Creative Scribble

The one system that seems to make or break churches more than any other is that of leadership and accountability. If the leadership structure requires too many hoops to jump through (committees, votes, boards, etc.), nothing can get accomplished. But on the flip side, if there is a single leader with no accountability it will often end disastrous (moral failure, financial struggles, staffing issues, etc.).

Striking a healthy balance for OneLife Church has been my top priority in this area.

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Another balance we have to realize is that between where we are now and where we want to be. I believe the biblical model of church leadership is of an elder system (whether you call it that or not). Some churches flesh this out with one pastor and a board of laymen. Others flesh it out by being completely staff led. Then others land somewhere in the middle. Fortunately, the Bible doesn’t tell us how it has to be done. Just that we need the accountability of plural leadership. But when you are a brand new church like us, the people aren’t in place to fully operate like it is traditionally done.

For OneLife’s current state, we will be staff led. There is one pastor but I can’t do it on my own. So I have empowered our small and part-time staff (and future volunteer staff) to take ownership and make things happen. No votes, no committees. Just action. My job as pastor is to hold them accountable to the vision God has given me for our church and to biblical leadership.

Sounds like a one-man show, huh? Not so fast.

Because of the unique model our church has followed in getting started (we have five churches within 20 minutes of us partnering together to launch OneLife) accountability for me is built in. Several of these pastors have walked with me over the past two years to see this church get started. These guys will continue serving as my personal “board” to help me and the church as we go forward. It is through this external accountability that my current salary has been set, our finances were handled early on, and our funding proposal was developed. Going forward they will continue to offer leadership in the areas of our salaries and budget, spiritual development, and other important decisions.

It is because of their leadership and accountability that several guidelines have been in place for me and our staff. Here are some examples. I have never signed a check and our books were handled by a partner church until we hired a bookkeeper. Our married staff members, including myself, are never alone with members of the opposite sex – ever. My number one ministry is to be my wife and my family. The same is true for our staff. Our families will not die on the altar of ministry.

This system is sure to morph and change some as we grow and move forward. We’ll eventually have partners (our word for members), more staff, an annual budget, etc. But the fundamentals will not change – we are all human and need accountability. I’m thankful that God has given us just what we need for this time in OneLife’s development.