February 17, 2003
TOGETHER:
Churches must reflect mind of Christ
___When my children were little, they sometimes would tell other children, "My daddy owns this church." Their mother and I got that straightened out. We helped them understand it was my privilege to preach to the congregation every Sunday, but that did not make me the owner or boss of the church.
___But if the pastor is not the boss of the church, who is? Jesus Christ is the head of his church. And we are members of Christ's body, joined by ligaments and tendons of faith and love (Ephesians 4:15-16; Colossians 1:18).
CHARLES WADE
Executive Director
BGCT Executive Board
___When the muscles of the body are not in tune with the brain--the head--everything is out of kilter. Frustration and lack of harmony in the body cause great sorrow and pain. So, how does the body of Christ get in harmony with the head of the church? Paul points the way in Philippians 2:5: "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus."
___To make good decisions in our churches, we must pray, asking God to give us his mind and his will. Strictly speaking, in a Baptist church where every member has a vote and a voice in church decision-making, we are not seeking each member's opinion or idea. We are asking every member to ask God to reveal the mind of Christ about particular decisions.
___One way we discover the mind of Christ is by saturating ourselves in the Scriptures so we discern what is most important to God. When we get well-acquainted with Jesus, we have a good idea about his priorities and his passion. And our churches begin to reflect his values, purposes, joys and sorrows--to be the presence of Christ in the world.
___This is a matter of great importance. Directors of missions in our state say the No. 1 reason for the termination of ministers is "control." When there is disagreement about who "runs" the church, all kinds of unhappy things result. Sometimes the pastor is trying to run things, but sometimes it is the deacon body or a personnel committee. Some pastors try to be dictators, and some refuse to give any leadership at all.
___Church Life Resources of the Baptist General Convention of Texas has identified participatory decision-making as one of the 11 characteristics of a healthy church. This is the way Baptists have put into practical church life the doctrine of the priesthood of the believer. We believe every member can seek the mind of Christ. We believe leadership in the church is authentic when it seeks the mind of Christ and honors other believers as they do the same.
___Jan Daehnert and Sonny Spurger in the BGCT minister/church relations office can help your congregation discover ways to help members feel a genuine sense of involvement in the church. Some of the key elements present in a healthy church as it makes decisions are mutual trust, adequate information, willingness to accept differences, skills in preventive problem solving, communication and consensus building.
___Concern about this issue was a key motivation for me to write "The Jesus Principle: Building Churches in the Likeness of Christ." One of the chapters is "God's Calling--How We Make Up Our Minds." Contact us at (214) 828-5100 or by e-mail if we can help.
___In the most difficult times, remember we are loved.
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