In this episode, Clair Sams joins David Fry and Johnathan Arnold to discuss board culture and church government.
Quotes from Clair Sams:
- Board members are not just taking care of the business of the church, they are also a part of the spiritual climate of that church.
- A significant part of a well-operating organization is how much trust there is.
- We haven’t done a good job teaching the theology of Church.
- If you put somebody in a position that doesn’t fit how they’re gifted, then that is going to frustrate them.
- If people are put in positions under the leadership of the Holy Spirit that they are equipped to do, then that blesses the larger body.
- Everyone who is a part of a congregation needs to have a deep understanding of who they are in Christ and a respect for every person whether they agree with them or not. Aut of that respect then comes a level of trust that is important for any congregation to go forward in their ministry.
Quotes from David Fry:
- The foundations of board culture are found in our understanding of what it is to be the Church.
- The pastor is one who lives and ministers in community with others.
- Our first responsibility is to find the mind of Christ primarily through prayer and then secondly through cooperative discussion and conversation.
- As a pastor, we are a part of the team, not a CEO. I am called to be one voice among many.
- We have a rich theology to draw from. We can draw much good from the business, economic, or even civil culture that we live in, but that doesn’t form what we do. We draw deeply from the well of biblical ecclesiology which gives us instruction on how to be the church.
- Whatever the issue is we are grappling with as a board or as a church then we must be grappling it with love because that is what makes the church stand out essentially from any other organization or board.
Quotes from Johnathan Arnold:
- Don’t be pragmatic, be theologically informed. Pragmatism allows circumstances, not theology, to drive practice.
- Develop a strategic plan to get from where you are to where the church ought to be.
