(11) …And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, (12) for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; (13) until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fulness of Christ.
(14) As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves, and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; (15) but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head, even Christ, (16) from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by that which every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love. (Eph 4:11-16 NASB)
After planting two churches and serving two very dysfunctional churches, I was examining my approach to leading a church as a pastor-teacher, the approach I learned in seminary. Armed with the latest constitution and by-laws complete with job descriptions for every task, I accepted a call to my first ministry. The circles in the above diagram illustrate that approach. The result was that each church became bogged down in the organization. Churches failed to establish their shared objectives. Individuals were not using their spiritual gifts to meet one another’s needs. And relationships of fulfillment were not established. The pastoral ministry was draining and very lonely.
As I diagramed this out, I wondered what if I reversed the order. Of course, truth should be the starting place for every church that claims to be part of the Body of Christ. The diagram at the bottom illustrates this different approach. The ministry was not defined as programs and business, but as using spiritual gifts to “bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ.” Once relationships and ministry are established and the Body is unified, developing share objectives will be a matter of praying together and seeking the leading of the Holy Spirit. Then the church is ready to organize in such a way as to not interfere with the relationships and ministry already taking place and to accomplish its shared objectives.
I praise the Lord that North Creek Country Church, though small in numbers, has become strong in the truth of the Word of God. Relationships are strong. And individuals are using their spiritual gifts to meet the needs of each other. It now is more mature than many of the churches I have served.