Division in the local church
By Ken Blue
“Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.” 1 Corinthians 1:10.
I know of nothing that causes strife and division in the local church like voting and giving undue attention to the church constitution. There are churches that cannot make a decision without first consulting the constitution to see if it is permissible and then voting to see how many will oppose it. Growing churches cannot function when hamstrung with policies which require a vote on every decision.
Why not plan the entire year with your leadership; then build the budget around those plans? Having done that let the membership review it. Tell them to contact the deacons if they have questions. The pastor and staff should not be contacted about budget matters. Finally, have a Victory and Vision Banquet where the budget is approved, but not discussed. Once the budget is approved, move forward in freedom to accomplish the ministry goals that have been set.
The pastor should also have liberty to appoint men and women to fill all needed ministry positions. It is unwise to vote on these people.
[pullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]The fewer things a church votes on, the less division it will have.[/pullquote]
The fewer things a church votes on, the less division it will have. There are four things, if voted on, that will allow the church work to go forward. These are: 1. Vote on the annual budget. 2. Vote on any change in the constitution. 3. Vote on the purchase of property or building new buildings. 4. Vote on the hiring of a new pastor. The pastor should take the leadership in all these matters; otherwise there will be much ado about nothing.
Pastor Ken Blue was born in Boswell, Ark. In 1955 he accepted Christ as his Savior. He and his wife Joyce were married in 1955. They have 5 children. He graduated from Midwestern Baptist Bible College in 1969 and started the Open Door Baptist Church in Lynnwood, Wa. where he pastored for 39 years. Because of health issues (ALS) he was forced to resign as pastor. It is his desire to continue to be used of God to help pastors and believers through this ministry.
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