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Assignment 1)
For this
weeks assignment, please do two things:
1.) Using
your course resources (click on the main
course site and then on resources), your
Questia.com subscription, and or the
Internet, identify a model that someone
else has created that represents a
biblical model of the church. (Hint:
There are many of them, and they often
conflict. In fact, some seem downright
self-serving to the author’s perspective
or interest group.)
You can
find some by doing a search on early
church models either in Questa or
Google.
The links
below may help you see a few examples of
church models.
http://churchplantingnovice.wordpress.com/2008/10/22/models-and-methods-of-church-planting/
http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/cellcurch.html
http://www.earlychurch.com/index.php
2.) As you
complete #1, you will encounter many
scriptures used to support various
approaches to the biblical model. As you
do, please keep your bible handy and
browse the scripture references (i.e., 2
Philemon, Titus, etc.) with an eye
toward answering this question:
Why is it
so hard for us to agree on a single
biblical model of the church?
3.)
Finally, please answer this weeks theme
question from your own perspective: Is
the church intended to be small? As you
respond, please feel free to disagree
with me, if that is your position.
Your
submission may be relatively short (3-5
pages?), but must be properly documented
in either APA or MLA style (your choice)
and should clearly indicate that you
have read the materials, thought about
them, and reached a reasoned conclusion.
Assignment 2)
Compare and
Contrast
This week, please
review the Apostle Paul’s letters to
Timothy in light of current church
leadership philosophy.
Please read 1 & 2
Timothy (all books) with an eye to
noticing the strategic leadership advice
the Apostle Paul is providing his young
friend (if you need assistance with
specific leadership points, check the
Questia.com books on Paul’s theology, or
feel free to contact me.)
Then, identify
several Christian resources (Web sites
and articles; book reviews or summaries)
that address church leadership (this
week’s reference have several).
Finally, provide a
comparison and contrast document that
relates biblical leadership as evidenced
by Paul to Timothy with leadership as it
is practiced and reported in today’s
church.
Are there areas in
which church leaders are clearly
operating biblically? Are there areas in
which they clearly are not? Are some
churches or denominations clearly
focused on ensuring that their
leadership models are biblical? (Comment
on those who may not only if you wish.
Feel free to withhold an opinion on the
no” issue.)
Assignment 3)
Addressing The Budget Committee
After completing the financial
management module in your Small Church
Administration course, you feel moved to
address your churches Budget Committee
at its next meeting (if your church has
no budget committee, please play
along…)
Please choose one of the following
topics and develop a short speech that
expresses your heart about the matter.
Your address should be relatively short
(able to be read aloud in five minutes,
max) and biblically based.
Your topics (Please choose one):
Why We Should Do Away With The Budget
How To Get People To Contribute More
Do We Really Need To Be Tax Exempt?
The Biblical Model For A Church Budget
No More Buildings! How Bricks and Mortar
Are Killing Us
*Feel free to choose either 1.) a
different topic that is important to you
(please let me know in advance) or 2.)
an opposing view (ie., feel free to
choose More Bricks and Mortar! Lack of
Facilities is Killing Us)
Assignment 3)
The Bible and
Church Growth
We have observed
this week that the church growth
movement may or may not be interpreted
as a biblical phenomenon, depending on
the observer.
For this week’s
assignment, please review develop your
own biblically-based view of church
growth. Please provide a relatively
short (3-5 page) paper that reflects
your best thinking and research into the
following questions:
1.) According to
the Bible, how should churches grow?
(Consider examples from the Book of Acts
and Paul's writings)
2.) What does your
answer to #1 imply about the church
growth movement?
Note; There is not
necessarily a right or wrong answer.
Like so many debatable issues, our
positions can differ and we can
respectfully disagree. As long as your
answer has a biblical basis and an
analytical framework, please feel free
to present your own perspective.
Also, denominations
have an impact on our understanding and
expectations about church growth. Some
denominations support and expect very
large churches; others prefer and gird
up for smaller congregations. Please
feel free to approach this assignment
from your denominations perspective –
including whether you agree or not.
Finally, we have
been discussing and considering church
growth as a numerical measure. We could
also consider church growth as a matter
of the church growing as a body (i.e.,
in wisdom, in love, grace, and mercy, in
sacrificial attitudes, etc.). Feel free
to address this subject as well.
Assignment 5)
Job Description
One resource issue
that does trouble small churches is
staffing, especially of dynamic pastors.
Despite the genuine advantages of the
small church, the lure of the prestige,
money, and power offered by the larger
churches gives them an advantage in
recruiting pastoral staff members.
This week, imagine
that an association of predominantly
small churches (not necessarily
denominational, but could be) is asking
for help recruiting pastors and pastoral
staff leaders. They would like to have a
brochure or document that effectively
presents the benefits of leading a small
church.
Please use your
knowledge of small churches and their
various advantages to develop such a
document. Feel free to orient your
topics around issues that matter to you
and your local church.
You may present
your work as a brochure or report that
outlines the advantages of small church
leadership. Please be sure to consider
the issues important to a prospective
pastor or staff leader, and address them
with facts and solid research.
Assignment 6 and Final Paper
Write a 8-12 page final paper on what
you feel the church should look like
from your perspective. |
