Structure Your Church Differently
Structure Your Church Differently
Structure Your Church Differently
(Quotes Included) 1
STRUCTURE
YOUR
CHURCH
(Differently)
by Daniel A. Brown PhD
C HAPTER
O NE :
T A K E
A C T IO N
A N D
S T R U C T U R E
Y O U R
C H U R C H
Sometimes
the
most
obvious
truths
escape
our
attention
until
we
find
ourselves
in
a
new
setting.
For
instance,
even
though
I
had
been
taught
the
truth
of
God’s
word
from
boyhood,
it
was
not
until
after
I
began
attending
a
Pentecostal
church
during
my
college
years
that
I
realized
how
often
the
Bible
exhorted
me
to
“Praise
the
Lord.”
The
non‐charismatic
church
culture
from
which
I
came
made
me
inherently
suspicious
of
borderline
danger
points
that
might
carry
me
away
into
emotionalism—like
lifted
hands,
spoken
praise,
and
hymnal‐less
worship.
I
still
do
not
know
how
I
had
missed
such
an
obvious
theme
in
Scripture,
but
“Praise
God”
suddenly
made
sense
to
me
as
a
personal
encouragement,
rather
than
as
mere
words
or
an
emphatic
(verbal)
punctuation
mark.
Perhaps
that
is
why
I’m
always
on
the
lookout
for
obvious
truths
that
unobtrusively
remain
hidden
behind
well‐meaning
spiritual
attitudes
and
clichés.
Take
for
example
our
earnest
prayers
for
God
to
“do
something”
in,
at,
or
with
our
church;
as
Pentecostals
we
celebrate
spontaneous
interventions,
miraculous
and
sovereign
activities
of
the
Spirit.
And
well
we
should.
But
a
simple
reading
of
the
Bible
reveals
that
what
God
does
on
earth
almost
always
happens
through
the
agency
of
individual
human
beings;
He
does
almost
nothing
all
on
His
own,
Daniel
A.
Brown,
PhD
ctw.coastlands.org
S t ru c t u re Yo u r C h u rch ( D i f fe re n t l y ) :
(Quotes Included) 2
without
using
some
person’s
staff,
hands,
lips,
etc.
People
are
God’s
tool
of
choice,
and
that
is
why
Jesus
told
us
to
pray
for
laborers,
rather
than
for
the
harvest
(Matthew
9:37‐38).
I’m
not
suggesting
that
it
is
wrong
to
pray
for
revival—just
that
it
is
an
incomplete
understanding
of
how
God
moves;
that
is
unless
we
have
a
corresponding
passion
to
mobilize
workers
for
the
Harvest.
A
balanced
spiritual
approach
ought
to
include—both
intercession
and
discipleship—seeking
God
and
sending
people.
And
as
leaders,
we
want
to
remember
why
God
employs
such
fallible
creatures:
He
wants
them
to
share
His
excitement
by
involving
them
in
the
very
process
of
rescuing
and
transforming
others.
S TRUCTURE
IS
NOT
U NSPIRITUAL
In
the
same
way
that
an
overly
spiritualized
view
of
God’s
activity
on
our
planet
can
cloud
a
complete
picture
of
how
He
actually
does
things
among
us,
so
too
can
our
feelings
about
administration
and
structure
in
our
churches.
We
who
rely
on
fresh
leadings
of
the
Lord
in
our
personal
lives
and
ministry
are
suspicious
of
any
potential
hindrance
to
God
having
His
way.
The
very
mention
of
structure
frightens
many
Pentecostal
leaders—usually
because
they
fear
it
will
unduly
“quench”
or
interrupt
the
free
flow
the
Spirit.
But
God
is
not
constrained
by
order;
a
river
with
a
narrower
passage
flows
faster
than
one
that
is
wide
open,
and
a
river
that
spills
over
its
banks
in
a
swelling
frenzy
of
unusual
rainfall
is
called
a
flood.
Just
as
God
uses
flesh
and
blood
people
as
vessels
for
His
activity,
(“the
spirits
of
a
prophet
are
subject
to
prophets...1
Corinthians
14:32),
so
He
often
uses
natural,
physical
arrangements
to
sustain
spiritual
breakthroughs.
“God is not a God of confusion.” 1 Corinthians 14:32‐33
From
the
outset
of
Creation
we
see
God
bringing
order
to
chaos,
setting
up
boundaries
to
distinguish
night
from
day,
developing
(eco)
systems,
job
descriptions
(“Be
fruitful
and
fill
the
earth”
Genesis
1:28)
and
arenas
of
responsibility
(caretakers
of
the
planet).
The
Book
of
Numbers
is
essentially
an
administrative
handbook
on
duties
and
arrangements
for
God’s
people.
Throughout
the
Old
Testament,
we
find
series
after
series
of
record‐keeping,
boundary‐defining,
tribe‐distinguishing,
people‐
Daniel
A.
Brown,
PhD
ctw.coastlands.org
S t ru c t u re Yo u r C h u rch ( D i f fe re n t l y ) :
(Quotes Included) 3
deploying
and
assignment‐giving.
Whatever
their
spiritual
meaning
or
implication,
these
are
administrative
activities—the
stuff
of
structure
and
logistics.
Organic
Implications
What
often
escapes
our
Pentecostal
Bible
reading
is
that
spiritual
matters
usually
have
some
sort
of
organic
(logistical
“flesh
and
blood”)
implications.
In
fact,
the
physical
arrangements
are
pivotal
in
many
cases.
One
excellent
example
of
this
is
the
well‐known
story
of
Moses’
battle
with
the
Amalekites
(Exodus
17).
When
Moses’
hands
were
extended,
Israel
prevailed.
That
will
preach!
And
many
a
preacher
has
exhorted
congregations
to
more
faith
and
spiritual
activity
on
the
basis
of
that
text.
The
spiritual
implications
are
huge—spiritual
warfare
brings
victory.
Amen.
But
notice
other
details
in
the
episode:
Moses’
arms
needed
support
to
remain
aloft
(Aaron
and
Hur
were
employed
as
arm‐lifters);
Joshua
and
others
fought
an
actual
physical
battle
with
swords
while
Moses
battled
on
the
mountain.
Without
the
spiritual
power
activated
by
Moses’
simple
obedience,
no
victory
wouldn’t
have
been
possible,
but
only
with
physical
arrangements
could
spiritual
victory
be
sustained.
We
see
this
same
picture
on
the
exodus
from
Egypt
just
after
Moses
meets
his
father‐in‐law—who
is
bringing
back
Moses’
wife
after
their
lengthy
separation
(Chapter
18).
Moses
tells
Jethro
about
all
the
miracles
God
performed,
and
they
have
quite
a
celebration
service.
“Hallelujah!”
That,
too,
will
preach.
Ah,
but
then
we
come
to
these
telling
words:
“The
next
day
Moses
took
his
seat
to
serve
as
judge
for
the
people,
and
they
stood
around
him
from
morning
till
evening.”
Exodus
18:13
Jethro
observed
the
lack
of
intentional
structure
in
Moses’
approach
to
ministry,
and
that
every
dispute
or
issue
bottlenecked
at
Moses’
feet.
Jethro
concluded
that
Moses
needed
an
arrangement
of
people
and
responsibilities
to
adequately
deal
with
the
ongoing
lives
of
people
in
the
nation.
Revival
services
are
exciting
and
fantastic,
but
they
will
inevitably
be
followed
by
“next
days,”
just
like
the
one
Jethro
observed.
To
continue
ministering
to
people
between
miraculous
interventions,
church
leaders
need
church
structures
designed
for
those
days—not
for
the
services.
We
need
structures
that
wait
on
people
throughout
all
of
their
days,
not
structures
that
wait
for
the
few
and
far
between
days
of
revival.
Daniel
A.
Brown,
PhD
ctw.coastlands.org
S t ru c t u re Yo u r C h u rch ( D i f fe re n t l y ) :
(Quotes Included) 4
Waiting
Tables
One
New
Testament
episode
highlights
the
synergy
between
logistical
planning
and
spiritual
breakthrough.
When
the
revival
in
Jerusalem
spread
so
rapidly,
the
Hellenistic
widows
were
getting
overlooked
in
the
food
distribution.
(Have
you
noticed
how
spiritual
growth
causes
problems?)
The
solution
was
to
delegate
and
make
arrangements
for
physical
needs.
Overly
spiritualized
interpretations
of
this
text
mistakenly
assume
that
Peter
considered
“waiting
on
tables”
less
important
than
the
spiritual
tasks
of
prayer
and
preaching.
Actually,
since
he
and
the
other
disciples
had
already
received
their
“waiter
and
busboy”
training
in
the
feeding
of
the
multitudes
some
years
earlier
(see
Matthew
14
and
15),
Peter
understood
that
such
work
would
be
excellent
experience
for
others
who
were
rising
to
significant
leadership
roles.
And
it
was.
Stephen’s
heavenly
vision
and
Phillip’s
conversion
of
the
Ethiopian
flow
seamlessly
from
their
structural
assignments
in
the
food
pantry
ministry.
They
lost
nothing
by
leading
such
mundane
ministries
because
when
each
occasion
arose,
they
knew
when
to
administrate
and
when
to
minister.
Daniel
A.
Brown,
PhD
ctw.coastlands.org
S t ru c t u re Yo u r C h u rch ( D i f fe re n t l y ) :
(Quotes Included) 5
C HAPTER
T WO :
STRUCTURE
HAS
A
PURPOSE
Does
structure
and
over‐planning
sometimes
get
in
the
way
of
what
the
Lord
wants
to
do?
Of
course,
I
am
certainly
not
saying
that
we
ought
to
put
our
trust
in
well‐oiled
plans,
or
rely
on
administrative
structures
to
accomplish
Kingdom
enterprise
on
earth.
All
plans
must
be
brought
under
Jesus’
Lordship
with
the
simple
belief
that
a
God
who
gave
such
detailed
instructions
about
the
dimensions
and
materials
and
furnishings
of
His
temple,
surely
has
thoughts
for
arranging
the
living
church
in
each
of
its
local
expressions.
What
practical
ways
can
we
think
about
combining
structural
arrangements—
administration,
staff
positions,
etc.—with
spiritual
pursuits?
More
specifically,
how
can
we
develop
and
improve
our
church
structures?
Let
me
offer
these
suggestions
for
your
consideration,
recognizing
that
they
must
be
adapted
to
fit
with
your
particular
situation:
1. Most
importantly,
think
of
structure
as
a
verb
(an
action
or
process)
rather
than
as
a
noun
(a
thing
or
product).
Structure
is
something
to
do—arranging
stuff
where
it
belongs
now,
moving
things
around,
getting
things
to
fit
together
to
accomplish
a
goal—not
something
to
have.
Even
if
you
are
able
to
draw
a
flow
chart
with
boxes
and
names
and
lines
of
accountability
for
your
church,
I
can
tell
you
that
it
is
already
out‐dated.
People,
things,
and
needs
have
changed.
The
change
or
need
may
be
as
simple
as
drivers
for
the
junior
high
event
or
as
complex
as
someone
to
oversee
various
care
ministries
in
the
church.
Good
administration
asks
the
question:
“Who
or
what,
needs
who
or
what
to
accomplish
what
we’re
trying
to
do?”
2. That
is
why
good
structure
is
fluid
and
flexible,
adapting
to
“daily
bread”
needs.
Rigid,
bureaucratic
models
like
in
the
military
or
industries
where
workers
do
the
same
basic
set
of
things
day
after
day,
do
not
function
very
well
in
the
church.
To
begin
with,
we
utilize
lots
of
volunteers
who
will
get
left
off
such
flow
charts
precisely
because
they
are
not
“consistent.”
Churches
do
so
many
different
kinds
of
things
each
week—CM,
crisis
counseling,
bulletins
and
worship
practice—and
such
a
Daniel
A.
Brown,
PhD
ctw.coastlands.org
S t ru c t u re Yo u r C h u rch ( D i f fe re n t l y ) :
(Quotes Included) 6
It simply isn’t possible that the same few people are the best ones for all those jobs!
3. Good
structure
recognizes
that
position
is
not
as
meaningful
as
involvement.
A
titled
position
does
not
mean
that
the
person
holding
the
title
can
or
should
be
that
involved
in
the
actual
work
that
must
be
done.
Going
back
to
the
example
of
a
Junior
High
event,
the
ideal
scenario
would
be
for
the
Youth
Pastor
to
arrange
things
(time,
information,
etc.)
to
find
and
involve
someone
else
in
finding
the
drivers.
Without
intentional
arrangements,
pastors
fall
into
the
same
trap
as
Moses,
assuming
there
is
no
alternative
to
doing
everything
themselves.
You
will
become
a
better
administrator
by
constantly
asking
the
question:
“Who
else,
and
how
else
can
I
get
other
people
involved
in
this
project?”
Who
can
think
about
this
project
better
than
I
can,
and
who
has
knowledge
that
I
lack?
Daniel
A.
Brown,
PhD
ctw.coastlands.org
S t ru c t u re Yo u r C h u rch ( D i f fe re n t l y ) :
(Quotes Included) 7
responsibility
is
to
release
people
to
maximize
their
decision‐making
and
minimize
their
“permission
asking.”
As
I
told
a
staff
person
last
week,
“I’d
rather
have
you
pray/think
about
and
then
make
a
decision—even
if
it
turns
out
to
be
the
wrong
one—rather
than
await
my
decision
about
things
for
which
you
are
responsible.”
6. As
obvious
as
it
sounds,
the
whole
point
of
structure
is
to
accomplish
church
purposes
in/with
the
lives
of
its
people.
Thus,
the
structure
must
match
the
goals
of
the
church.
Let’s
take
cell
groups.
We
emphasize
cell
groups
in
our
church
because
one
of
our
goals
is
to
keep
encouraging
people
toward
ministry
leadership
roles.
That
is
also
why
our
cell
groups
are
structured
to
have
apprentice
leaders,
and
why
we
have
lay
leaders
overseeing
clusters
of
cell
groups,
and
yet
another
layer
of
lay
leaders
(two
couples)
who
minister
to
those
cluster
leaders.
If
your
church’s
main
assignment
were
to
gather
the
flock
to
listen
to
teaching,
cell
groups
would
be
counter‐
productive.
Have
you
noticed
that
people
watch
what
we
do
much
more
than
they
listen
to
what
we
say?
Thus,
good
administrators
ask
the
question:
what
does
our
planned‐for
structure
communicate
to
people?
But
to
be
great,
a
church
of
any
size
must
have
a
leader
who
arranges
things
in
such
a
way
as
to
make
such
partnership
the
norm
rather
than
the
exception.
8. As
Pentecostals
we
thrill
with
the
understanding
that
Jesus
gave
ministry
gifts
to
His
church.
The
Lord,
and
the
Spirit,
uniquely
capacitates
us
to
be
particular
parts
of
the
body.
Good
church
structures
recognize,
celebrate
and
promote
gift‐mix
diversity.
Daniel
A.
Brown,
PhD
ctw.coastlands.org
S t ru c t u re Yo u r C h u rch ( D i f fe re n t l y ) :
(Quotes Included) 8
Some
are
prophets,
others
are
exhorters,
teachers,
mercy‐showers
and
givers
sit
alongside
evangelists,
servers
and
pastors.
Paul
explained
that
a
church
body
builds
itself
up
in
love
when
each
part
is
actively
and
efficiently
working
the
way
it
is
supposed
to
work.
Most
likely,
an
exhorter
will
be
more
relational
and
less
organized
than
a
teacher
if
asked
to
head
up
the
coffee
ministry.
And
if
one
is
passing
the
coffee
baton
to
the
other,
some
of
the
job
is
bound
to
get
lost
in
the
transition.
The
neat
thing
is
that
something
new
will
grow
back
in
its
place.
People
are
far
more
that
mere
bodies
and
one‐size‐fits‐all
workers.
In
a
truly
spiritual
structure,
the
unique
Gift‐Mixes
of
each
person
are
considered
and
celebrated—and
given
opportunity
to
develop.
9. Lastly,
remember
that
structure
has
no
actual
spiritual
life
in
it
at
all.
Little
of
eternity
is
affected
by
shifting
service
times
a
half
hour
backward,
or
by
changing
someone’s
title
from
assistant
to
associate.
The
implications
of
that
can
sound
almost
the
opposite
of
what
I’ve
been
saying
thus
far.
But,
I’m
actually
making
my
main
point:
structure
is
disposable;
it’s
meant
to
be
used—rather
than
preserved.
Like
an
umbrella,
it
works
until
it
breaks;
or,
until
the
sun
comes
out.
Like
a
pair
of
shoes,
it
wears
out,
or
we
outgrow
it.
As
fresh
as
our
systems
and
structures
begin,
they
all
eventually
require
significant
readjustment,
and
sometimes
it’s
best
just
to
trash
them
and
start
over
with
new
structures,
for
new
seasons.
The
Bible
tells
us,
that
David,
a
man
after
God’s
heart,
led
Israel
with
a
combination
of
integrity
and
ingenuity;
he
was
both
spiritual
and
skillful
(Reference
1
Samuel
16‐31).
S T A F F IN G
S U G G E S T IO N S
F O R
Y O U R
C H U R C H
“It
is
to
your
advantage
that
I
go
away…”—Jesus,
the
Savior
of
the
world
When
we
left
our
home
church
in
late
1984
to
plant
The
Coastlands,
this
scripture
(John
16:7)
kept
coming
to
my
heart
again
and
again—along
with
a
simple
prophetic
understanding:
I
was
to
structure
this
new
church
in
such
a
way
that
it
functioned
as
well
without
me
(in
its
daily
operations)
as
it
did
with
me.
In
other
words,
disciple
people,
develop
systems,
and
delegate
significant
responsibilities
within
those
systems
to
those
people.
If
Jesus
left
the
world
in
the
keeping
of
Daniel
A.
Brown,
PhD
ctw.coastlands.org
S t ru c t u re Yo u r C h u rch ( D i f fe re n t l y ) :
(Quotes Included) 9
humans,
it
is
hard
to
justify
a
leadership
attitude
that
struggles
with
entrusting
church
work
to
those
same
humans.
Not
that
it
has
been
a
smooth
journey,
but
between
the
bumps
and
potholes
(sometimes
through
them),
I
have
learned
a
few
things
that
might
help
you
in
staffing
your
ministry
so
that
more
people
(volunteers
and
paid
workers)
can
be
involved
meaningfully
in
the
process:
1. The
work
of
church
is
not
primarily
the
programs
and
services
it
puts
on,
but
the
transformation
in
the
lives
of
the
congregation;
therefore,
do
not
use
the
people
to
get
the
jobs
done,
use
the
jobs
to
help
complete
the
people.
2. Inspire
people
by
believing
in
them
more
than
they
believe
in
themselves.
They
tend
to
perform
to
the
level
expected
of
them.
When
their
job
is
“to
do
what
they’re
told
to
do,”
do
not
be
surprised
if
they
fail
to
take
much
initiative.
3. Adapt
the
particulars
of
a
job
to
the
uniqueness
of
the
person
doing
it,
not
the
other
way
around.
Define
the
core
tasks
of
the
assignment,
but
let
the
new
person
accomplish
those
tasks
their
own
way;
and,
encourage
that
person
to
branch
out
into
new
areas
of
interest.
4. Several
part‐time
workers
will
usually
be
a
better
use
of
limited
salary
funds
than
one
full‐time
worker.
With
rare
exceptions
(finances,
graphics,
scheduling,
etc.),
the
main
assignment
of
staff
is
to
mobilize
more
people
to
do
the
jobs
assigned
to
the
staff.
Once
staff
and
volunteers
understand
and
agree
to
what
you
are
ultimately
trying
to
accomplish—the
clearer
you
are
about
the
goal
and
the
greater
freedom
and
authority
they
can
be
allowed
to
fulfill
their
assignments—the less detailed you have to be with instructions.
5. Trust
people—not
to
be
mistake‐free,
but
to
truly
do
their
best
with
the
understanding
and
tools
they
have.
Trust
is
the
single
most
significant
factor
predicting
people’s
satisfaction
with
(and
willingness
to
get
involved
with)
an
organization.
6. For
Real
Estate
it’s
“Location,
Location,
Location.”
For
church
staff
it’s,
“Attitude,
Attitude,
Attitude.”
There
is
a
world
of
difference
between
character,
heart
issues
(pride,
selfishness,
resentment,
fear,
Daniel
A.
Brown,
PhD
ctw.coastlands.org
S t ru c t u re Yo u r C h u rch ( D i f fe re n t l y ) :
(Quotes Included) 10
jealousy,
etc.)
and
plain
old
mistakes
and
miscalculations.
We
all
have
both
varieties.
Address
them
differently
in
your
workers’
lives.
Daniel A. Brown, PhD ctw.coastlands.org