Different churches need different types of organizational systems. I think most of us would agree to that. For example, a local church without elders for qualification reasons is no less of a church than the large church with dozens of elders. However, different organization systems are required for each one. One area of organization that… Continue Reading
Category Archives: Church Growth
The Makings of a Good System
There are nearly infinite versions of organizational systems that can be found to frame churches around. Some are traditional/pragmatic, such as having elders make decisions or using ‘men’s business meetings’. Some are progressive/research based and are introduced after serious study of culture and organization. Some are simply marketing tools generated to sell books or capitalize… Continue Reading
Jethro II
As a response to the development of Theory Y and the increased focus on individuals within society, Jethro II emerged as a new take on an organizational system designed by Moses’ father-in-law thousands of years ago. The difference was significant: The most important part of the system is the individual. Now, it is easy to… Continue Reading
Theory X and Theory Y
Some of you may have guessed that the failure with Jethro I was that it didn’t take into account the needs and value of the individual. Sure, Jethro’s original advice to Moses mentioned not wearing people out, but the focus of the system is on the benefits it provides to management/leaders and on getting the… Continue Reading
Jethro I
Several years ago, as I was just getting into ministry, I became enamored with the idea of small groups. Initially because it was different than traditional (that’s been a theme with me), then because I was hired to manage small groups for a church. I’ll work small groups in later in our organization discussion but… Continue Reading
The Right Way To Do Church
Before I really get started on some church organization stuff, I want to clarify my position on what is the right way to “do church”. If we’re honest, what we do as churches today is mostly created by us. We like to claim that we use a biblical approach or that we do things the… Continue Reading
The Case for the System
I’m a very systems and process oriented person. So much so that I sometimes have difficulty focusing on the smaller details of things. I care less about the details and more about how the details connect and where the details are going. Any one detail by itself is powerless, but when coupled with other details… Continue Reading
Leadership and Organization
I’m attracted to church leadership and organization like a moth is drawn to flame. I know some people find it terribly boring, but I find it completely fascinating. I get enchanted just looking at it. The similarities with fire are almost scary. It moves and changes, comes in all different sizes, shapes, and colors. It… Continue Reading
Who Owns a Church, Addendum
This isn’t really a part of the series, but I had an “a-ha” moment when reading Hotchkiss’s article that had to do with decision making process and why popular vote is a bad way to go. We all know that there are times when tough decisions have to be made in church. As a leader,… Continue Reading
Who Owns a Church, Part 4
Now, at this point the title of the series doesn’t exactly match, but since it’s a series I want to run with it. Regardless of who is supposed to make decisions or what group of people are given the responsibility for finalizing those decisions, something has to be said about HOW that group should function… Continue Reading
