Politics vs. Structure

Most people absolutely HATE the idea of politics in the church, and for good reason. The seeking of power inside the body of believers is one of the most disgusting and repulsive activities that some people engage. However, structure is a necessary element of any group of people, and is often the predecessor to the power-grubbing process we call politics. Though the political agenda of some people is something to be guarded against, the structure of responsibility is necessary in order that all work not be done by one person as well as to ensure that all areas of ministry are adequately completed and attended to.

Even Moses and the Israelites were not above having a group of elders who divided the work in order that all may be ministered to. Exodus 18 indicates this type of systematic structure to deal with complaints and the judgments of arguments within the camp. For one person to attempt to coordinate the affairs and discrepancies of an entire people is ridiculous, therefore, partnerships with wise elders is necessary for the proper facilitation of these duties.

No matter what your denominational background may be or the structure that is set up in your church, it is necessary to know this structure and the people who work in it. It is also necessary to be an active member of this structure and to conduct yourself in a fashion that is above reproach.

Structure is not the enemy, nor is the passage of time when it is used to seek the wisdom of the scripture and the guidance of the spirit. The product of structured church work that must be avoided is stagnation and power. The Almighty is the only true judge, and is awesome and powerful. He, being without fault, will incite his people to good work as well as provide all power and energy necessary to accomplish this good work. Our groups of elders and pastors must work together to accomplish His work instead of our own. To know these people well, and work fervently with one another to accomplish the work of the Kingdom should be our goal as we find ourselves a part of the organizational structure of our church.

Know Your Church Leadership

Not only is it necessary to know the hierarchal structure that is expected at your church, which we will discuss in a future post, you must begin to interact with and get to know the individuals that help to lead your church. As a staff member or lay person, you will never be able to fulfill the role of the pastor’s office on your own, nor should you try. It is important that you begin to tighten the connective tissues between the leaders of your church. It is also impossible for you to create or strengthen the relationship between two other people, no matter how hard you try. You are only able to impact the relationships that you have with other people.

Invest in these people!

One of my foremost failures when dealing with the loss of a pastor has been the underdeveloped nature of my relationship with the other leaders of the church. It is difficult to begin to pick up reigns when other people are holding slack those tethers. When you as a leader have not introduced yourself as a person to whom the church can turn in times of trouble, when troubled times come, you may not be able to be viewed this way at all.

No matter what your relationship situation is when you lose a pastor, YOU must make it a priority to get to know these other families and leaders. Take them to dinner, invite them to your home, and don’t restrict your conversation to matters of the church. Invest in them as though there was no ulterior motive. Just as we discussed with the timeline, make sure you create relationships that will outlast the absence of the pastor.

Time Moves at a Necessary Pace

Please read Luke 19:11-27

Time is one of the things that we as humans hate to abide due to the fact that we are unable to control it. Since we have no way of manipulating time, we naturally see it as our adversary, when in fact, it is a supernatural tool used by the almighty to help us grow and develop into the individuals and groups that we must be to begin to do the good work that he desires of us.

Understand that the time that passes between the moment that a pastor vacates the office he holds to the point at which the Almighty directs another to assume such that vacant position, the group that remains is on a journey of growth and reconciliation in preparation of that coming as well as the work that must be done for the Kingdom of God. You as a leader in the church during the absence of the pastor must not only know that the time that elapses from one pastor to another is necessary, but understand that its movement is paced for your progress and for the completion of the tasks necessary to be prepared for this new shepherd.

FAR too often the pace that is desired by a church is hasty and foolish. We want our pastor and church to mature like a Hot-Pocket in a micro wave oven…and when we follow such an impatient timeline that is more-or-less what we get. We find ourselves with a pastor that is only slightly passionate for the people of the church and clothes himself like a soggy, undercooked crust of what otherwise might be a filling meal only briefly concealing the cold and often frozen center of the hearts of people who have not been prepared for Good Work.

Instead, we must take each step of a timeline and do good work to prepare the church for the true work that lies ahead. Keeping in mind that the meal being prepared for the fellowship of the believer must be much more than a pizza-filled pastry, we prepare ourselves for the feast provided by the Holy Spirit of God. Time and effort must be invested in the preparation of our people as well as ourselves; that we might find ourselves having produced a profit with the minas with which we have been entrusted.

See Value in the Timeline

One of the most valuable aspects to having a real understanding of the timeline involved in the pursuit of a pastor, as well as the time spent without a pastor in a church is the active involvement of the membership and leadership of the church while there is a noticeable need for such involvement. A properly formed timeline can help the entire church prepare for a pastor because they begin to see needs for activity as they are associated with marked goals and agendas for the production of a church that is ready for a pastor.

Sadly, pastors leave churches under a cloud of turmoil far too often. These are times when the leadership of that particular church must produce a timeline that is concrete, concise, and goal oriented. Such a timeline will help those ready to work know what is most important at that particular moment, as well as those who are not yet ready to work but are being developed into future leaders and workers for you church. Keeping in mind that the timeline must be able to change at any time will help you to maintain a living nature to your church instead of falling into the trap of a one size fits all approach to this critical time in the life of your church.

Understand the Timeline

Working in a church is often a waiting game. This is never as true as time spent without a pastor. It seems as though there is never enough time to make up for his absence, or enough to do to get the steam built back up in your church without him around. Time seems to be your adversary, but I assure you, it is not.

Time is valuable for the church going through the fazes of loss, grief, refocus, and mobilization. There is a great deal of time that passes and a lot of water under the bridge during the months that seem to create a great and cavernous gap between ministries. However, ministry just as we said before does not have to stop simply because there is no pastor. But how does time become an asset for a church, rather than a hindrance.

Time is a necessary element in the production of quality products. Simply because the pastor is gone does not mean that things will change, or should change. We as staff members and lay workers must understand that there is a pastor’s office and position for a reason. We have not yet been called to that position, and we must understand what it means to stand humbly before an empty office just as we did an occupied one. Understanding the timeline also means that we understand time:

¹For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:²a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; ³a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; ⁴a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; ⁵a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; ⁶a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; ⁷a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; ⁸a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.

Ecclesiastes 3:2-8