Church Culture - Clarity

Let all things be done decently and in order.  I Corinthians 14:40

The word “clarity” can be applied to many areas.  As a church body, we need to have a clarity of understanding our purpose in sharing the gospel in our community.
What does the word “gospel” mean?  It is the good news of Jesus’s death, burial and resurrection (I Corinthians 15:3-4). 
When sharing the gospel, Paul made sure to explain sin thoroughly to address the problem all mankind faces without God (Romans 1:18-3:18). 
Once man comes to grip with their sin problem, then they need to turn to Christ and find the solution in Him alone (John 14:6; Romans 5:8-11; 2 Corinthians 5:21).
And finally, man needs to respond to the truth by putting his trust in Christ alone and the work that he did on the cross (Romans 10:9-13). 
As a church, we are ambassadors for Christ and have this ministry of reconciliation (making peace with God) by sharing the gospel where we live, work, and play (2 Corinthians 5:18-21).

As a church, we also need clarity in the area of leadership roles.  In I Peter 5:1-3, the Apostle Peter offers a powerful and concise overview of the need for pastors to mesh their three biblical roles of elder, shepherd, and overseer. The three roles are connected and work together to bring about revitalization.

The transformational shepherd should be able to:

1. Love and care for people as transformation occurs.
   
2. Gather and influence people in the cause of personal and church transformation.
   
3. Respectfully correct misplaced values.

The wise elder must:

1. Demonstrate wisdom in seeking God and leading his people.
2. Demonstrate character that builds trust.
3. Communicate with inspiration.

The skilled overseer must:

1. Know how to lead a change process in the church.
   
2. Be able to cast vision boldly and implement strategy effectively.
3. Be able to align resources and execute daily tasks.
   

(The Overseer by Dr. Rob Peters)

In our prayers, we can seek God to provide humble, faithful elders who will help to support the pastor in shepherding and overseeing the body of Christ.  The primary role of these leaders is to set things in order (Titus 1:5-9) and has the idea of the oversight of the flock (church body).

Role clarification is also mentioned in Acts 6; shepherds were to be devoted to the word and prayer while other leaders were put in charge of service tasks.  This type of leadership protects the congregation from being neglected or overlooked in having their needs met (Acts 6:1-7).

Pray for God to add more faithful men and women to our leadership roles in the church.