Leadership

Last year was one of the most important in Shiloh's history. I say so for various reasons; one of which is, the decision of our elders to re-organize their ministry structure. Shiloh’s elders have formed three teams based upon their gifts.

             One team is the Administrative team. J. B. Berry, Leonard Kent, and John Thompson serve on this team. Looking to Jesus, the great administrator in the household of faith, (see Hebrews chapter 3), they seek to serve as overseers of the Lord's church. That does not mean they will not serve in other ways, but administration oversight will be a priority for them.

             A second team is the Pastoral team. Don Faubus, Travis Hunt, David Smith, and John Eastland serve on this team. As you might imagine, the priority for this team is to assure that the pastoral needs of the church are being met. They, too, serve in the line of Jesus, the great Shepherd.

             The third and final team is the Vision team. Mike Warner and David Litton serve on this team. What greater visionary is found in Scripture than Jesus? He is the one who anticipated the future and saw ahead for the disciples. Likewise, the leadership of the church should be the ones to supply the vision.

             Who leads the church? In some churches, it is one man. Many times this man is called the Pastor. He is responsible for setting the vision, administrating, and supplying the network for pastorally caring for the church. I, personally, do not think this is biblical. It usually destroys something in the Pastor’s life as well: his family, his marriage, his health… something.

             In some churches, the staff supplies the leadership. It is easier to grow a church when the staff leads, as opposed to when one man leads. Typically, one man can provide very little pastoral care. If he does not delegate well, up to 150 is all you can expect the church to reach. With a staff, you can reach more, but again, I question how biblical this is.

             The ultimate biblical model is the eldership. This is a group of men, not one. They model for the community—community. They serve according to their gifts. They're not cookie cutters. Ideally, they work hand-in-hand with staff, who serve under their oversight. Shiloh follows this model.

             Our elders have formed pastoral groups in order to care at the more individual level for the flock. Roughly, each elder cares for about 60 members. Is this ideal? No, but it is an improvement.

             This new structure, I believe, will allow us to bring in people and care for them, which will help us to grow. One of the reasons we've consistently hit the ceiling of 500 or 600 members, is because of administrative and organizational structure. Never forget, God is an administrator and an organizer. 

             You see this going back to the book of Genesis. Administration and organization are not dirty words. Think about where your human body would be without organization and administration.

             Working hand-in-hand with staff, our elders are helping us meet the needs of members, new Christians, and new members, in a more holistic way. Biblically put, we’re able to more effectively partner with God in making disciples of people in his church.

             I am excited about the future of Shiloh.

Five Things I Think I Think (with a nod to Peter King for this idea)

1. I'm sticking with Green Bay and New York.
2. How does Ted Thompson look as a GM now?
3. Read an incredible stat in a book last week. I need to confirm this with another source. The stat? The Dallas Cowboys' defense gave up only two rushing TDs in 1968. That is staggering.

4. I saw TRUE GRIT over the weekend--and really enjoyed it. The star of this edition is the girl, not Rooster Cogburn.
5. Today, I am playing injured. I am prepping for my first colonoscopy tomorrow. Before I finish, I want to say that I unequivocally believe... excuse me... I've got to go....