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In the introductory article to this series I mentioned several measurable factors as related to the overall health and culture of a church, one of which was functional or effective structures. In the series I am discussing eleven elements that make up the functional structures of a church:
- Constitution and Bylaws
- Branding and community identity
- Personnel and volunteer selection policies and procedures
- Explicit and implicit policies
- Official and tacit influencers
- Schedules and calendars
- Programs, silos, and turf mentality vs. collaboration and empowerment
- Confining mental models
- Procedural practices such as how meetings are conducted
- Buildings, facilities, property and how they are managed
- Leadership training and meetings of deacons, elders, and teachers- (what goes on at the meetings?)
This article is #11 (including the introduction) in the series on Improving Your Church’s Culture and is offered in an effort to assist leaders in developing more effective administrative structures. Don’t underestimate the effects of these culture-scaping structures as you are building an exceptional ministry. They serve to form the frame on which the ministry is built. Links to the previous articles are listed at the end of this article.
WHAT IS YOUR FOCUS?
It was my first experience leading a deacons meeting as the pastor of my first church. I was not sure what to expect, however I planned for the discussion to center on the spiritual needs of the people; about how we could reach our community for Christ; and about how we would provide discipleship for new believers. As it turned out, it was customary in that church for the Chairman of Deacons to lead the discussion which centered on resurfacing the parking lot, and how much money had been spent on the parsonage before my family moved in. The meeting included little or no discussion on anything spiritual. Does this sound like deacon/elder meetings you have experienced?
Church leaders and members make a mistake when they replace being Christ’s church with the building where they worship!
The church building is not the church (ekklesia). The church (ekklesia) is an assembly of disciples or followers of Jesus Christ. The buildings used by a church are simply a tool to be used as a center for ministry, a gathering place for worship, and a sending out point for sharing Christ in the immediate community. Our Lord never intended for Christians to spend an inordinate amount of time talking about church buildings, facilities, and property. The problem is that buildings form a part of the DNA of a local church’s culture. In fact, because buildings, facilities, and properties are somewhat fixed they are not dynamic but static. Since buildings are static, they tend to set the size of a church in proverbial concrete.
A new church in Texas has just recently moved into their new building with great excitement and celebration. They have maintained fervor and motivation for several years to see the great accomplishment. Their first day of worship required two services in order to make room for everyone. Therein lies the danger that the “rubber band” will snap the congregation back down to the number of people who will fit into one service. When eventual conflict or leadership change occurs, the static size of the buildings may set the dynamic size of the congregation.
Don’t let the static buildings dictate the dynamic size and life of the church.
BE A ‘CHURCH WITHOUT WALLS’
I often go on mission trips during the summer with Builders for Christ to construct a church building somewhere in the United States. The group also does work in Central and South America. Several years ago we went to build a ministry center for The Church without Walls in a small town in Mississippi. By their name they had the right idea of what church is to be about. They had actually gotten their start by being the church for many people while not having a facility. The leadership felt that it would be beneficial to have a ministry center for food distribution and Bible study. Once the building was completed, the real challenge began as the leadership focuses on the need to maintain the building, and the members begin to develop a “building attachment syndrome,” an ailment infecting many congregations. As this condition progresses, the focus is more and more on the facilities instead of the real purpose of the church.
Do people in your church suffer from “building attachment syndrome?”
The signs of building attachment syndrome are easy to identify. Here are some signs that indicate that your congregation may suffer from this debilitating condition:
- Upon hearing the word “church” evokes a mental image of the place where they attend church.
- When engaged in a conversation about the church the primary topic centers on the parking lot, the trees, the cemetery, the need for carpet, etc.
- More money is designated to the cemetery fund than for evangelism and outreach.
- It takes 3 months to raise $200,000 for a worship center renovation but your Christmas missions offering amounts to less than $10,000.
- Church members complain about how some people (youth) and outsiders (homeless) don’t take care of God’s house.
The cure for building attachment syndrome is a heavy dose of deliberate outreach, evangelism, and missional ministry outside the walls and away from the church compound. Do windshield tours and prayer walks of the community surrounding the church compound. When people see the needs of people and begin to meet them, the church will become a ministry center instead of a protective compound where Christians hear messages and hide from active involvement.
CHURCH IDENTITY
Church identity must come from Christ and not the buildings where people meet for study and worship. Branding is important and facilities can be useful for doing ministry, but it is easy to lose balance and fall into misdirecting and misunderstanding the identity of the church. We must remember who owns the church, who the church serves, and the purpose of the church.
The church has but one purpose…to make disciples (Matthew 28:18-20) (Maintaining property is not included!)
Some Christian leaders whom I highly respect say there are five, seven, or eight purposes of the church. I beg to differ! According to the Great Commission there is one purpose while those other things…worship, fellowship, ministry, missions, prayer, and so on…are functions or activities that the church must do to achieve her purpose. Maintaining buildings, facilities, and properties must fall into a subservient position within the purpose and functions of the church. Otherwise the identity of the church is compromised.
One final note: I do love seeing the churches across the land as a symbol of God’s presence. However, we must remember that all these will pass away…but the word of God will stand forever.
Helpful resources:
Good to Great by Jim Collins
Good to Great and the Social Sectors by Jim Collins
Simple Discipleship by Tom Cocklereece
Church Administration by Robert H. Welch
The Church Organization Manual: Policies and Procedures for the Local Church by Robert H. Welch
Simple Discipleship: How to Make Disciples in the 21st Century was published and released by Church Smart Resources in November 2009. It is not a self-published book. To learn more about Simple Discipleship and to order the book, follow the link below:
http://www.simplediscipleship.com
Series Links:
https://drthomreece.wordpress.com/2010/08/11/improving-your-church%E2%80%99s-culture/
Simple Discipleship Blessings!
Dr. Tom Cocklereece
Simple Discipleship Blog 
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