How do decisions get made in your church?

Question

(for those of you who go to church) **anyone else need not answer.

i mean decisions regarding scheduling, new ministry ideas being put into action, methods of outreach, financial decisions, membership, etc...

Answer 1

at my church we'll either have meetings or ask the congregation on what they think will be best.

Answer 2

I see many things being done which aren't according to the Bible:

1. There is no scriptural basis for a "church treasury" so there is no basis for how it should be managed. I know that will catch flack, so I'll answer the flack now. In 1Cor 16:1-2 Paul writes to the church in Corinth "Now about the money being collected for the Christians in Jerusalem: You should follow the same procedures I gave to the churches in Galatia. 2 On every Lord’s Day, each of you should put aside some amount of money in relation to what you have earned and save it for this offering. Don’t wait until I get there and then try to collect it all at once." We see clearly that it was to be set aside but not collected. Nothing is said in the New Testament about paying local expenses for the church. They met in homes and the expenses would be covered by individual members as they arose. Justyn Martyr writes around 160 AD "And they who are well to do, and willing, give what each thinks fit; and what is collected is deposited with the president, who succours the orphans and widows and those who, through sickness or any other cause, are in want, and those who are in bonds and the strangers sojourning among us, and in a word takes care of all who are in need. " We see there was still no treasury, but monies were handled week to week as needs arose.

2. Membership is not something done by man, but God. Ac 2:47 They praised God. They were respected by all the people. Every day the Lord added to their group those who were being saved.

3. Most day-to-day things like scheduling are the work of deacons. This word, also translated minister or servant, They may handle it in any way they wish.

4. My home congregation had many ministries and outreach efforts that were started and run by individuals within the church.

Answer 3

We have a business meeting once a quarter.We get to present new ideas about ministry or outreach for approval at that time.As regards scheduling, we have a church calender. When you want to use the church for a event,you put it on the calender and then it is approved at the business meeting.The finances are also approved at business meeting. For our business meeting, their must be a quorum of a certain percentage of the membership present before we can conduct the meeting.

Answer 4

Well, most local, how to run the parish decisions, are made by the pastor. Some, will form a committee, like a finance committe, and go along with what they say, others will form the same committee and then do whatever he wants claiming that the committee did it. Membership, is probably out of Rome, and some diocese-wide decisions are made by the bishop, though I would imagine that sometimes, he has to check with Rome about it.

Answer 5

Our Church elects the Church Council. The Council has three sub committees, Elders, Stewards, and Deacons. All report the the Council.
Elders (with Pastor) - Worship, special service, publish the Yearly Worship Guide (Hymns, readings for the year), Altar Guild
Stewart - Budgets, Accounting, money raising, oversight of projects, property management/maintenance, Web site (w/Deacons)
Deacons - Adult & youth instruction, out reach, communion visits to shut ins, youth programs, field trips, Web site (w/ Stewarts)

The Council has the finial responsiblity in all areas.

Answer 6

Quakers have a system of meetings. Anything to do with the meeting itself is dealt with by the Elders on Sundays or by committees set up to deal with various aspects (buildings, young people, newsletter and so on). Each meeting reports in its area to a Monthly Meeting, which in turn reports at a regional level to a Quarterly Meeting which reports to Friends' House at a national level at Yearly Meeting. The system was set up in the very early days by George Fox and his contemporaries and has worked very well ever since.

Answer 7

We have elected committees that make departmental decisions. Financial committee, Social committee, Educational committee, etc. They are elected each year.

Answer 8

I don't know because in the Swedenborgian Church, we really don't need the minister.

http://www.mechanicsburgnewchurch.org

Answer 9

It all depends when the priest wants to schedule his time molesting his alter boys.

Answer 10

They said: "God says so." and "Bush says so."

This is why I don't go anymore and I couldn't be happier.