Because I believe plurality in church leadership is a core value taught in the New Testament, we instilled this from the beginning. Identifying and training men as elders, developing a staff team, delegating assignments and authority to deacons and other trusted leaders \u2014 these are ways to keep the church from becoming all about you.<\/p>\n
A serious warning: Plurality is messy. I thought our elder team had this conquered early on, but it wasn\u2019t until a few summers into the church plant that I realized we had miles to go. I confessed my shortcomings in this area to our elders, via a rather long letter (written by the pool of conviction during vacation), promised a new path, and God by His grace has been walking us up that road. But it has not been easy. I still stumble at times. They are trekking with me, sometimes tripping and other times jogging fine. It will be challenging.<\/p>\n
But human leadership still is necessary. And there are those elders\/leaders with greater reach, those who are \u201cfirst among equals\u201d in influence. But no one man is the head. Jesus is. And elders lead as one under his authority, not as many with their own authority.<\/p>\n
This is hard to fight against because it is so prominent today. We see or hear what\u2019s working well and so we deduce that if we copy it, we\u2019ll get it. Not always. Church planting isn\u2019t so much about \u201cxeroxing\u201d a physical formula, but developing a faith family.<\/p>\n
Add to this the squeezing demands of time, and church planters can feel very tempted at various points to \u201creprint\u201d what someone else did. After all, why re-invent the wheel? Well, before you become just another cookie-cutter church plant with a cool name and logo you bought off some website, dig your heels in to the specific place you\u2019re planting and put in the time and work to pursue what God is calling you to specifically. In other words: Create, don\u2019t copy. When I have stayed true to this principle in my leadership, our church fares better. There is less pressure, no comparison, and the health of the body is more evident. Muster up the courage to hear God\u2019s voice for the place and people you lead. In this pursuit, church planting becomes more than a job you hold and, instead, a journey you experience.<\/p>\n
If you base your decisions on situations, you will always be changing how you do things. This isn\u2019t to say we don\u2019t address things specifically, but rather that we should strive for consistency in the specific decisions\/situations. And systems \u2014 principles, patterns, and procedures that guide us \u2014 are one way you can pursue this well. Whether it\u2019s training leaders, counseling people, or hiring staff, your best avenue for consistency is to think systematically, not situationally.<\/p>\n
For instance, how will you handle reports of abuse? Who receives financial help? What initiates church discipline? How are prayer requests disseminated? How are elders\/deacons selected? These are the kinds of issues that require systems. And remember: Whether you like it or not, each decision sets a precedent. So if you want to set up good precedents, think systems, not situations.Church planters need to be willing to constantly evaluate not just\u00a0what<\/em>\u00a0needs they are addressing, but\u00a0how<\/em>\u00a0they are addressing those needs. This is the kind of \u201csuper-vision\u201d (i.e., seeing beyond the immediate) that pays great dividends over the long haul.<\/p>\n