I believe that if the main point of this restructuring of parliamentary law is that all people believe the same thing because the Spirit is guiding them as one, you must look at how the Spirit is sought.
So Step 1 of the new restructuring of the law is: Seeking the Spirit as One:
Unless everyone prays together, it is very difficult to know where the Spirit is leading collectively. So, Step 1 is pray collectively.
Step 2: Share Collectively
Everyone who feels as if they feel the Spirit moving a certain direction should be permitted to share, but also realize that unity is being sought.
Step 3: Listen Collectively
While God may not speak the same language to everyone, he certainly does remain unwaivering in His thoughts and actions. So listen for themes that may connect all thoughts and movements together.
Step 4: Discuss Collectively
After everyone who shares has shared and all have listened. Discuss what you heard as common themes amongst the group. If there are apparent common themes, then clearly these are the ones to be followed. If not, then you must discuss further or pray further until a theme or resolution is found. Often times, it seems as if there is no resolution to be found, and if that is the case, then a "mistrial" is called and the case is closed. In this belief, if God does not speak absolutely clearly about a particular issue, then it must not be important enough to stress about and can be dropped without worry.
Step 5: Elder Confirmation
The Elders of the church must confirm every theme and thought to be true and possibly "of God". The Elders are chosen by God and are Biblically responsible for the furthering of the church. Thereby, they should hold the most responsibility in deciding whether or not the perceived leadings are truly of God and should be followed.
Step 6: Action
Regardless of previous belief or opinion, after a decision is made, all must follow and see it through to success. If we are one body, we must act as one body and make sure that we work as one Body. This is the final and most important step in the process.
Three Problems:
1) The Elders: Leaving the final decision up to the Elders is a dangerous one, because you are putting an enormous amount of faith and responsibility into the hands of broken people. While they do hold high positions in the church, they are still just as human as every single congregation member present. So potentially, you have a human making a decision against what the divine has declared.
2) The "Dropped" Process: If a consensus is not made, then the problem is dropped and a "mistrial" is called. This could happen often and as a result, there could be an array of important issues that are simply put to the wayside and never talked about again. This is how a budget crisis could turn into a scandal or an incompetent pastor could turn into the Achilles heel or the church. Perhaps there should be no issue that goes unresolved.
3) Allowing All People to Speak: While this is certainly good, it could take a long time. If every single person is hearing from God and have a variety of thoughts and words from Him, it is possible that nothing ever gets past the talking stage and essentially the "bill" sits in congress and does nothing. It is good that all get to speak, but potentially bad because of the simply logistical time issues involved.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Week Three- Michael Berens
Michael Berens
Week 3
Thursday 01/29/09
The New Spirit Lead Parliamentary Law Process
If I were running a meeting that involved Spirit led Prayer and decision making, I would first start out with an agenda of what need to be talked about. So…
Agenda first:
Come up with a list of things that needed to be addressed before the meeting ever came together. It should be concise and ready for more details to fill in the blanks
Prayer Individualized:
Pray over the list and ask God what else needs to be added to the list. If prayer is enacted from the beginning it becomes Spirit Led.
Come together as a group:
When everyone has arrived gather together first in prayer, then read the passage Matthew 18:20, which says, "For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst." Someone should say something encouraging about how God is amongst those who are gathered here. This does not need to be the passage read every time, but it should have something to do with communal decisions.
Now it is time for the meeting rules:
So if prayer was fully involved in the beginning process of the meeting is time to start a simple discussion of the items on the agenda. The leader that has prayed over the items states the first item and then someone stands up and asks the Lord to guide them. The same man makes a statement about how it is a good idea and a bad idea. This way there is no one that can lean fully on one side. If everyone can see both perspectives, there may be peace. At the end of the discussion, everyone writes down what seemed like the stronger case. No vote is taken, but after everyone has had time to think, the same prayer filled leader will ask everyone to read aloud what they have written. The leader will then say what the outcome was over all and that will be the decision. Everyone has input and everyone should see both sides. God truly decides after all.
So the list is:
Prayer
Agenda items
Discussion showing both good and bad for each item
Writings
Prayer
Decision by the prayer filled leader
Three problems:
1.Basically it is like a secret democracy with prayer. I am unsure if you can fully escape the democracy thing.
2. Discussions may go too long
3. People may not be honest in their pros and cons of each agenda item
Week 3
Thursday 01/29/09
The New Spirit Lead Parliamentary Law Process
If I were running a meeting that involved Spirit led Prayer and decision making, I would first start out with an agenda of what need to be talked about. So…
Agenda first:
Come up with a list of things that needed to be addressed before the meeting ever came together. It should be concise and ready for more details to fill in the blanks
Prayer Individualized:
Pray over the list and ask God what else needs to be added to the list. If prayer is enacted from the beginning it becomes Spirit Led.
Come together as a group:
When everyone has arrived gather together first in prayer, then read the passage Matthew 18:20, which says, "For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst." Someone should say something encouraging about how God is amongst those who are gathered here. This does not need to be the passage read every time, but it should have something to do with communal decisions.
Now it is time for the meeting rules:
So if prayer was fully involved in the beginning process of the meeting is time to start a simple discussion of the items on the agenda. The leader that has prayed over the items states the first item and then someone stands up and asks the Lord to guide them. The same man makes a statement about how it is a good idea and a bad idea. This way there is no one that can lean fully on one side. If everyone can see both perspectives, there may be peace. At the end of the discussion, everyone writes down what seemed like the stronger case. No vote is taken, but after everyone has had time to think, the same prayer filled leader will ask everyone to read aloud what they have written. The leader will then say what the outcome was over all and that will be the decision. Everyone has input and everyone should see both sides. God truly decides after all.
So the list is:
Prayer
Agenda items
Discussion showing both good and bad for each item
Writings
Prayer
Decision by the prayer filled leader
Three problems:
1.Basically it is like a secret democracy with prayer. I am unsure if you can fully escape the democracy thing.
2. Discussions may go too long
3. People may not be honest in their pros and cons of each agenda item
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Week 3 - Church Board Meeting
The board meeting I went to was very boring, in my opinion, but then again things like that have never interested me; but we won’t go there. Anyway, what I wanted to talk about is the procedure of the board meeting. The first thing that the board did was have Pastor Mary lead them in prayer, for God to guide them in the meeting. Then the secretary handed out the minutes from last meeting to see if there are any changes to the minutes that need to be changed. After everyone looked over the minutes, some moves to accept the minutes, then the head of the board (not the Pastor) asks for a second. When its been seconded, then it has been “approved”.
After the minutes are taken care of, then they move into the agenda, things like the budget, the youth group and their progress, the worship leader, and many other topics on which they are voting, I guess you could say. They move through any decisions that have to made have to have a motion and a second to that motion before they are accepted and move on to the next item on the agenda. If there are any committees or any pastors that have to give a report for what is going on in their ministries, then when they get to that point, then the person would give his/her report to the board. And on and on this goes, as I said it gets boring and very dry, when I begin to pastor a church, the thing I am not looking forward to the most is possibly the board meetings and other meetings similar to these. Administration things like this do not interest me, they bore me to tears. But anyway, when the meeting was getting ready to close, they opened the floor for anything they might have missed. Once everyone had said what they wanted to say, they then adjourned the meeting and everyone went their separate ways.
After the minutes are taken care of, then they move into the agenda, things like the budget, the youth group and their progress, the worship leader, and many other topics on which they are voting, I guess you could say. They move through any decisions that have to made have to have a motion and a second to that motion before they are accepted and move on to the next item on the agenda. If there are any committees or any pastors that have to give a report for what is going on in their ministries, then when they get to that point, then the person would give his/her report to the board. And on and on this goes, as I said it gets boring and very dry, when I begin to pastor a church, the thing I am not looking forward to the most is possibly the board meetings and other meetings similar to these. Administration things like this do not interest me, they bore me to tears. But anyway, when the meeting was getting ready to close, they opened the floor for anything they might have missed. Once everyone had said what they wanted to say, they then adjourned the meeting and everyone went their separate ways.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Attend A Board Meeting (Tyler)
The church board meeting that I attended was at Davis Wesleyan Church in Hamlet, IN. The church board meeting was on a Wednesday night in one of the Sunday School rooms where children are usually taught on Sunday mornings. Davis Wesleyan Church is a relatively small congregation. The same is true for the Board of Directors. The Board is made up of about 6 people (I'm not sure if all were present at this meeting). Besides the pastor, Aaron Cloud, there are about four women. This is one of the biggest surprises for me personally. I am proud of Davis Wesleyan Church for the diversity in both sex and age. Aaron is by far the youngest member of the board (about 23), and there is a member in her 60s. I loved the thought of how this diversity might play itself into discussions.
I was expecting the meeting to be very formal and structured. My expectations were not completely met. I have attended a board meeting at a church of about 7,000 people, and that was like attending a board meeting for a Fortune 500 company. However, this was a little more casual than that previous meeting that I had joined. This was more low-key and informal. While they did bring official business into the meeting, it wasn't in an extremely structured matter. They began the meeting by saying, “What is first on the agenda?”. This was the starting point and it just went on from there. I was expecting sort of a Robert's Rules of Organizational Structure. But I did not hear any sort of official start and end to the meeting.
Decisions were made by voting. But before a vote was called for, there was a discussion about the issue. However, there were not many issues to be discussed. One of the issues that was raised was concerning the use of the building for weddings and other congregational meetings. Apparently a recent couple that had gotten married in the church took down the Christmas decorations that were put up by the congregation member, Billie. When Billie came to church on the following Sunday, she realized that many of the decorations were put away incorrectly. This bothered her and she wanted to make sure that it didn't happen again next year. She has a very particular way of putting the Christmas decorations away, and she would like to be involved in that process. In essence, this was the most “controversial” issue of the evening. Past that, they discussed some of the issues and events dealing with AWANA's and Sunday School meetings. They are excited about how there is a growing congregation every week. The average is almost up to 40 now. They briefly discussed the ways to keep those numbers high. Then the meeting ended with prayer requests. This actually seemed to be the most important part of the evening. The members of the board truly seemed to care about each other and asked how each other were doing. I loved to see this and joined them in the prayer to close the meeting.
Some of the observations that I had was how informal it was. However, I know this is typically not the norm. I understand that most churches use Robert's Rules to run meetings. But, this is not the case at Davis Wesleyan and it works for them very well. I learned that people are the main parts of meetings and business, while important, is secondary. This was evidenced by the fact that they spent the majority of the time discussing issues relating to the church in general and the board as a group.
I was expecting the meeting to be very formal and structured. My expectations were not completely met. I have attended a board meeting at a church of about 7,000 people, and that was like attending a board meeting for a Fortune 500 company. However, this was a little more casual than that previous meeting that I had joined. This was more low-key and informal. While they did bring official business into the meeting, it wasn't in an extremely structured matter. They began the meeting by saying, “What is first on the agenda?”. This was the starting point and it just went on from there. I was expecting sort of a Robert's Rules of Organizational Structure. But I did not hear any sort of official start and end to the meeting.
Decisions were made by voting. But before a vote was called for, there was a discussion about the issue. However, there were not many issues to be discussed. One of the issues that was raised was concerning the use of the building for weddings and other congregational meetings. Apparently a recent couple that had gotten married in the church took down the Christmas decorations that were put up by the congregation member, Billie. When Billie came to church on the following Sunday, she realized that many of the decorations were put away incorrectly. This bothered her and she wanted to make sure that it didn't happen again next year. She has a very particular way of putting the Christmas decorations away, and she would like to be involved in that process. In essence, this was the most “controversial” issue of the evening. Past that, they discussed some of the issues and events dealing with AWANA's and Sunday School meetings. They are excited about how there is a growing congregation every week. The average is almost up to 40 now. They briefly discussed the ways to keep those numbers high. Then the meeting ended with prayer requests. This actually seemed to be the most important part of the evening. The members of the board truly seemed to care about each other and asked how each other were doing. I loved to see this and joined them in the prayer to close the meeting.
Some of the observations that I had was how informal it was. However, I know this is typically not the norm. I understand that most churches use Robert's Rules to run meetings. But, this is not the case at Davis Wesleyan and it works for them very well. I learned that people are the main parts of meetings and business, while important, is secondary. This was evidenced by the fact that they spent the majority of the time discussing issues relating to the church in general and the board as a group.
Week 3 (Church fight (originally taken from week 10))
Michael Berens
Week 3- Church Fight
I interviewed Rachel Demarse, a pastor at Exit 59
On Friday the 16th of January, 2009
I go to a relatively new church, so the problems that build up over the years are just not as existent. I did however hear about one story involving a ministry that is still going on. I asked Rachel about it and she told me the details, though they will not all be available to the public eyes of this blog. It is relatively short fight but it seems to still linger around.
It is now time for Background:
We have a ministry called Muffin Mingle. It is a time where people can come early and interact with each other around the eating of muffins. We have coffee and tea available as well. The thought was people would come to church earlier and stay later if there were muffins for people to socialize around. It turns out that people are not as into this idea as the staff was. In fact the congregation of families and College students are far from prompt in their arrival time. In fact most people show up right at 9:00 or 11:00 and expect breakfast, which this ministry is not. People even grew angry when the muffins were not available after church had started. So this ministry of muffins turned out differently than projected.
The issue:
Two members of the staff decided that muffin mingle was not working and strongly proposed that muffin mingle should stop. The staff was about six people at that point. The other four were very surprised and were stubborn about keeping it even though they were not as involved as the two people bringing it up.
How bad it got:
The two eventually got fed up with the stubbornness of not hearing them out and erupted. One thing was said and finally they all stopped. It took a little time and then it cooled down. I would say on a bad scale it was a medium at what was said, but it was only on an emotional level and not so much on an attacking level. No physicality was involved and that helped greatly.
What could have resolved it—What someone should have done?
From what I heard I feel as though listening ears should have been given all around. On account of the four people that were stubborn and did not agree with the proposal, they did not have the experience of dealing with muffin people. So maybe they should have had a learner’s ear towards the situation. On account of the two that wanted to nix the muffin ministry, they should have come with a more humble attitude towards asking. If they did that, maybe they would have been heard on a better term. Someone should have stepped in and declared a revaluation on the muffin ministry and then hold another meeting concerning the ministry to se the actual effectiveness.
Week 3- Church Fight
I interviewed Rachel Demarse, a pastor at Exit 59
On Friday the 16th of January, 2009
I go to a relatively new church, so the problems that build up over the years are just not as existent. I did however hear about one story involving a ministry that is still going on. I asked Rachel about it and she told me the details, though they will not all be available to the public eyes of this blog. It is relatively short fight but it seems to still linger around.
It is now time for Background:
We have a ministry called Muffin Mingle. It is a time where people can come early and interact with each other around the eating of muffins. We have coffee and tea available as well. The thought was people would come to church earlier and stay later if there were muffins for people to socialize around. It turns out that people are not as into this idea as the staff was. In fact the congregation of families and College students are far from prompt in their arrival time. In fact most people show up right at 9:00 or 11:00 and expect breakfast, which this ministry is not. People even grew angry when the muffins were not available after church had started. So this ministry of muffins turned out differently than projected.
The issue:
Two members of the staff decided that muffin mingle was not working and strongly proposed that muffin mingle should stop. The staff was about six people at that point. The other four were very surprised and were stubborn about keeping it even though they were not as involved as the two people bringing it up.
How bad it got:
The two eventually got fed up with the stubbornness of not hearing them out and erupted. One thing was said and finally they all stopped. It took a little time and then it cooled down. I would say on a bad scale it was a medium at what was said, but it was only on an emotional level and not so much on an attacking level. No physicality was involved and that helped greatly.
What could have resolved it—What someone should have done?
From what I heard I feel as though listening ears should have been given all around. On account of the four people that were stubborn and did not agree with the proposal, they did not have the experience of dealing with muffin people. So maybe they should have had a learner’s ear towards the situation. On account of the two that wanted to nix the muffin ministry, they should have come with a more humble attitude towards asking. If they did that, maybe they would have been heard on a better term. Someone should have stepped in and declared a revaluation on the muffin ministry and then hold another meeting concerning the ministry to se the actual effectiveness.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Tithe - Thursday
Tithing is something that a lot of Evangelical Christians do not do because tithing is giving. I was walking by a Sunday School classroom one week and I heard them talking about tithing. What I heard was one of the members of the Sunday School complain about when pastors talk about tithing and giving 10% of your income I was a little shocked. So I poked my head in and asked if I could interject something, so they allowed me and I told them that tithing is the only area in the Bible where the LORD asks us to test him on this and see if he doesn’t open the floodgates of heaven and bless us. Whenever I get paid (which hasn’t been yet this semester) I typically give 10% of what I make (sometimes a little more cause I want to keep the amount an even amount). So if the actual tithe would have been 52.30 I would give 53. I don’t like odd numbers like that on checks unless I have to pay a bill, but that’s just me usually.
My mom has always emphasized that I need to tithe. When we got an allowance, she would make us set aside 10% for tithing whether we wanted to or not. It taught me a good principle and appreciate those lessons from early childhood. And Drury, I absolutely agree with those points you made in the article. Most people do not tithe they give. That’s why my pastor in my home church has defined the difference between tithes and offerings by saying something along the lines of “presenting our tithes and offerings to the Lord”. Basically saying that the tithe should come first, then the offering is above and beyond the tithe. I think, in my opinion, that it is a great distinguishing. He’s preached on this topic at least once since I’ve been here at IWU (I don’t know how much he more he actually preaches on it cause I am usually out here).
My mom has always emphasized that I need to tithe. When we got an allowance, she would make us set aside 10% for tithing whether we wanted to or not. It taught me a good principle and appreciate those lessons from early childhood. And Drury, I absolutely agree with those points you made in the article. Most people do not tithe they give. That’s why my pastor in my home church has defined the difference between tithes and offerings by saying something along the lines of “presenting our tithes and offerings to the Lord”. Basically saying that the tithe should come first, then the offering is above and beyond the tithe. I think, in my opinion, that it is a great distinguishing. He’s preached on this topic at least once since I’ve been here at IWU (I don’t know how much he more he actually preaches on it cause I am usually out here).
Week 2(b) - Tithing (Tyler Murphy)
One of the best ways I am able to express my views about tithing is doing a quick survey of what the Old and New Testaments talk about regarding the tithe.
The first example of tithing that is found in the Old Testament is in Genesis 14:18-20: “Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abram, saying, "Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. And blessed be God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.” Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything”. From that first moment on sense, a ten percent tithe is made by Jacob and Aaron all the way through the prophets. The tithes were made to the priests that governed the temple. The tithe included everything from land, animals, and money. Around the time of the Israelite kings, there were specific people that were appointed to collect the tithes and place them in the designated chambers and storehouses. Finally, around the time of the minor prophets, there appears to be a cause and effect related to God and tithing. Malachi rights that one must give to God in order to be blessed and if one refuses, they will be cursed.
Tithing in the New Testament followed the traditions and trends of the Old Testament with a few caveats. After Christ came and died and rose again, the Church was faced with the issue of continuing the Jewish practice of tithing or disregarding it and doing something else. They began to move toward a more “spontaneous offering” system rather than a timed ten percent. There is no specific command to tithe in the New Testament, but it is mentioned a few times. Matthew 23:23 and Luke 11:42 are two instances in the New Testament where Jesus actually mentions tithing. While this is not a direct command to tithe given by Jesus, it is evidence that tithing existed and was practiced during that day.
The concept of a tithe, however, became more about providing for the sustenance of the staff behind the pulpit than it did about being a traditional act required by God. Many will argue that tithing is simply a Jewish custom and not something that should be practiced by modern day Christians. However, throughout the New Testament, there is evidence of tithing being performed by both Jews and Christians. The idea of tithing has since transformed to include not only food gifts (as they were in the Old Testament), but also money (as is found commonly in the New Testament). This progression has also changed the terms used for “tithing”. Tithing is now more commonly referred to as “giving” and urges weekly giving that supports the needs of Christian workers both locally and internationally.
I believe tithing should be at least 10%, but then attempt to increase that number every time. Tithing is not a stagnant thing. It should be a constant increase of giving. And by giving that which God has put on your heart, I believe that we would be shocked to see how much God has put on our heart.
One of the best ways I am able to express my views about tithing is doing a quick survey of what the Old and New Testaments talk about regarding the tithe.
The first example of tithing that is found in the Old Testament is in Genesis 14:18-20: “Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abram, saying, "Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. And blessed be God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.” Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything”. From that first moment on sense, a ten percent tithe is made by Jacob and Aaron all the way through the prophets. The tithes were made to the priests that governed the temple. The tithe included everything from land, animals, and money. Around the time of the Israelite kings, there were specific people that were appointed to collect the tithes and place them in the designated chambers and storehouses. Finally, around the time of the minor prophets, there appears to be a cause and effect related to God and tithing. Malachi rights that one must give to God in order to be blessed and if one refuses, they will be cursed.
Tithing in the New Testament followed the traditions and trends of the Old Testament with a few caveats. After Christ came and died and rose again, the Church was faced with the issue of continuing the Jewish practice of tithing or disregarding it and doing something else. They began to move toward a more “spontaneous offering” system rather than a timed ten percent. There is no specific command to tithe in the New Testament, but it is mentioned a few times. Matthew 23:23 and Luke 11:42 are two instances in the New Testament where Jesus actually mentions tithing. While this is not a direct command to tithe given by Jesus, it is evidence that tithing existed and was practiced during that day.
The concept of a tithe, however, became more about providing for the sustenance of the staff behind the pulpit than it did about being a traditional act required by God. Many will argue that tithing is simply a Jewish custom and not something that should be practiced by modern day Christians. However, throughout the New Testament, there is evidence of tithing being performed by both Jews and Christians. The idea of tithing has since transformed to include not only food gifts (as they were in the Old Testament), but also money (as is found commonly in the New Testament). This progression has also changed the terms used for “tithing”. Tithing is now more commonly referred to as “giving” and urges weekly giving that supports the needs of Christian workers both locally and internationally.
I believe tithing should be at least 10%, but then attempt to increase that number every time. Tithing is not a stagnant thing. It should be a constant increase of giving. And by giving that which God has put on your heart, I believe that we would be shocked to see how much God has put on our heart.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Tithing
Michael Berens
Week 2
Thursday 01/22/09
Tithing
It is interesting how evangelicals view tithing. Maybe it is a baby boomer generation type of thing. Maybe they see the church as a business and because not everyone has access to church spending, they are not as trusting to give. As said in the article, people believe that giving to a non-profit is part of giving to the church in general. In fact non-profits do quite a better job at recording how they spend their money and where all the money goes. People like that. They like the satisfaction of thinking they are contributing to something and like letting a fish go into a pond, they like to watch it go all the way to its final destination.
I think tithing is what it means. It means Ten percent of funds go to the church. If you want to give more or less then it can be called giving. Another word can be called offerings. Maybe that is why they say, tithes and offering time in a church bulletin. I think it is very important to give to the church in any of theses word versions. It surprises me that a church would not need money. A church should be a channel for money that goes right back out to those that need it. In the book of Acts, if there were someone in need someone would sell what they had and help that person. The church was keeping it for stocks. Specifically in Acts 2:44 it says, 44 and all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. The money from the people went straight back into the people. I wonder if churches are in as badly of a need for funds as those of the early church were. Maybe we need to simplify some aspects about church so it is not so expensive. On the other hand maybe we are suppose to be pioneers for things like light shows and concerts.
Genesis 14:18 is my favorite example of tithing, probably because it shows the first tithe, before any one was ever told to do so. It was done of a pure heart. Abraham wanted to honor Melchizedek by giving him this tithe. Maybe we need to restore some of what it means to tithe and give. Maybe we have lost the honor of it all. In any case, something has to be done. If there isn’t something done, I would say evangelical churches will see some pretty devastating foreclosures to their churches. Maybe it is not the worst thing though. Maybe out of those ashes newness will rise.
Week 2
Thursday 01/22/09
Tithing
It is interesting how evangelicals view tithing. Maybe it is a baby boomer generation type of thing. Maybe they see the church as a business and because not everyone has access to church spending, they are not as trusting to give. As said in the article, people believe that giving to a non-profit is part of giving to the church in general. In fact non-profits do quite a better job at recording how they spend their money and where all the money goes. People like that. They like the satisfaction of thinking they are contributing to something and like letting a fish go into a pond, they like to watch it go all the way to its final destination.
I think tithing is what it means. It means Ten percent of funds go to the church. If you want to give more or less then it can be called giving. Another word can be called offerings. Maybe that is why they say, tithes and offering time in a church bulletin. I think it is very important to give to the church in any of theses word versions. It surprises me that a church would not need money. A church should be a channel for money that goes right back out to those that need it. In the book of Acts, if there were someone in need someone would sell what they had and help that person. The church was keeping it for stocks. Specifically in Acts 2:44 it says, 44 and all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. The money from the people went straight back into the people. I wonder if churches are in as badly of a need for funds as those of the early church were. Maybe we need to simplify some aspects about church so it is not so expensive. On the other hand maybe we are suppose to be pioneers for things like light shows and concerts.
Genesis 14:18 is my favorite example of tithing, probably because it shows the first tithe, before any one was ever told to do so. It was done of a pure heart. Abraham wanted to honor Melchizedek by giving him this tithe. Maybe we need to restore some of what it means to tithe and give. Maybe we have lost the honor of it all. In any case, something has to be done. If there isn’t something done, I would say evangelical churches will see some pretty devastating foreclosures to their churches. Maybe it is not the worst thing though. Maybe out of those ashes newness will rise.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Kinds of Leadership
Webster's dictionary describes leadership as, “the capacity to lead or guide”. While this probably is the most basic definition possible, the aspects of leadership are wide and varied. Leadership can be found everywhere you look and in every capacity that you think might be possible. There are leaders in elementary school classrooms and there are leaders inside the White House. Leadership, and the ability to lead comes mainly through experience and practice. It is a rare occurrence to find someone in a leadership position who hasn't yet gained the experience and talent needed to lead one or many people. Leadership is a concept that is more experienced than described. However, almost everyone is some capacity has experienced leadership. Some of the greatest leaders in history are actually found in the Bible in both the New and Old Testaments. Great leaders in the Bible that immediately come to mind are people such as Moses, David, and Paul. But there are Biblical leaders scattered throughout the entire Scriptures. What is interesting concerning these leaders are the different “types” of leadership that they display. There are examples of these different styles or types of leadership scattered throughout both the New and Old Testaments.
In doing some research, I have identified about four different types of leadership that is both present in the church today and the Bible in the past in the Scriptures. Those four types of leadership are visionary, teaching, administrative, and mentoring. When it comes to the visionary leadership type found in the Bible, Paul seems to be the best example of someone who leads using a vision. In Romans 15:20-21, Paul writes “It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else's foundation. Rather, as it is written: "Those who were not told about him will see, and those who have not heard will understand.". Paul's ambition and guidance is something that is both necessarily for future direction and current guidance. He has a plan for the future, and a vision that has it succeeding in the end. A leader with vision and ambition is someone that you want in the front. The teaching leader is someone who communicates ideas to people. These ideas could be spiritual or logistical. A biblical example of a teaching leader would be King Solomon. In Ecclesiastes 1:12-14, “I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem. I devoted myself to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under heaven. What a heavy burden God has laid on men! I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.” Solomon studied and explored wisdom so that he could teach the members of his kingdom these pieces of information. In the same way, pastors and leadership today should study and explore the many resources and sources of knowledge that is provided to them. Then, what those people do with that knowledge is what separates the leaders from the followers. Leaders will take that knowledge and teach it to many people in order to communicate ideas and concepts. It's important to the teaching leader to see that the people who follow them be taught the things that they are learning. A third type of leader is the administrative leader. The administrative leader is someone who thrives on the organization of data and logistical issues. This type of leadership is also found in the Bible. While not such a “good” example in the Bible, Martha of Bethany is a great example of a logistical leader. In Luke 10:38-42, “As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!" "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." While Jesus tells Martha what she is doing is not right for the time (how often does God come into your home?), she is a great example of an organized person taking care of small logistical issues. She came home and prepared everything so that Jesus would have a comfortable stay. As mind-numbing this type of work can be, it is a necessary part of leadership in an organization. Someone who can do administration well makes life easier on every single person in the organization. An administrative leader is someone who actually finds pleasure in organizing and arranging items. Finally, there is the mentoring leader that leads by coaching and delegation. The Biblical example of mentoring is found in Acts 11:22-26 with Barnabas: “News of this reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.” Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.” Barnabas spent a whole year with the Christians at Antioch. He taught them and counseled them seeing that they grow spiritually. The key with the mentoring type of leadership is time and dedication. With dedication and time, someone who leads through mentoring is able to drastically affect the life of a follower. A mentoring leader is one who spends the majority of their time with people as compared to one who spends it with numbers or logistics. Mentoring involves leadership of the masses, but most commonly, a one-on-one relationship. So again, this concretes the belief that leadership can be for both masses and individuals.
In doing some research, I have identified about four different types of leadership that is both present in the church today and the Bible in the past in the Scriptures. Those four types of leadership are visionary, teaching, administrative, and mentoring. When it comes to the visionary leadership type found in the Bible, Paul seems to be the best example of someone who leads using a vision. In Romans 15:20-21, Paul writes “It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else's foundation. Rather, as it is written: "Those who were not told about him will see, and those who have not heard will understand.". Paul's ambition and guidance is something that is both necessarily for future direction and current guidance. He has a plan for the future, and a vision that has it succeeding in the end. A leader with vision and ambition is someone that you want in the front. The teaching leader is someone who communicates ideas to people. These ideas could be spiritual or logistical. A biblical example of a teaching leader would be King Solomon. In Ecclesiastes 1:12-14, “I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem. I devoted myself to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under heaven. What a heavy burden God has laid on men! I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.” Solomon studied and explored wisdom so that he could teach the members of his kingdom these pieces of information. In the same way, pastors and leadership today should study and explore the many resources and sources of knowledge that is provided to them. Then, what those people do with that knowledge is what separates the leaders from the followers. Leaders will take that knowledge and teach it to many people in order to communicate ideas and concepts. It's important to the teaching leader to see that the people who follow them be taught the things that they are learning. A third type of leader is the administrative leader. The administrative leader is someone who thrives on the organization of data and logistical issues. This type of leadership is also found in the Bible. While not such a “good” example in the Bible, Martha of Bethany is a great example of a logistical leader. In Luke 10:38-42, “As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!" "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." While Jesus tells Martha what she is doing is not right for the time (how often does God come into your home?), she is a great example of an organized person taking care of small logistical issues. She came home and prepared everything so that Jesus would have a comfortable stay. As mind-numbing this type of work can be, it is a necessary part of leadership in an organization. Someone who can do administration well makes life easier on every single person in the organization. An administrative leader is someone who actually finds pleasure in organizing and arranging items. Finally, there is the mentoring leader that leads by coaching and delegation. The Biblical example of mentoring is found in Acts 11:22-26 with Barnabas: “News of this reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.” Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.” Barnabas spent a whole year with the Christians at Antioch. He taught them and counseled them seeing that they grow spiritually. The key with the mentoring type of leadership is time and dedication. With dedication and time, someone who leads through mentoring is able to drastically affect the life of a follower. A mentoring leader is one who spends the majority of their time with people as compared to one who spends it with numbers or logistics. Mentoring involves leadership of the masses, but most commonly, a one-on-one relationship. So again, this concretes the belief that leadership can be for both masses and individuals.
Week one Thursday 01/13
Michael Berens
Week One
Thursday 01/15/09
Kinds of Leadership
Part A: Leadership is the serving, gifting, and guiding for the sake of others. Leadership is serving because if a leader is not serving, then he or she is selfish and probably running the people around him or her dry. He or she is gifted because leading is usually a gift given by some one else or yourself if you take it. Leadership is guiding because it is about going alongside of people and encouraging them in new ways or old ways renewed.
Was Adam a leader?
Adam had to be a leader for Eve because he was the first man in existence. A man is naturally and instinctually a leader for his family, but it is a learning process of what that means. Adams leadership was not always good. In fact that is what lead to the first sin. It was Adam’s fault over all that Eve was tempted. Adam then took leadership of his family in ways we don’t even know.
Was Eve a leader?
Eve was Adam’s co leader. Truly I think she was co leading in the Garden of Eden. It is not until the fall in Genesis three that She is put under Adam’s leadership because of it.
Was Noah a leader?
Noah was definitely a leader. He was distinct from the others and led his family to build and then get on a boat to which they didn’t know exactly why. It takes strong leadership to follow God and then in turn lead a family that probably doubted the whole time.
Was Isaac a Leader?
Isaac was most likely a good leader over all, but at the end of his life he was not leading rightly. In fact he favored the son who displayed an attitude of slobbery and ungratefulness for the rite he had. Esau sold his righteous birth right for a measly bowl of soup. Jacob clearly deserved this and Isaac was too blind to see this.
Was Jacob a leader?
Jacob was a leader but didn’t always make good choices. He was willing to work for what he wanted. He did end up taking the birth right in a peculiar situation, but ended up working many years to gain his wife’s. He did make the same mistake as his father in favoritism. He liked Joseph and Benjamin more. This did show that he was not the best father and leader.
Was Joseph a leader?
Joseph clearly was a good leader. He was a leader enough for the Pharaoh to notice him and put him charge. For a pagan Egyptian to put a Jewish commoner in charge of so much, there had to be something more than just dream catching going on.
Was Moses a leader?
Moses was a great leader most of the time. In fact God choose him out of the wilderness to come and lead God’s people. That seems pretty substantial. I think people read into Moses that he was not qualified, but he was around leadership in Pharaoh’s house all throughout childhood, so he must have seen something go on with how to be a good leader. He made some mistakes in the wilderness that cost him his entrance into the promise land. Over all he did a good job
Was Aaron a leader?
Aaron was another man appointed by god to lead His people. He had to lead in a much different role. In fact his leadership was not so direct in leading. He was more of the organizer of God’s people for worship. The tabernacle needed a human mind behind it for God’s instructions to come through.
Was Samuel a leader?
Samuel was also a leader though he had trouble eventually. In fact maybe he wasn’t really a leader, but more of a person God used to bring about His purpose. Samuel was a strong ma in terms of correcting Saul, but in his family life he sucked. He let his sons lose the arc of the covenant. He just was not a good father, which filtered into bad leadership in the temple.
Was Saul a leader?
Saul was a strong leader. This does not mean he was a good moral leader. He led his country with strength and passion. At the end of his kingship he let the crazies get to him and his leadership dwindled. He became jealous and reckless with his armies. Over all, you could call Saul a bad leader in Christian standards, but ok by worldly standards.
Was James a Leader?
James became the head of the Jerusalem church. He had to make some tough decision when persecution from everywhere was great. People in the church didn’t agree with him. People against the church obviously didn’t agree with him. He was the one who declared the regulations for the gentiles to not have to be circumcised. That was historic and changed Christianity from then on. I would say he was a great leader.
Was Luke a Leader?
Luke was not necessarily a leader as much as a companion and supporter of the apostles. He wrote some really good books and took some long journeys but I would say he was more of a supporter and encourager to leaders.
Was Barnabas a leader?
Barnabas was a good leader. He led alongside of Paul. He even made the tough choice of separating from Paul when the differed on whom they should take. I would think they it would be hard to disagree with Paul, as he was almost a leader of the church.
Was Paul a leader?
Obviously Paul was a leader basically led from wherever he was. Even if he was half way across the world, he could still lead a church 3000 miles away through letters and prayer. It is amazing to think how much sway he had in the churches he helped start. I do not think I have to say any more.
Part B summarized:
Out of all of these Leadership qualities that I have seen broken and done well were humility, making tough choices, and serving in wisdom. The biblical characters each demonstrated different ways of utilizing these in tremendous ways. I think God picked these leaders because they had so much potential. Some of the characters used their gifts for evil. Saul for example used the strength of his leadership in military to hunt down David, which lead to country invasions. Others used their gifts for good. James for example made the tough choices and that ended up being something really beneficial for the church.
Week One
Thursday 01/15/09
Kinds of Leadership
Part A: Leadership is the serving, gifting, and guiding for the sake of others. Leadership is serving because if a leader is not serving, then he or she is selfish and probably running the people around him or her dry. He or she is gifted because leading is usually a gift given by some one else or yourself if you take it. Leadership is guiding because it is about going alongside of people and encouraging them in new ways or old ways renewed.
Was Adam a leader?
Adam had to be a leader for Eve because he was the first man in existence. A man is naturally and instinctually a leader for his family, but it is a learning process of what that means. Adams leadership was not always good. In fact that is what lead to the first sin. It was Adam’s fault over all that Eve was tempted. Adam then took leadership of his family in ways we don’t even know.
Was Eve a leader?
Eve was Adam’s co leader. Truly I think she was co leading in the Garden of Eden. It is not until the fall in Genesis three that She is put under Adam’s leadership because of it.
Was Noah a leader?
Noah was definitely a leader. He was distinct from the others and led his family to build and then get on a boat to which they didn’t know exactly why. It takes strong leadership to follow God and then in turn lead a family that probably doubted the whole time.
Was Isaac a Leader?
Isaac was most likely a good leader over all, but at the end of his life he was not leading rightly. In fact he favored the son who displayed an attitude of slobbery and ungratefulness for the rite he had. Esau sold his righteous birth right for a measly bowl of soup. Jacob clearly deserved this and Isaac was too blind to see this.
Was Jacob a leader?
Jacob was a leader but didn’t always make good choices. He was willing to work for what he wanted. He did end up taking the birth right in a peculiar situation, but ended up working many years to gain his wife’s. He did make the same mistake as his father in favoritism. He liked Joseph and Benjamin more. This did show that he was not the best father and leader.
Was Joseph a leader?
Joseph clearly was a good leader. He was a leader enough for the Pharaoh to notice him and put him charge. For a pagan Egyptian to put a Jewish commoner in charge of so much, there had to be something more than just dream catching going on.
Was Moses a leader?
Moses was a great leader most of the time. In fact God choose him out of the wilderness to come and lead God’s people. That seems pretty substantial. I think people read into Moses that he was not qualified, but he was around leadership in Pharaoh’s house all throughout childhood, so he must have seen something go on with how to be a good leader. He made some mistakes in the wilderness that cost him his entrance into the promise land. Over all he did a good job
Was Aaron a leader?
Aaron was another man appointed by god to lead His people. He had to lead in a much different role. In fact his leadership was not so direct in leading. He was more of the organizer of God’s people for worship. The tabernacle needed a human mind behind it for God’s instructions to come through.
Was Samuel a leader?
Samuel was also a leader though he had trouble eventually. In fact maybe he wasn’t really a leader, but more of a person God used to bring about His purpose. Samuel was a strong ma in terms of correcting Saul, but in his family life he sucked. He let his sons lose the arc of the covenant. He just was not a good father, which filtered into bad leadership in the temple.
Was Saul a leader?
Saul was a strong leader. This does not mean he was a good moral leader. He led his country with strength and passion. At the end of his kingship he let the crazies get to him and his leadership dwindled. He became jealous and reckless with his armies. Over all, you could call Saul a bad leader in Christian standards, but ok by worldly standards.
Was James a Leader?
James became the head of the Jerusalem church. He had to make some tough decision when persecution from everywhere was great. People in the church didn’t agree with him. People against the church obviously didn’t agree with him. He was the one who declared the regulations for the gentiles to not have to be circumcised. That was historic and changed Christianity from then on. I would say he was a great leader.
Was Luke a Leader?
Luke was not necessarily a leader as much as a companion and supporter of the apostles. He wrote some really good books and took some long journeys but I would say he was more of a supporter and encourager to leaders.
Was Barnabas a leader?
Barnabas was a good leader. He led alongside of Paul. He even made the tough choice of separating from Paul when the differed on whom they should take. I would think they it would be hard to disagree with Paul, as he was almost a leader of the church.
Was Paul a leader?
Obviously Paul was a leader basically led from wherever he was. Even if he was half way across the world, he could still lead a church 3000 miles away through letters and prayer. It is amazing to think how much sway he had in the churches he helped start. I do not think I have to say any more.
Part B summarized:
Out of all of these Leadership qualities that I have seen broken and done well were humility, making tough choices, and serving in wisdom. The biblical characters each demonstrated different ways of utilizing these in tremendous ways. I think God picked these leaders because they had so much potential. Some of the characters used their gifts for evil. Saul for example used the strength of his leadership in military to hunt down David, which lead to country invasions. Others used their gifts for good. James for example made the tough choices and that ended up being something really beneficial for the church.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Week 1(a) - Church Budget
I attend a church in Hamlet, IN called Davis Wesleyan Church. It is a small church of about 40 people. The church is located in a mostly rural community and the congregants are mostly farmers. I interviewed Pastor Aaron Cloud on Sunday, January 11th.
The following are my findings after interviewing Aaron and looking at the budget myself:
61.7% of the budget goes to the ministerial staff (including benefits)
20.7% of the budget goes to facilities (including parsonage)
10.3% of the budget goes to denominational support & missions
7.3% of the budget goes to programs
1) I was actually very surprised at the amount of money allocated toward the ministerial staff. 61.7% of a relatively small budget still isn't very much, but it is more than I was expecting. Most of that money is in the form of benefits rather than a direct salary, however. So, while the pastor seems to receive the majority of the budget, he or she never really directly sees that amount of money.
2) On the other extreme, I was surprised to see the low cost of running programs such as church education and evangelism projects. I figured that most of the cost is not very much in order to run education programs for only 40 people. The only main cost is buying literature for Sunday school classed. When you have money allocated for the Sunday School classes, and you don't have many people to spend that money on, you have to start thinking creatively. So, Davis Wesleyan purchases Sunday School literature for the congregation.
3) Finally, I observed the denominational "tax". This was a foreign concept for me, but it makes sense when I think about it. I have never been truly been apart of a denomination, and so the concept of a denomination supporting a church or vice-versa is strange to me. It make complete sense, however, to have a church support the denomination it is apart of. The "tax" seems to be about 10%, which isn't as bad as I thought it might be. So, I have no problem with this tax.
The following are my findings after interviewing Aaron and looking at the budget myself:
61.7% of the budget goes to the ministerial staff (including benefits)
20.7% of the budget goes to facilities (including parsonage)
10.3% of the budget goes to denominational support & missions
7.3% of the budget goes to programs
1) I was actually very surprised at the amount of money allocated toward the ministerial staff. 61.7% of a relatively small budget still isn't very much, but it is more than I was expecting. Most of that money is in the form of benefits rather than a direct salary, however. So, while the pastor seems to receive the majority of the budget, he or she never really directly sees that amount of money.
2) On the other extreme, I was surprised to see the low cost of running programs such as church education and evangelism projects. I figured that most of the cost is not very much in order to run education programs for only 40 people. The only main cost is buying literature for Sunday school classed. When you have money allocated for the Sunday School classes, and you don't have many people to spend that money on, you have to start thinking creatively. So, Davis Wesleyan purchases Sunday School literature for the congregation.
3) Finally, I observed the denominational "tax". This was a foreign concept for me, but it makes sense when I think about it. I have never been truly been apart of a denomination, and so the concept of a denomination supporting a church or vice-versa is strange to me. It make complete sense, however, to have a church support the denomination it is apart of. The "tax" seems to be about 10%, which isn't as bad as I thought it might be. So, I have no problem with this tax.
The Church and It's budget
Michael Berens
Week One- Tuesday January 13, 2009
Church Budget
I go to a Church called Exit 59. It is a Christian Missionary Alliance Church that is a church plant off a larger church plant in Muncie. That Church is called Muncie Alliance Church. It is like our parents in the scheme of things. that is where our reports go as well as our tithes, which get returned in the necessary way they need to be distributed. The Idea for the church plants that come form the Muncie Alliance church is that they pastors should be bi- vocational. So as you will see in budgeting the salaries percentages they are smaller for a church budget. Missionaries in the alliance church do not have to fund raise so that is higher than normal. In fact there really is not much that the church spends it's money on and Exit 59 is just part of the Muncie Alliance movement so all the churches are connected if they are in need. I think they are six or seven churches involved in this and each of the pastors are all very close. So here we go on the budget:
Facilities=26.96%
Salaries= 24.03 %
Denomination and Missions=19.64%
Programs=8.93%
The Rest goes into random things like church Counseling that is hired out and to Muncie to go to Muncie Alliance initiatives.
Three things I have observed in this experience:
~the Church does not spend very much on staff even though it has a staff of eight and interns. Bi-vocational may have an upper hand in Church spending. It does take time away from full time church involvement. There can also be financial stress in the other job, which could effect church finances as well as life.
~It is really amazing to see how the churches in the Muncie Alliance movement take care of each other and all keep track of their churches in one central location. I liked the fact that they learned the passages together for teaching, but I really liked the full connection of finances as well. I wonder if there is a bigger team at Muncie that keeps really legitimate track of Money?
~When Missionaries are dependent on the church it takes a toll out on the budget. I love the fact that the church supports their missionaries. I wonder what will happen in the long run for missionaries concerning finances if the church struggles. I do like the emphasis the CMA church puts on Missions. It really shows they care by fully supporting their missionaries.
Week One- Tuesday January 13, 2009
Church Budget
I go to a Church called Exit 59. It is a Christian Missionary Alliance Church that is a church plant off a larger church plant in Muncie. That Church is called Muncie Alliance Church. It is like our parents in the scheme of things. that is where our reports go as well as our tithes, which get returned in the necessary way they need to be distributed. The Idea for the church plants that come form the Muncie Alliance church is that they pastors should be bi- vocational. So as you will see in budgeting the salaries percentages they are smaller for a church budget. Missionaries in the alliance church do not have to fund raise so that is higher than normal. In fact there really is not much that the church spends it's money on and Exit 59 is just part of the Muncie Alliance movement so all the churches are connected if they are in need. I think they are six or seven churches involved in this and each of the pastors are all very close. So here we go on the budget:
Facilities=26.96%
Salaries= 24.03 %
Denomination and Missions=19.64%
Programs=8.93%
The Rest goes into random things like church Counseling that is hired out and to Muncie to go to Muncie Alliance initiatives.
Three things I have observed in this experience:
~the Church does not spend very much on staff even though it has a staff of eight and interns. Bi-vocational may have an upper hand in Church spending. It does take time away from full time church involvement. There can also be financial stress in the other job, which could effect church finances as well as life.
~It is really amazing to see how the churches in the Muncie Alliance movement take care of each other and all keep track of their churches in one central location. I liked the fact that they learned the passages together for teaching, but I really liked the full connection of finances as well. I wonder if there is a bigger team at Muncie that keeps really legitimate track of Money?
~When Missionaries are dependent on the church it takes a toll out on the budget. I love the fact that the church supports their missionaries. I wonder what will happen in the long run for missionaries concerning finances if the church struggles. I do like the emphasis the CMA church puts on Missions. It really shows they care by fully supporting their missionaries.
Week 1 - Thursday - Kinds of Leadership
Leadership, in my opinion, is when there is someone or a group of people in charge over a larger group. Now whether that person is a good leader or not is another story. When you are in leadership, you will be an example for others to follow; which can put pressure on you to lead well, but sometimes you could really care less. Unfortunately, there are too many people in leadership today that do not care what kind of example they are setting for those who look up to them. When you are in leadership, you are often held to higher standards and integrity than some of your peers. The same goes if you are in leadership in a church.
There are many kinds of leadership that you can find in God’s Word. There is the servant leaders like Christ; monarchy like Solomon; familial leadership like Jacob over his 12 sons. I can’t think of any more. Each of these is a form of leadership, if we, as future ministers are to copy any of these examples of leadership; it should like that of Christ. I mean, think about, what better example of teaching people how to lead than for them to be a servant; not to lord it over those who are under them, but to place themselves under those people.
There are many kinds of leadership that you can find in God’s Word. There is the servant leaders like Christ; monarchy like Solomon; familial leadership like Jacob over his 12 sons. I can’t think of any more. Each of these is a form of leadership, if we, as future ministers are to copy any of these examples of leadership; it should like that of Christ. I mean, think about, what better example of teaching people how to lead than for them to be a servant; not to lord it over those who are under them, but to place themselves under those people.
Week 1 - Tuesday: Church Budget
My practicum is at God's Grace Ministries United Methodist Church, located behind the President's House. Unfortunately my pastor and practicum supervisor is out of town until the 20th, so I couldn't get the information from her. Rather, I got the information needed from her husband, Don Spence. I believe he is an accountant. I talked to him after church on the 10th of January; he briefly explained how to figure it out (did not have it the budget with him at the moment). I only figured out for the End of the Year and 2008's Budget. The 2009 Budget was not yet approved.
I'll bring the Budget to Class, since I don't know how to post a Excel Chart on here. But this is the break down of where the money goes from largest sum to the smallest.
57.3% Ministers and Staff
25.9% Facilities
10.2% Denomination Support and Missions
6.60% Programs
Three Observations:
1. It takes a lot to plan a budget, and a lot of patience.
2. Speculating a budget for the following year takes a lot of work. You need to know what you spent in the past and then predict how much you'll spend in the coming year, etc.
3. The majority of the money that is spent on the budget goes to the Ministers and Staff for various reasons and for the upkeep, insurence, etc. for the facilities. (about 80% in my church's case).
I'll bring the Budget to Class, since I don't know how to post a Excel Chart on here. But this is the break down of where the money goes from largest sum to the smallest.
57.3% Ministers and Staff
25.9% Facilities
10.2% Denomination Support and Missions
6.60% Programs
Three Observations:
1. It takes a lot to plan a budget, and a lot of patience.
2. Speculating a budget for the following year takes a lot of work. You need to know what you spent in the past and then predict how much you'll spend in the coming year, etc.
3. The majority of the money that is spent on the budget goes to the Ministers and Staff for various reasons and for the upkeep, insurence, etc. for the facilities. (about 80% in my church's case).
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