a good model, it will encourage the ministry committees of the church to listen and follow their example in planning the various programs of the church. This allows for shared leadership and also servant leadership. To grow up into the fullness of the stature of Christ means that each part of the Body, each ligament, must do its part, Ephesians 4:16.

Whenever the Session sets out to make plans for the future, they must take great care to give themselves to earnest and fervent prayer that the Lord would grant wisdom and power to carry out their plan for His glory. I think you will find that in many non-growing churches the Session does not have a sense of purpose nor a plan for ministry. The church carries on the same activities year after year without knowing why they do what they are doing, and no one ever evaluates the activities because there is no strategic plan to measure results. Moses led, ruled, and cared for the nation of Israel, because he knew God’s plan and followed it. The Lord left a plan for his disciples when he ascended into heaven (Acts 1:8).

Finally, the Session must remember the words of Hebrews 13:17. There the writer commands believers to obey leaders and submit to them, because they (leaders) will have to give an account for watching over the souls of believers. That accountability should highly motivate elders to be careful to plan and to fulfill their duties as set forth in BOCO chapter 8, and 12. These two chapters should be read on a regular basis at Session meetings.

Does the Church Really Need Leadership

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Do churches really need leadership? In principle you will answer yes, of course. But in practice, that principle may be challenged. Every church has positional leadership, those who fill the form of leadership, but not every church has functional leadership. Because of our understanding of the priesthood of all believers, we believe there are general and special offices in the church. Those who fill the special offices, elder and deacon, are chosen from the general offices, members of the church.

That automatically reminds us that leadership involves both formal and informal leaders. As we see in the Scriptures, the church is made up of both. Hence, the challenge is twofold: for both categories to function with a unity of spirit and purpose and for both to do what God intends within those roles.

For the past two years, the Presbyterian Church in America has had a group of people involved in a “strategic planning process.” It was intended to encourage and assist local churches, presbyteries, and denominational agencies towards planning within a generally agreed on framework. The results of that effort have been represented, discussed, and now commended to churches and presbyteries by the last two general assemblies.

Officers’ Threefold Responsibility

Formal church leadership has three particular responsibilities and opportunities. First, ordained leaders have the responsibility of “keeping the purity of the faith.” The Apostle Paul wrote to Titus that the leaders must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine. Failure to exercise that responsibility creates what the late Martin-Lloyd Jones calls “a church that ceases to make a difference.”

Knowing and contending for the faith is a prime responsibility of church leadership, especially the eldership (see the book of Jude). If this is not done, the church not only flounders in its mission, but the people are not properly discipled and the foundations are shaky. That is why one requirement for church officers is that they be sound in the faith.

A second responsibility and privilege focuses on shepherding God’s flock. In 1 Peter 5 elders are referred to as shepherds. “Shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly as God would have you“(1 Pet. 5:2, ESV). Shepherding requires personal contact. The PCA Book of Church Order says officers are to know the people, pray with and for them, and visit in their homes, primarily to inquire into their spiritual growth, needs, and development.

Recent TV reporters polled people in the street as to their knowledge of the leaders. They could name the president of the United States but for many, which was as far as they could go. Knowing the pastor of the church is fine and good, but knowing the collective leadership is also important in order to cultivate a willing following. The Bible teaches that sheep know their shepherd and shepherds, their sheep.

A third responsibility and privilege of the ordained leadership is to oversee the planning process. In the same passage, 1 Peter 5, elders are instructed to have “oversight” of the flock. Oversight requires many things, such as leading the flock in the right direction, seeing that the people are trained and equipped for service, and following the right shepherd.

The Planning Process

This article singles out the third responsibility of overseeing the planning process. Some have said that planning is not for the church because it is a management model and the church should not follow that model. Our understanding of leadership, however, is determined by our theology-our understanding of who God is. We learn from the Bible that God himself was a master planner. Before the foundation of the world, God developed a plan, and with creation began implementing that plan. Planning is a very godlike process. Christians could even say that planning is one of the most godlike things that we can do because planning is simply seeking by faith to discern God’s direction for our church. It is asking and answering in faith several strategic questions:

Who are we as a church?

Why do we exist?

What are we supposed to be doing?

Where are we in that process?

Where do we believe God wants us to go?

What do we have to do in order to focus own our part?

How can we know that we are doing the above?

Once you begin to get an overall picture of what you believe God would have you be and do as a church, then you can ask essential questions such as: what should be our key result areas for ministry? How should we organize or structure ourselves to facilitate effectiveness in those areas? How do we train, mobilize, and organize our people to be involved in our church’s ministry? How can a clear plan enable us to make better decisions and choices?

Biblically based leadership, according to Peter, requires that leaders first set the direction for the church. Failure on the part of leadership causes churches to “wing it,” or “fly by the seat of their pants” in their efforts, causing them to be ineffective. Leaders following a biblical model set the course and insure that all things necessary for that course are put into place.

When we encourage churches to do strategic faith planning, we are simply asking the leadership to ask God what kind of ministry, present and future, that he would have this church to have. That is a simple question that requires much prayer, biblical instruction, and common sense.

We have heard testimony after testimony from church leaders saying, “I have done that type of planning in my business for years but have never thought about doing that in the church.” One of the things I realized during my doctoral studies was how many biblical principles were actually used in “managerial psychology.” Principles were borrowed from Scripture, but with a different objective, namely profit. The world always operates on God’s borrowed principles. The Westminster Divines were bold enough to underscore the sufficiency of Scripture in the Westminster Confession of Faith but they also said:

“…There are some circumstances concerning the worship of God, and government and government of the Church, common to human action and societies, which are to be ordered by the light of nature, and Christian prudence, according to the general rules of the Word, which are always to be observed.”

Those who understand the concepts of “common grace” and “all truth is God’s truth” understand something of what they were saying. Though oriented to a limited or specific circumstance in the WCF, that principle applies to the whole of life.

Good Planning Facilitates

Good planning actually enables the leaders understanding of how the church is to be God’s salt and light in the world around them. God’s truth is not circumstantial in that it changes from situation to situation. But the context in which we communicate God’s truth does change. We see through the scriptures how God’s people adapted their method of communicating God’s message to their particular circumstance. Had that not been true, there would have been only one of the four Gospel books. Only one of Paul’s epistles would have been necessary.

Good leadership is able to ask and answer numerous strategic questions about their church’s role and mission to the world around them. Two main questions that should constantly challenge leaders are: who are we and what should we or shouldn’t we be doing in serving God’s purpose? How leaders respond to those questions will often determine a church’s effectiveness of ministry and how they communicate that ministry clearly to the people. Effective leaders will always be careful to plan and to communicate to their people their church’s purpose or mission. They will curtail the temptation of the “tyranny of the urgent.” Without a clear plan it is easy to do urgent things at the expense of doing the important things.

Why “strategic faith planning?” Strategy refers to direction. Faith reminds us that we walk by faith and not by sight. Even though in the planning process we are attempting to ask God what he wants us to be and do, we need to follow God’s lead which requires us at times to flex with God’s working. Walking by faith, requires learning that God would sometimes have us alter or correct our present course of action.

We have seen a number of PCA churches and other related organizations make great strides as a result of the planning process. Frank Brock, past president of Covenant College, has said that the process of planning may be as valuable, or more so, than the plan itself. It can encourage a spirit of unity and purpose that Paul speaks of in Ephesians. It can facilitate each part doing its work in the local church’s ministry. It can keep a people humble before the Lord, as they seek to know the role of their church and their place in the church.

What is the difference between a plan and a framework? The framework is the setting in which planning is done. In this case the PCA provides that unifying framework. Being Revived, Bringing Reformation is a booklet written by the General Assembly Steering Committee. Subtitled A Framework for Planning for the Presbyteries and Churches of the Presbyterian Church in America, it lists four strategic priorities. These are: empowering health and growth for new and existing churches, developing leadership for the future, increasing denominational understanding and effectiveness, and engaging the culture.

The framework further states the identity for which the PCA is known. The first characteristic of the PCA is its commitment to biblical inerrancy and authority. That commitment is expressed with our reformed theology. Because of the church’s interdependence, mutual accountability and cooperative ministry are two other distinguishing marks of the PCA. The mission statement of the PCA is expressed in the following manner:

“The mission of the Presbyterian Church in America is to glorify and enjoy God by equipping and enabling the churches of the PCA to work together to fulfill the Great Commission by making disciples of all nations, so that people will mature as servants of the triune God, will worship God in spirit and in truth, and will have a reforming impact on culture.”

Being Revived, Bringing Reformation will be a helpful tool with both its framework and listing of PCA agencies and individuals who can offer assistance in the planning process.

It is available from our CEP bookstore 1-800-283-1357 or www.pcanet.org/cep.

Conclusion

While leaders in the church must be concerned about the purity of the faith and shepherding God’s people, they need to be people of vision who know how to set direction for the church’s ministry, communicate that clearly to the church, and through training and guidance, help each member know where he or she fits in that overall ministry. That requires not only knowing how to develop plans, but also how to coordinate the interpersonal relationships among the people necessary to implement the plan.

We ask leaders up front, what do you think God wants your church to be and do and where are you in that process? Our suggestion is local church leaders can develop a planning leadership team made up of both formal and informal leaders, male and female. They can explain to the planning team exactly what they want them to do and give them resources to accomplish that task. The elders can then monitor their progress and keep the congregation informed to encourage prayer for the planning team. CE&P has numerous suggested resources to use along with the PCA’s strategic planning framework to assist in the planning process. Contact our office at 678-825-1100 for assistance.

Godly leaders are a key to a church’s effectiveness and godly leadership requires a delicate balance between people and task and when given the choice, they always come down on the people side of the ledger. Jesus demonstrated that principle so clearly when he washed his disciples’ feet and then when he finally died on the cross as the atonement for our sins. Godly leaders are always in need of the renewing power of the Holy Spirit, hence constantly in need of the prayers of the people. When we find a church in an unhealthy mode, it generally reflects the type of leadership in that church.

Good planning is a means of seeking to understand God’s will for the church, as well as a means of enabling the leadership to mobilize the membership for ministry/service. It will also enable the church to make better decisions on how to use their resources to accomplish God’s purpose.

Questions for discussion:

Does my church have an overall plan of ministry?

Does our congregation understand our church’s plan for ministry?

Are our leaders helping us know where we participate in our church’s ministry?

Am I being trained and equipped to use my gifts in a manner that contributes to helping our church’s ministry?

Is our church attempting to be strategic (directional or intentional) in what it does?

How is our church’s ministry determined and driven by our theology?