Functional Structures

       A few years back I had a house that wasn’t a functional structure. The slightest wind and parts of the roof would blow off.

     That is not the issue in the case of churches which are healthy. A healthy church has a functional structure, things work, the church is healthy.

     Once again we find the Apostle Paul expressing the idea for us. The aim is for the church to be healthy, growing in numbers and in it’s wider ethical and relational practices,

      “Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work."

                Ephesians 4:14-16

     What creates this situation?

    "So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

      Ephesians 4:11-13

     The functional structure described is the ideal called for in a healthy church. The leaders aim to equip others to serve. As one book has it, “Leaders are not simply to lead, but also to develop other leaders.”

     Our aim as leaders in the church should be to give away our ministry to others. This concept goes beyond the work of the Pastor. Each Deacon, Sabbath School teacher, each women’s ministry leader of Pathfinder Director should be looking out for people to train. That truly gives us a picture of a functional structure in a healthy growing church.

       As Ellen White puts it,

    “Those who have the spiritual oversight of the church should devise ways and means by which an opportunity may be given to every member of the church to act some part in God’s work. Too often in the past this has not been done. Plans have not been clearly laid and fully carried out whereby the talents of all might be employed in active service. There are but few who realize how much has been lost because of this.” 

     Testimonies. Vol. 9 p.116

     The aim is to make sure that we create functional structures for the Newark Church so that we are able to have all of the people in the church working in the same direction.